Polycarbonate or Hardened Glass?

Hey Folks,

I am just about to order a Greenhouse and have seen that you can get either Hardened glass or Polycarbonate greenhouses.

Anyone got any experience with this and could give us some pointers. The write ups on the Polycarbonates say they provide you with a longer growing period (I am in Noth Europe) and they also control temperatures, avoid burning...can they really be that good?

Anyone can provide any help I would be highly grateful.....its' gonna be a +/- €1500 investment so I need to make the right choice.

Many thanks and peace to all,

DST

If its a double wall poly I would definately go with the poly. Though the glass has better light penetration, maybe 90-95% compared to 80-90% for the poly,the poly is lighter and will last just as long but give better insulation value. This will extend your growing season, you'll be able to start earlier and end later.
Is the frame going to be aluminum or wood??? This make a difference also in cost and DIY ability.

It will have an aluminium frame. I am buying it to grow fruit and vegetables in, but who knows what I could convince my wife into, lol. One thing, most of the websites say the polycarb has better light penetration than glass (but is this refering to one layer poly perhaps)

thanks for the post adolph, peace out, DST

if you live in an area that gets snow, be sure to mention that to you rep or check for yourself what the load rating of the greenhouse is. No use buying a greenhouse and it collapses under a snow load. If not I wish green growing to you. While your checking snow load check the wind load, its a problem in some areas. Dont know where you are so trying to cover all bases for you.
Poly is the hot new stuff in the last 5 years. Light weight , strong, good load ratings available, clear or whitewashed all kinds of possibilities. We grow in a 40'x80' glass house and are always having issues with sealing at the joints. whether it be for air penitration or water penitration glass always leaks and its hard to keep clean. We can lose 15% light just from dust settling on the roof.

Thanks for the good wishes Adolph, well snow is not normally a problem, but just now it is (well for most of Northern Europe.) My main issue would be wind as I am planning on putting this Greenhouse on my roof terrace (the terrace is half enclosed though) Unfortunately my greenhouse will only be 3mX2.5m roughly, but for 2 people we should get a decent amount of veg out of it. Thanks for the wind suggestion, this was actually one of my concerns as I live in a rather flat country.