How do I check a garden centre’s greenhouse heating and irrigation systems?

Visit during a cold spell if you can, since that is when weak heating shows. Walk every greenhouse and look for cold corners, damaged vents, scorched or blocked heaters and fans that do not run. Ask how the heat is controlled, whether there is a backup in a power failure and what happened the last time something failed.

For irrigation, run each zone. Watch for dry beds, puddles, broken emitters, leaking joints and pressure that drops at the far end. Ask how the water is sourced and tested, and whether the system is automated or watered by hand on busy days. Hand watering that substitutes for a failing system is a labour cost the books may not show. Ask for service invoices, fuel or utility bills and a history of repairs and replacements. Compare them with the seasons to see how costly a hard winter was. Ask a heating contractor and an irrigation specialist to inspect. Their reports will tell you what needs replacing soon, which feeds into your negotiating position and your financing conversation. Look at the covering on each greenhouse as well, since torn film, cracked panels and loose seals let out heat and put extra strain on the heaters.

Key takeaways

• Test heaters and every irrigation zone, ideally in cold weather.
• Look for hand watering that hides a failing system.
• Use qualified technicians to put an estimate on repairs.