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.

Maintaining Humidity Levels Inside A Greenhouse

Plants require water as well as sunlight and carbon dioxide to manufacture their food. This is

accomplished through a process called photosynthesis. With out the presence of the three

aforementioned agents, photosynthesis seizes to occur. As a result the plant starves and dies.

While it is important to water plants regularly, it is also essential to maintain the optimum level of

humidity in the atmosphere for the plants' well being. The importance of humidity can be gauged

through an understanding of the process of transpiration.

Transpiration

Plants absorb water from their roots. This water is transported by the process of osmosis to

specialized tissues, known as xylum, which specialize in transporting water all the way up to the

leaves. It is essentially in the leaves that the process of photosynthesis takes place. In addition

to water, the essential nutrients needed by plants are also carried to the leaves, dissolved in

water. From the leaves, excess water is released into the atmosphere in the form of water

vapors. The evaporation of water plays an important part in keeping the plants cool. It also

serves to transport nutrients up to the leaves, since in the absence of evaporation, leaves would

get water logged, whereby the xylem tissues will get saturated and no further absorption of

water will be possible by the roots. This process of transporting water from the roots to the

leaves and its subsequent release into the atmosphere is called transpiration.

For the process of transpiration to occur smoothly, the level of humidity in air must be at an

optimum level. In case there is excess humidity, water will not evaporate in leaves, thereby

creating a condition where leaves get over soaked. As a result, the supply of nutrients to the

leaves gets halted. On the contrary, if the level of humidity drops below normal, excessive

evaporation will occur, saturating the leaves with nutrient salts, as well as depleting water level

in the soil. A fully grown tree may lose several hundred liters of water through its leaves in hot

and dry conditions. About 90% of the water that is absorbed by the plant's roots is used up in

this process. In the absence of water, plant will be unable to synthesize their food and will

starve. Furthermore, excessive transpiration will also drop their temperature below normal.

Maintaining humidity inside the greenhouse

Evaporative coolers can help in maintaining temperature as well as humidity inside a

greenhouse. Other units are available that package warmers and humidifiers to maintain

temperature and humidity. Humidifiers can effectively control moisture level in air. Other

gadgets that accompany humidifiers are directional airflow louvers, which maintain flow of air,

thereby humidifying, ventilating, and cooling the ambience inside the greenhouse.

Coolers available commercially are designed to suite their purpose in a greenhouse. Some

models have heavy-gauge, zinc-coated metallic louvers and cabinets featuring zinc-chromate.

The amount of sunlight received by plants depends on seasonal climatic conditions. Over

exposure to the sun can occur during summers. It is advisable to install cooling and humidifying

systems so as to maintain the right temperature in the greenhouse. This utility extends during

the winter season, when sunlight could be scarce.

Proper heating and ventilation in a greenhouse is important to grow healthy plants and

appropriate systems must be installed to maintain temperature and humidity at optimal levels.