Before Building And Buying A Greenhouse

Before You Buy or Build A Do It Yourself Greenhouse

Greenhouses are something that nearly every gardener dreams of owning one day.

• A greenhouse allows you to garden year round; It’s a place where your plants will receive ample sub and warmth even in the depths of winter – even delicate tropical plants can be grown in cold climates with a greenhouse.
• However, a greenhouse is also a lot of work.
  
• You need to ensure that your greenhouse is adequately heated, since as little as one night without heat could spell disaster for your plants.
  
• You’ll want to have heat, irrigation, electricity, proper ventilation and benches (for your comfort) in your greenhouse.
  
• These represent the bare minimum of greenhouse supplies.
  
• Portable Greenhouses are the best for the easiest and most comfortable growing environments.

Here are some things to think about before you buy or build your own greenhouse.

Greenhouse Heating Tips:

• This is the most important element.
  
• The actual cost of heating your greenhouse all depends on the type of energy you use and the costs in your area.
  
• However, there are heating units available which use natural gas, propane or electricity.
  
• All of them work pretty well – it’s a matter of which will be easiest to install in your greenhouse.
  
• Electric heaters are usually the easiest to install, but remember that a winter power outage could mean curtains for your plants!

How Large Of A Greenhouse Do You Need?

• Regardless of the size of greenhouse you get, they have a way of filling up fast. You should buy or build the largest Easy to Grow greenhouse that you have room for, within your budget. It is far less costly to get a larger greenhouse from the get-go than it is to expand a small greenhouse later on.

Siding or Glazing Your Greenhouse?

• How much it will cost to heat your greenhouse will also depend on the kind of siding you use.
• Siding is an important consideration; this will in large part determine the energy efficiency (and thus the cost) of your greenhouse.
  
• Greenhouse siding has made great strides in terms of being well insulated, something every gardener will be glad to hear.
  
• Light diffusion is another important aspect of siding or glazing for your greenhouse. You want plenty of sunlight coming in, but not directly on fragile seedlings.

Installing Your Greenhouse Frame

• A string frame is a necessity for any greenhouse. This can make the difference between a greenhouse which is constantly being repaired and one which will stay intact year after year.
  
• The framing you use will depend on the type of siding you choose.
  
• The heavier the siding, the heavier the frame will need to be. While wood looks great, PVC, galvanized steel and aluminum are much stronger materials.

Does Your Greenhouse Need A Base Foundation?

• While your greenhouse won’t necessarily need a concrete foundation, having a flat surface for your benches is a good idea.
  
• Concrete or paving stones both work well for this.
  
• You’ll need to provide some type of drainage if you use concrete, as well as ensuring that your concrete is textured, since this surface tends to become quite slippery when wet.
• Paving stones look great and drain well, but you’ll need to weed between the cracks.
  
• Pea gravel is another good choice for drainage, especially underneath your potting benches.