A workbench may not be an option if you don’t have a lot of space in your greenhouse or polytunnel. So how about a folding one instead? Joyce Russell shows you how

A workbench is a useful addition to any greenhouse. You can use it for raising seedlings out of the reach of ground-dwelling pests, for potting on without bending, and for keeping small tools and pots in an orderly way. There are free-standing versions available or you can use a small table, both of which impact on growing space. In a large structure this isn’t a problem, but in an average small greenhouse it can mean fewer tomatoes, salads and strawberries.

A folding bench is a good compromise: it can stay open in the spring when propagation is at a peak; or you can fold it up when not in use and grow plants in the soil underneath.

DIFFERENT STRUCTURES

Making a useful workbench for the greenhouse really isn’t very difficult. It’s easy to fix something to a wooden frame and there are ways to attach to metal hoops. The only difficulty comes in describing what to do in order to work with the many types of greenhouse structures. In the following stepby- step piece, some techniques are shown that can be adapted to suit the frame of many greenhouses and polytunnels.