Scientific tests carried out at the famous Clack's farm in Worcestershire (location of BBC Gardener's World in the 1970s), compared the performance of an aluminium greenhouse with an Alton cedar greenhouse.
The tests were supervised by gardening expert Arthur Billitt (presenter on BBC Gardener's World) over a 12 month period and compared an 8' x 10' Alton cedar greenhouse with the same size aluminium greenhouse. The tests and report were commissioned by Alton Greenhouses. As you will see these tests confirmed that Alton cedar greenhouses are the best for greenhouse cultivation.
On frost sensitive plants (french beans, tomatoes etc) over a three month period in which both remained unheated throughout. Both greenhouses were heated to a constant 65 Degrees Fahrenheit using thermostat controlled blower heaters with electric meters across the power source to measure consumption. A series of plants were raised and grown and at the end of the experiment a detailed analysis was available for both greenhouse types, together with electricity consumption for both buildings.
Crops were grown in each greenhouse to discover whether cedar is less prone to disease and pests than aluminium. Detailed records were kept of all plants in the greenhouses, which are treated identically in terms of heating, water, ventilation etc.
During the intensive one year test period, the Alton cedar greenhouse was shown conclusively to use almost 20% less electricity for heating purposes than the aluminium greenhouse. Comparing the crop from the tomato plants grown in both buildings, the Alton cedar greenhouse produced a 12lb heavier yield than the aluminium greenhouse. That is over 10% more! More water was required in the aluminium greenhouse, mainly due to radiated heat from the metal drying the plants and soil rapidly. Moisture defiency produces leaf curl which was more apparent in the aluminium greenhouse.
On average, the Alton cedar greenhouse produced plants a good 9" taller, due to the moisture level reducing much more rapidly in the aluminium greenhouse. The temperature fluctuated much less during the day in the Alton cedar greenhouse. On sunny mornings at 8:30am the temperature in the Alton greenhouse was 8 Degrees Farenheit higher than the aluminium greenhouse. On mornings without sun the Alton cedar greenhouse was about 15 Degrees Farenheit lower in the aluminium greenhouse.
Although some aluminium greenhouses are cheaper, an Alton cedar greenhouse will not only produce healthier and larger amounts of crop, it will also use less electricity and water, saving you money in the long term.
