How to Create a Greenhouse?

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Every home gardener fantasizes of having their own backyard greenhouse, which offers the ideal atmosphere for beginning plants from seed and growing flowers and vegetables. A greenhouse also encourages you to start spring planting earlier and prolong the growing season well into the fall.

Modern greenhouses, on the other hand, are very costly and usually too big for the ordinary backyard. Fortunately, there are two choices for do-it-yourselfers: order a ready-to-assemble greenhouse package or purchase plans and create the greenhouse from scratch. (It should be noted that free downloadable plans are also available from a variety of online sources.)

There are several factors to weigh before deciding on the best greenhouse for you.

As an example:

Ordinances in Local Government

Check with your town’s construction department to see if you can even create a greenhouse on your farm. Greenhouses are usually called outbuildings, meaning you’ll need to register for a construction permit. If you live in a neighborhood with a homeowner’s association (HOA), you’ll need to seek permission from the HOA, which could be tough since many housing associations have a strict no-outbuildings covenant.

Orientation in relation to the Sun

Since the aim of a greenhouse is to provide a warm, sunny environment for your plants, it is critical that it be properly placed in your yard. The best greenhouse orientation is faced south or southeast to catch the early morning light. In most climates, an east-facing orientation is also beneficial.

Choose a place that gets at least six hours of direct sunlight per day. If you live in a snowy area, make sure the greenhouse’s snow-load rating can withstand a blanket of snow without collapsing.

Materials for the Frame

The bulk of greenhouse frames are constructed from wood or metal. Wood is less costly, easy to deal with, and more suited for small to medium-sized greenhouses. Metal is more durable and weather resistant than wood, but it is more expensive. Aluminum is a popular material to use because it is thin, corrosion resistant, and solid.

Options for Glazing

Glass is the most popular greenhouse glazing medium. However, since glass is thick, porous, and costly, most do-it-yourself greenhouses are glazed with polycarbonate, plastic, fiberglass, or polyethylene sheeting.

Polycarbonate, acrylic, and fiberglass panels are durable, good insulators, and have good light transmission, though fiberglass can discolor over time. Polyethylene sheeting is inexpensive and simple to apply, but it is not very durable and is easily punctured and destroyed.

Temperature Control

It’s important to be able to control the temperature inside the greenhouse so it can get suffocatingly hot in the summer and freezing cold in the winter. Using operable ventilation, rooftop vents, or exhaust fans to remove hot air. Often, utilizing shade cloths to prevent solar heat gain.

When the weather turns cool, keep your greenhouse warm by adding an electric heater with a thermostatically powered fan. Passive solar systems can help keep the cold at bay in temperate climates. Fill barrels with water or stack concrete blocks within the greenhouse; the sun’s warmth will be absorbed during the day and released as heat at night.

Materials for the Floor

A greenhouse’s floor can be made of a variety of materials, including asphalt, wood decking, flagstone, metal grates, poured concrete, or simply pure earth. However, keep in mind that a dirt floor is only feasible if your yard remains dry; otherwise, it can become a dusty quagmire.

Concrete is highly tough, but it is costly to pour and does not drain well. A gravel floor is low-cost, drains well, and can be quickly refurbished by simply adding more gravel.

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