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How to put up a tomato greenhouse

Updated: October 2026

The grow bag is on the slabs, or the pots are on the allotment bed, and the carton is a polyethylene cover on a push-fit frame. How to put up a tomato greenhouse of this kind is a short order: join the frame where it will stay, pull the roof taut, then peg soil or weight paving. A two-metre cover built in the hallway will not come back through the doorway. The covers we checked are on the [tomato greenhouse comparison](/hub/raised-beds-greenhouses-and-compost/tomato-greenhouse). The Products Compared editorial team updated this on 16 October 2026 from those amazon.co.uk listings and public UK sources, without a laboratory wind test. A purchase through a comparison link can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

The grow bag is on the slabs, or the pots are on the allotment bed, and the carton is a polyethylene cover on a push-fit frame.

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On the spot you will leave it

Lay the poles where the plants already stand. A narrow house is about 100 cm long and about 150 cm tall, for one grow bag, and a wider cover is about 200 cm long. The Outsunny we kept is 200 × 76 cm, 150–168 cm high, with a door of 145 × 120 cm. Joined indoors, that rectangle blocks a normal doorway. If you are still choosing between one bag and the longer cover, use the tomato greenhouse vs walk-in page before you commit the ground.

A roof that can shed rain

A slope sheds rain only when the plastic is tight. Bergmis describes tension cords and a centre pole. DIVCHI reviewers report pooling unless a cane holds the cover up. After the first shower, look along the ridge. A pool in the middle means the centre is still low, so lift it and tighten again. Leave tape off the seams.

Pegs in soil, weights on paving

The kits in the box are not interchangeable. Bergmis states eight 18.5 cm J-hook pegs, four guy lines and eight inner straps. Outsunny states four guy ropes, four ground pegs and long edges to bury. VOUNOT states four ropes, ground stakes and nylon ties. On paving, weight the skirt and tie the frame to a wall or fence that can take the pull. One standard bag, and the planting rate that goes with it, is on tomato greenhouse for a grow bag.

When it comes down

Take the cover off when the listing says the weather is too much. Outsunny states that you should not leave the house up in high winds. Bergmis states that you take it down ahead of a storm. Some Ohuhu reviewers remove the cover for winter, and others weight the skirt and leave the frame. If a gale is already forecast, drop the cloth while the poles are still square. On an allotment, ask before the first peg.

Common questions

Do I build it indoors and carry it out?
Build on the spot you will leave it. The Outsunny cover at 200 × 76 cm and 150–168 cm high will not pass a normal doorway once the poles are joined. A 100 cm house can move a short way on a clear path, though dragging it slackens the roof. Fit the cover beside the bag or the pots.
What holds a 100 cm house on soil?
Use the pegs and ropes printed on your listing, in soil that will grip them. Bergmis states eight 18.5 cm J-hook pegs, four guy lines and eight inner straps. DIVCHI does not name pegs on the included line, and reviewers add tent pegs or a fence fix. Guy ropes hold only while those pegs stay put. In loose rubble they pull out.
What do I use on paving, where pegs will not go in?
Weight the skirt with blocks and tie the frame to a wall or fence. On the Outsunny listing, a reviewer on concrete used blocks and overlapped grow bags on the base. The long edges that listing tells you to bury need open soil. On slabs, keep those edges under the weights, and check the tie after the first windy night.
How do I stop rain sitting on the roof?
Tighten the cover until water can leave it. Bergmis uses tension cords and a centre pole. DIVCHI reviewers stop pooling with a cane under the cover. The Allotment Book describes a flat plastic roof that holds a puddle. If a shower leaves a pool, raise the centre and tighten again. Tape on the seams is not a step the listing sets.
When must I take the cover down?
Follow the weather line on your own listing. Outsunny says not to leave the house up in high winds. Bergmis says to take it down ahead of a storm. Some Ohuhu owners remove the cover for winter. Drop the cloth while the frame is still square if a gale is forecast. A rip in that weather is a different complaint from a zip that arrived already split.
Can I leave the zip shut on a hot day?
Open the door or the roll-up zip when the day is warm. The Royal Horticultural Society advises ventilation then, and it advises you to keep tomato leaves dry, because blight spores can still enter a cover. These listings do not claim roof vents of about 15–20 percent of the floor area. A shut zip on a hot afternoon overheats the plants.
Does an allotment let me peg a polyethylene cover in?
Ask the association before the first peg goes in. Your tenancy decides. Birmingham allows a greenhouse of a stated size and does not allow thin polythene sheeting. Manchester and the Scottish Borders require written consent before a greenhouse. If the rules ban thin polythene, leave the pegs in the carton.

Related pages

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 16 October 2026.

  1. RHS — How to grow tomatoes (retrieved 16.10.2026)
  2. RHS — Tomato blight (retrieved 16.10.2026)
  3. RHS — Choosing a greenhouse (retrieved 16.10.2026)
  4. RHS — Ventilation and shading (retrieved 16.10.2026)
  5. Planning Portal — Outbuildings (retrieved 16.10.2026)
  6. Class E, GPDO 2015 (retrieved 16.10.2026)
  7. GOV.UK — General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 16.10.2026)
  8. National Allotment Society — Allotment laws (retrieved 16.10.2026)