How to operate
A Greenhouse
The Beginner's Guide to Greenhouses
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Hi I'm Tricia, an organic gardener I grow organically
for a healthy and safe food supply for a clean and sustainable environment
for an enjoyable and rewarding experience
Greenhouses are a great asset they're great for growing
all year round for propagating and for tender plants
Today we're going to talk about greenhouse types so that you can make the
best decision
First step is to pick your location
The best location for a greenhouse is a southern exposure
the next best location is the southeast
or east exposure followed by a southwest
and west exposure a northern exposure is the least desirable exposure
Greenhouses that are oriented east-west get less light than those oriented
north-south
Afternoon shade from deciduous trees can be really desirable
in the summer they can shade the greenhouse over the hottest part of the
day
and during the winter the leaves will fall and the greenhouse will get
extra light it needs during the winter Other considerations include providing
some afternoon shade
the possibility of storm damage good drainage
accessibility and access to water You also need to decide whether you're
building a free-standing
or a lean-to greenhouse A free-standing greenhouse gives you more options on
placement
an attached greenhouse however can be easier to build
it'll require fewer materials and can be heated by radiant heat from your house
especially when built on a southern exposure Now that you've picked your location
how big do you want to build a greenhouse?
First decide how wide of a greenhouse to build
you wanna allow nineteen inches for pads if it's just you walk in the greenhouse
and more like twenty four inches if you'll be bringing in equipment & visitors
Benches should be as wide as you can reach across comfortably if you can
access them from one side
and they should be twice that width if the benches in the center of the
greenhouse
The length of your greenhouse should be based on how many plants you want You'll
want one square foot of space
for every six inch pot a word of advice make sure
that your greenhouse is twenty five to fifty percent bigger than you think you'll need
because if you're anything like me your plant collection gets bigger
not smaller Glass is the classic option it's the longest lived and it can be a
very sustainable option
This greenhouses is built out of upcycled single pane windows
The downside to glass is that it's heavy
it can be expensive if purchased new and it requires the most sturdy framework
also can be damaged by storms Polycarbonate panelling or fiberglass
is the next option It's lighter cheaper easier to fabricate
and with higher impact resistance then glass The downside
is that has a shorter life span at about seven to twelve years
instead of about twenty-five years life expectancy for glass
They'll also eventually yellow and have a high expansion contraction rate
Polyethylene film is the cheapest option
easiest to install and is readily available the downside is that it only
has a four-year service life
The next concern is heating and ventilation and a lot of that will have
to do with what kind of plants your growing inside
check out our blog for a calculator that can help you determine your heating
needs
About twenty-five percent of the heat is gonna come from the sun
You'll need about sixty degrees for active growing
and about forty degrees for season extension Typically
greenhouses are heated by oil gas or electricity this can be forced air
steam are even radiant heat from water Some alternative heat sources
are heat by compost and passive solar greenhouses
Manual temperature control is really tricky automatic vent openers like these
that work
with a wax cylinder can mean the difference between happy plants and dead
ones
If you want to use your greenhouse in the summer a fan will be necessary
in the peak heat of the summer your going to need to cycle the air about once per
minute
You can either do-it-yourself or you can buy a greenhouse kit like this redwood
greenhouse kit with polycarbonate sides
So get started with the greenhouse and grow organic for life
