The Pros and Cons of a Greenhouse Lean-to

When we talk about lean-tos in the greenhouse industry, 2 styles come to mind. One is a connection lean-to that usually connects greenhouse gutters of different heights or other buildings. The other is a gutter to ground lean-to which typically attaches to the side of the greenhouse. For the purpose of this blog I want to talk about the gutter to ground lean to arch. These lean-tos are typically made of the same material as your gutter connected greenhouse arch but with a different roll to accommodate the height and width required. These are generally covered with poly, though some sizes can also be fit with glass, polycarbonate, or acrylic.

The Pros of a Poly Lean-to:

• Inexpensive extra space for crop or storage
• Provides wind resistance
• Easy to relocate after adding more greenhouses to a side
• Can help maximize land usage by using a custom sized lean-to

The Cons of a Poly Lean-to:

• Typically not the same width as the greenhouses, so planting quantity is different
• Crop may not produce as well due to different airflow
• Requires a different size of poly than that the gutter connect peaks

At GGS we also connect greenhouse gutters to greenhouses of different heights or to packing barns or warehouse facilities. These connection lean-tos serve a different purpose, and information on them can be found on our Lean-To Product Page.

If you have a greenhouse lean-to, or are considering adding one, I would love to hear what you like and don’t like about it. Let us know in the comments below.