Plan a Greenhouse
If you are concerned about protecting your plants from extreme conditions in the weather or just want to create a comfortable environment for your plants, then a having a greenhouse is important. Sometimes for financial reasons or if you are a do-it-yourself type person, building a greenhouse is a great option.
Steps
- Consider using salvage materials if you intend to make a larger greenhouse. You can use these materials in designing and planning for a low cost budget greenhouse. This will also help minimize the expenses of the other supplies and materials needed.
- Determine the climate of the place where you live. An insulated greenhouse should be appropriate for cold climate areas. This will help provide the needed warmth and heat for your plants. For warm places, a greenhouse that has a shade control is advisable.
- Make sure that your greenhouse will be designed with proper air circulation spaces, ventilation, pest control soil, heaters for winter season, and humidity control devices. You can create an environment that would be appropriate for the types of plants that will grow in the greenhouse.
- Locate in a sunny position. The location of the greenhouse should be built were there is enough sunlight. You may choose a solar greenhouse for vegetables and exotic fruit bearing plants if you want your greenhouse to be situated on the east-west part where it is more exposed to sunlight.
- Consider the covering of the greenhouse. The most advisable shades are the expensive glass made coverings and fiberglass. They provide more durability and they do not deteriorate quickly compared to plastic coverings. A greenhouse covered with glass or fiberglass allows more humidity and warmth.You can also use plastic polythene sheets.
- Choose what kind of foundation you would like to use. The foundations can be concrete for a more secured greenhouse. Others prefer the less expensive lightweight foundation where they use improvised materials such as railroad ties, which they can easily attach to the ground. It all depends on how much you are willing to spend on the structure of the greenhouse.
- Consider building a greenhouse that will maximize its full potential. You can add benches or materials that will be used for comfort every time you want to relax in the greenhouse. You can add many accessories to the place like automatic watering systems, heating systems, ventilation system and other automatic equipments that are effective in maintaining the plants.
- Use the “good bugs” for pest control chemical. They prevent and control the spread of the bad bugs in a greenhouse. If you ever find insects on a plant, you can isolate the plant and place the plant outside the greenhouse so that the insects would not harm the other plants.
- Make a space where you can store fertilizers, potting soil and other tools that are essential in the greenhouse. You may place a tool rack nearer to the potting place so that it would be easier for you to transfer the soil from the pot of the plants. You can also place buckets and tool holders to accommodate the other equipment when they are not in use.
