Greenhouse Gardening
Discover the Techniques to Build your Greenhouse in the correct way and the Secrets of Professionals to have Healthy Food All Year Round
JORGE ED COLEMAN
Copyright 2020 Jorge Ed Coleman
All rights reserved.
Table of Contents
Introduction
As we all know, not all plants can grow at any time or season of the year. There are some that only grow during specific periods, which is why they are usually unavailable during the other time of the year.
However, there is a way to grow these plants from home, and it doesnt matter if theyre in season on not. This is using the technique of greenhouse gardening.
Greenhouse gardening is a type of gardening in which you plant your crops inside a greenhouse, which is a structure covered with materials (usually plastic or glass) so that you can control the temperature inside. It is warmer inside a greenhouse because it absorbs light from the sun, which in turn is what the plants need in order for them to grow.
Essentially, the concept of greenhouse gardening is just that you control the temperature inside the greenhouse so that the plants can still grow even though the weather outside is not suitable for them.
Before you get started with greenhouse gardening, you first need to have the greenhouse itself. Essentially, there are many forms that a greenhouse can take - from the simple ones to the elaborate buildings that you can have either in your backyard or in any other location that you want. You can always look for greenhouse suppliers online, and youll see that theres a huge range of options to choose from.
There are also many considerations that you have to keep in mind when choosing a greenhouse. While you want your greenhouse to suit your personal taste as well as complement the design of your house, you should also consider other important factors when it comes to greenhouses such as the type of the house, the style and the size which will suit your gardening needs. The following questions will help you determine what kind of greenhouse is perfect for you.
Of course, it is always important for you to consider the budget that you have for the construction of your greenhouse. The amount of money that you can afford will in turn determine what kind of greenhouse you should build. For instance, if you are on a tight budget, then perhaps you can start by investing in a small greenhouse with plastic cover. This is cheap as well as easy to build, and can be a great way to start if youre new to gardening.
You cant always resort to cheap and small greenhouses, though. There will come a time when you will need a larger and sturdier structure, which in turn will require an additional cost. If you build it yourself, youll need more materials as well as the possible hiring of a contractor.
Therefore, its important that you first think about your spending capacity. If you think that you cant afford spending too much, then you can adjust by starting with a small garden. However, if you know that you can spend more, then the option is yours.
Chapter 1 Greenhouse Gardening
A greenhouse can be a significant investment though you can find used greenhouses cheap or even free if you are willing to dismantle them and replace a few panes.
With a greenhouse, you are creating a micro-environment in which you have control over the climate. This has a whole host of benefits, which you will discover as you read this section.
Greenhouses typically have a wooden or aluminum frame and usually glass or toughened plastic panes. There are a lot of options with the materials, and some of the decisions relating to these will depend on your location and intended use of your greenhouse. But more on those later in the book.
For now, though, lets talk about how a greenhouse benefits you, which always helps in justifying the expense and time to assemble it!
Longer Growing Seasons
For those of us that live further north of the equator growing seasons never seem long enough. Even a distance of 40 miles further north can significantly alter the length of the growing season enough that you cant grow your favorite plants (trust me in that, its devastating to realize that some plants are now a struggle to grow).
Plants grown in a greenhouse enjoy a much warmer environment, which means you can lengthen your growing time by a month or more on either end of the season. With a heater, you can lengthen it even further!
Greenhouses trap the suns radiation, which means it gets hot in a greenhouse, allowing you to grow plants that you would otherwise be unable to grow outside. For me, it means I can not only grow tomatoes but have a long enough growing season for them to ripen and taste delicious!
Protection from the Elements
The climate is very changeable, and you can experience a heatwave and hail within the same week! This variation in weather can cause a lot of problems with your plants and stunt their growth. Squashes, in particular, are susceptible to poor growth and will not produce female flowers if the weather is too cool.
When you grow in a greenhouse, you protect your plants from this variation in weather as well as damage from late frosts and high winds. It also protects your plants from torrential rain and getting too waterlogged.
It gives your plants a fighting chance, even if you only start them off in the greenhouse before moving them to a permanent site in the soil elsewhere on your vegetable plot.
With a greenhouse, you can be smug that your plants are safe while other gardeners are worrying about the damage from extreme weather.
Saving on Grocery Expenses
Yes, you can save money on your grocery bill by growing fruits and vegetables that are expensive in the stores. Being able to grow earlier and later in the year will mean you can get more produce out of the growing season.
In most cases, a greenhouse owner will make back the cost of the greenhouse in grocery savings within two or even three years of purchase!
Consistent Growing Environment
A lot of plants hate an inconsistent growing environment. When it is hot one day, cold the next then dry for a week before flooding, your plants quite naturally get upset and dont grow well.
The advantage of a greenhouse is your plants are insulated from climatic variations, and so they grow much better, maturing faster and often producing a far better crop. This helps you because your planning is no longer going to be ruined by the weather.
Plant Protection
Most vegetable plants are relatively weak when compared to weeds. Just look at how quickly weeds will grow compared to your precious vegetables. Your plants grow much stronger and faster because they do not have to compete with weeds for resources.
A greenhouse will protect your plants not only from the climate but also from seasonal pests such as locusts or Japanese beetles and to a degree from wind-borne diseases.
Optimal Growing Environment
As a gardener, you will know that a lot of vegetable plants prefer a warm, humid environment to grow. Tomatoes in particular like heat to ripen and without the right temperature will not turn red.
In a greenhouse, you can give your plants the optimal growing environment which will help them to produce a great crop for you.
Season Free Gardening