Gardening Inside The Greenhouse

A greenhouse represents a major investment for most gardeners. Even the smallest and

simplest types of greenhouse do not come cheap these days. They also demand an investment

of your time. So why should you consider a greenhouse.

Perhaps the main advantage of a greenhouse is that is provides the gardener with a longer

growing season. This is particularly important in colder areas. A greenhouse will provide an

early start for seedlings, warmer conditions for tender plants and a frost free environment for

plants that will not survive out of doors.

Another, less often recognized, advantage is that a greenhouse allows a gardener with mobility

problems to garden at table height in warm conditions. Plants can be raised to a convenient

height for the gardener in a greenhouse. Simple staging, either home made or bought for the

purpose will create an environment in which a disabled gardener can enjoy all the pleasures of

gardening without having to bend or stretch or get chilled.

A greenhouse can become a favorite place to sit and enjoy the rest of your garden. On a cold

winter day the greenhouse will keep the wind of and provide a sheltered spot to think about next

year's plans.

What you use a greenhouse for will depend on your own personal preferences. Beautiful

displays of alpines can be created in a greenhouse on benches covered with gravel. It may

seem strange to grow plants that are essentially hardy in a greenhouse but it makes sense.

Alpines hate to get wet. They are used to being frozen all winter but will not survive damp

conditions. Their flowers are often small and can best be appreciated when placed on a bench.

Summer bedding plants and vegetable seeds can be raised in an unheated greenhouse. If you

want to avoid paying high prices for ready grown plants a greenhouse may be the answer. You

can grow many more plants from a packet of seeds than you could afford to buy. Your garden

will become a riot of color as you experiment with new annual bedding schemes, hanging

baskets and planters.

Vegetables will reach maturity earlier if you raise you seeds in a greenhouse. Your crops will be

ready before out door sown plants are ready for harvesting. With all plants sown in the

greenhouse you must be careful to harden them to outdoor conditions slowly. Put them outside

when the risk of frost has passed. Do this during the day at first. As they get used to the colder

conditions you can leave them out at night. When you are sure they are strong enough plant

them in their final position.

By this time you will be ready to think about what you want to grow in your greenhouse during

the summer. You may wish to grow fruit and vegetables. Tomatoes and cucumbers or melons

are always favorites. They are comparatively easy to grow. All of these can be grown without

heat.

If you want to use your greenhouse in the winter you must provide heating. Perhaps the best

form of heating in a small amateur greenhouse is an electric heater. This can be controlled by a

thermostat which will regulate the temperature in the greenhouse. The thermostat can be set at

the desired temperature. Regulating the temperature is the best way to keep a check on the

cost of heating.

For over wintering plants that grow outside in the summer but are not winter hardy the

temperature only needs to be set just above freezing. A few degrees of warmth will maintain

tender plants in a semi-dormant state until you can return them to the garden.

To continue using your greenhouse for plants and flowers that are in growth you will need

higher temperatures. Summer plants can be grown all year round in this way. If you are going to

heat your greenhouse to growing temperatures around 60 or 70 degrees Fahrenheit you should

think about insulating the greenhouse with bubble wrap plastic.

It may be necessary to provide additional lighting if you are at a northern latitude with short

winter day lengths. Plants need light in addition to warmth and humidity. Plants need light as

well as warmth. Some of them need specific day lengths before they come into flower. Lighting

allows you to control the condition completely. This is how commercial growers bring flowers

into bloom in time for Christmas.

Learn The Benefits Of Greenhouse Gardening

Greenhouse gardening can seem a little old fashioned these days. It is so easy to jump in the

car and drive to the supermarket where we can find every kind of fruit and vegetables flown in

from all over the world. You want fresh strawberries in winter? No problem, there they are on

the shelf. May be you need some green beans for dinner. Pick up a little plastic wrapped tray

that were growing three days ago in Kenya.

But these are the very reasons for moving to greenhouse gardening. Driving and flying burn up

increasingly scarce fossil fuels and release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. More and

more people are waking up to the dangers of global warming.

Fresh fruit and vegetables have never been easier to buy than they are today. We live in an age

of convenience and immediate gratification. A greenhouse seems to entail just too much work

and the gratification is postponed for too long. Greenhouses seem pointless until we begin to

think about the wider picture and the kind of world our children and grandchildren will inherit.

Getting into greenhouse gardening can be an ecologically and socially responsible choice. You

will be eating fruit and vegetables that have grown in your own backyard. They have not been

flown half way round the planet to get to your plate. What's more you did not have to drive to get

them. You took a short walk and got some healthy exercise every day when you walked out to

the greenhouse to check on them.

We have got used to those convenient little packages in the supermarket. We like the idea of

having our vegetables ready prepared and washed. But we have also got used to poor taste.

The fruit and vegetables we buy in the supermarket have lost most of their natural sugars that

give them their flavor. Even the varieties are chosen for their shelf life rather than their flavor.

When you experience home grown fruit and vegetables fresh from the greenhouse you will

enter another quality of flavor. A fresh picked tomato explodes in your mouth with flavor.

Growing your own in the greenhouse means that you can select varieties that have the best

flavor.

A whole range of unusual varieties exist that are rarely grown commercially are available to you

with a greenhouse. With your own greenhouse you can explore these lesser known varieties of

familiar fruit and vegetables. You can even become really adventurous and try the kinds of fruit

and vegetables that you only get in specialist stores.

A greenhouse opens the world to you rather than bringing it to you at great cost to the planet

and everyone on it. Your carbon footprint will be smaller but your horizons will be wider.

"But I don't have time." I hear you say and it is true we are all short of time. But a little time spent

in the greenhouse has enormous personal benefits. It is incredibly therapeutic to go into the

greenhouse after a hard day and just work quietly for an hour or so. Spending time with growing

things is a recognized antidote to depression and anxiety. A greenhouse is a tranquilizer with no

side effects except a healthier diet.

If you have kids, what better way to spend some quality time with them than in the greenhouse.

It gives you and them unpressured time to talk. You are engaged in a joint task. A greenhouse

can become a bonding experience for the family.

There is the added benefit that working with you in the greenhouse gives them the kind of

practical hands on lesson that is seldom provided in school. They are learning about how things

grow. Each session in the greenhouse is a biology lesson in itself. They are learning about the

plants and about the insects that feed on them and pollinate them.

They, and you, will learn a lot about organic chemistry when you mix your plant foods,

insecticides and other chemicals. You will undoubtedly learn a lot about electronics and

handling basic tools as you get the control systems of your greenhouse working and rig up plant

supports and irrigation pipes.

A child who finds academic lessons a difficult will often shine at tasks they can learn by

experience. Plants are very forgiving and even children who suffer with problems of

concentration can experience the satisfaction of achievement growing a few simple crops in the

Enjoying Greenhouse Gardening

People spend their free time according to their interests. Some busy themselves with sports

while others like culinary. People who love plants enjoy gardening. With the right kind of tools

and equipment, plant lovers can beautify their home while enjoying their hobby.

The hobby of taking care of plants requires that you spend quite some time with you plants,

watering them, preventing pests from harming them and removing weeds from your plants'

vicinity. However, these activities could expose you to the sun for extended periods, causing

sunburns. An alternative option that will protect you from over dose of sunlight, without

compromising on your hobby is to have a greenhouse.

Construction of a greenhouse

A greenhouse is an enclosed structure that houses plants inside a controlled ambience for them

to flourish. Its construction comprises of a framework with panels placed on the frame. The

frame is made from either wood or metal. On the other hand, greenhouse panels, which form

the walls and ceiling of the greenhouse, are made from glass or plastic. A typical greenhouse is

a free standing structure. However, if not much space is available, then making an attachment

to your house can do the trick. In this case, your greenhouse would simply be an additional

room in your house.

Before you embark upon constructing the greenhouse, it is useful to check if complies with the

building codes your locality. In simple words, you must be allowed to build your chosen design

by the authorities. Deciding the location of your greenhouse is important and is dictated by the

climate of your location. If it gets very hot during summer you might like to build the greenhouse

under a tree for shade.

Constructing a greenhouse can be quite expensive. If buying a greenhouse kit, or having a

contractor build one or you is beyond your means, it would be a good idea to set one up from

scratch. After doing the necessary paperwork, you can start building one right away.

Post construction issues

Once you have a greenhouse, choosing the plants to cultivate in your greenhouse is the next

step. This step requires some research. In this regard, one may like to consult the internet or

visit the local gardening shop to do a survey.

Most people use greenhouses to growing flowering plants. This trend is now being replaced with

being utilized for fruits and vegetables so that these can be made available all over the year.

Furthermore, farming techniques are now being implemented into gardening .As a result, soil is

not always used as a growth medium. However, water can also be used instead of soil. This

technique is called hydroponics which essentially eliminates the problem of weeds, thus saving

a lot of time and hassle.

The hobby of cultivating plants in a greenhouse can even reward you with handsome profits.

Since the greenhouse enables you to grow fruits and vegetables all around the year, you could

actually sell your produce during off seasons, when prices are high. For this purpose, all you

need to do is to sell your harvest in a local grocery store.

Before setting up a greenhouse you must do a thorough research and be aware of your financial

limits. This way you will be able to avoid problems and will truly enjoy your hobby.