- Author: Kathy Low
This past Christmas a friend gave me a portable greenhouse. Being primarily a summer vegetable gardener, I never considered using a greenhouse and knew nothing about them. So it was time to learn about them.
Dictionaries loosely define a greenhouse as any structure which provides a temperate climate that encourages plant growth. By that definition, a greenhouse can take many forms ranging from a cold frame window box to a large commercial greenhouse.
Greenhouses can be designed to meet any gardener’s needs. The type, shape and size of a greenhouse should be selected based upon your specific gardening needs, space, and budget. They can be free standing, or attached to an existing structure. Free standing structures offer you the ability to build the structure in a location with optimum sunlight, whereas attached structures offer closer access to water and power.
The framing is generally constructed from wood, steel, or aluminum. Depending upon the type and size of the greenhouse, and your specific geographical needs, you have several options for the design of the roof ranging the gamut from an A frame design, a Gothic arch, an uneven span, or even a ridge and furrow design.
The main types of greenhouse covers are glass, fiberglass, plastic or polyethylene.
- Glass covered greenhouses last a long time but are the most expensive. Because they are difficult to construct, most glass greenhouses are manufactured or built by professionals.
- Fiberglass covered greenhouses are suitable for a more moderate budget. These greenhouses use a clear or translucent fiberglass cover that generally last more than ten years.
- Plastic or polyethylene covered greenhouses are the least expensive but generally do not last as long because the film/sheeting needs replacement after a few years.
If you’re planning to use your greenhouse throughout the year, you may want to consider a heated greenhouse. Your options for heating the greenhouse can take many forms, from extending your household heating system to an attached greenhouse, to portable heaters in freestanding structures. Consider the fuel sources available in your situation.
For more information on greenhouses and building plans for small plastic greenhouses, check out the UC Davis Vegetable Research and Information Center’s document Small Plastic Greenhouses (http://vric.ucdavis.edu/pdf/greenhouse_plasticgreenhouse.pdf).
Additional information on greenhouses can also be found in Clemson University’s Cooperative Extension document Hobby Greenhouses (http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/pdf/hgic1704.pdf) and at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service’s document Greenhouses for Home Gardeners: Structures and Equipment (http://www.uaf.edu/files/ces/publications-db/catalog/anr/HGA-00337.pdf).
Now that I’ve discovered the many possibilities for greenhouses, my new portable greenhouse is far from my dream greenhouse. But the thoughtful gift meets my needs in terms of additional potting space, the ability to start seedlings earlier this year, and an opportunity to experiment with a new nurturing growing environment. So I’m a happy gardener!