Potting Shed vs Greenhouse: Which Do You Need?

If you're planning a new garden building for next spring, you've probably found yourself weighing up a potting shed against a greenhouse. Both give you somewhere to grow, but they do different jobs. Pick the right one and it'll earn its place in your garden for years. Pick the wrong one and you'll either be short of light or short of space for your tools.

Here's how the two compare, and how to decide which suits the way you garden.

What is a potting shed?

A potting shed is a timber shed with a run of large windows down one side. The solid walls give you dry, lockable storage for tools, compost and pots, while the glazed side floods your potting bench with daylight. It's a working space: somewhere to sow seeds, prick out seedlings, pot on young plants and keep everything you need close to hand.

What is a greenhouse?

A greenhouse is glazed on every side, and usually the roof too. That maximum light and trapped warmth makes it the place to grow plants all the way through to harvest: tomatoes, chillies, cucumbers, peppers and tender plants that wouldn't cope outside in a British summer.

The key differences

Light

A greenhouse wins on light every time. If you want to grow heat-loving crops through to harvest, you need light from all sides. A potting shed gives you strong light from one side, which is plenty for sowing seeds, raising seedlings and potting on, but it isn't designed for growing tomato plants to full height.

Storage and security

This is where a potting shed comes into its own. Solid timber walls and a lockable door mean you can store a mower, hand tools, bags of compost and garden furniture safely. A greenhouse isn't built for storage, and anything you keep in it is on show.

Temperature

Greenhouses heat up quickly on sunny days, which is great for growing but can be uncomfortable to work in during summer, and they lose heat fast on cold nights. A timber potting shed is better insulated, so it stays cooler in summer and drier in winter, making it a more comfortable space to spend time in all year round.

Privacy and looks

A timber potting shed blends naturally into most gardens and gives you a private spot to work. A greenhouse is a striking feature, but it's very open.

Cost

Prices overlap more than people expect. A good-quality timber potting shed and a timber greenhouse of a similar size often cost a similar amount. The bigger question is which one will be more useful to you.

Which should you choose?

Choose a potting shed if...

  • You mainly sow seeds and raise young plants to plant out in the garden or allotment
  • You need secure storage for tools and equipment as well as a growing space
  • You only have room for one building and want it to do two jobs
  • You want somewhere comfortable to potter year round

Choose a greenhouse if...

  • You want to grow tomatoes, cucumbers, chillies or other crops through to harvest
  • You want to overwinter tender plants or extend your growing season
  • You already have a shed for storage

Or have both

Many keen gardeners end up with both, and they work brilliantly together. Use the potting shed as your workroom for sowing, potting on and storing supplies, then move young plants into the greenhouse to grow on. If you have the space, it's the setup that gives you the most flexibility.

Before you buy: three quick checks

  1. Measure your space. Leave room around the building so you can reach every side for maintenance, and keep it clear of overhanging trees.
  2. Think about the sun. Point the glazed side of a potting shed, or the long side of a greenhouse, towards the south if you can, to get the most light.
  3. Plan your base. Both need a firm, level base. Concrete, paving slabs or a plastic grid base all work well.

Explore our range

Browse our potting sheds, including the Norven Classic Potting Shed with its tall toughened-glass windows, or take a look at our wooden greenhouses. If you're not sure which is right for your garden, get in touch and we'll be happy to help.

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