The 10-Point Greenhouse Winter Checklist
By The Rhino Growing Team— Greenhouse specialists, Norfolk ·
An afternoon’s preparation in late autumn keeps your greenhouse productive through winter and protects it from storm damage. Work through these ten points in order.
Cleaning and light
- Wash the glass, inside and out. Winter light is scarce; algae film on glazing can cost you 10–20% of it. Warm soapy water and a soft brush — nothing abrasive on powder-coated frames.
- Clear gutters and downpipes. Blocked gutters overflow down the glazing and freeze across paths.
- Disinfect staging and trays. Overwintering pests and botrytis spores hide in corners. A horticultural disinfectant now saves spraying later.
Structure and storm-readiness
- Check every vent closes fully and that auto-openers have retracted for the season (most solar/wax types are designed to stay closed below ~15°C — check yours).
- Inspect glazing clips and capping. One loose pane is how wind gets inside a greenhouse, and internal pressure is what destroys cheap frames. Rhino’s capped bars make this a two-minute visual check.
- Clear overhanging branches. The most common winter claim we hear about — from owners of other greenhouses — is branch-through-roof.
Growing through the cold
- Insulate with bubble wrap on the north and east sides if you keep tender plants — horticultural bubble clips straight into Rhino frame channels.
- Drain irrigation lines and water butts’ hoses before the first hard frost; leave butt taps cracked open.
- Ventilate on mild days. Damp, still air is a worse enemy than cold — ten minutes of airflow on any day above 8°C keeps fungal problems down.
- Order seeds now. January is for catalogues; a heated propagator in a well-kept greenhouse means sowing starts in February.
A well-built greenhouse should need nothing more than this. If your current one needs a winter survival plan rather than a checklist, the Ultimate range was engineered for exactly the sites that worry you.