Are you an avid gardener who wants to enjoy a steady supply of fruits and vegetables all year round? If so, you must have considered building a greenhouse in your backyard as it can let you grow different types of crops regardless of the environment or the season.
However, building a greenhouse can be very costly and might not fit well on your property. Fortunately, you can do away with these setbacks by doing everything yourself. If this sounds appealing, but you still don’t know where to start, worry no more. This detailed article will guide you step-by-step on setting up a greenhouse.
1. Choose The Greenhouse’s Style, Size, And Type
Greenhouses come in various sizes and styles, and the ideal choice usually depends on your individual need. And the most common builds often use steel and acrylic.
Before you even decide whether to build a steel greenhouse or acrylic greenhouse, first assess the unique features each of those two has. This is essential as different greenhouse structures serve specific applications and should be used in different ways.
Go over the descriptions of the different greenhouses to know which package and structure are within your budget and satisfy your needs. After considering these factors, you’ll be in a better position to make a prudent decision as to which greenhouse best serves your needs and what you’ll build.
2. Plan Your Greenhouse’s Location
The next thing you need to do after choosing your preferred greenhouse style is to choose an ideal location to position your greenhouse. This is crucial as you want it somewhere with optimal exposure to the sun.
Know that the intensity of the sunlight that hits the greenhouse dictates what fruits or vegetables you can grow in it. To grow the most common plants you’ll want to have, you’ll want to build your greenhouse on a spot where there’s a minimum of six hours of direct sunlight each day, even during winter.
Other factors you should consider to help you pick the ideal spot include:
- Level ground
- Water access
- Proper drainage
- Access to electricity
- Proximity to your house
- Available space
3. Buy Quality Hinges, Doors, And Other Needed Hardware Materials
When building a greenhouse, you mustn’t compromise on its quality when buying doors, hinges, and the needed hardware.
When choosing the doors available in a broad range of styles and colors, make sure to first do exhaustive research before going ahead with the purchase. It would be best if you bought quality doors to ensure they don’t allow heat to escape the greenhouse and for them to serve you for a long time.
4. Choose An Ideal Covering
For the greenhouse to create an ideal growing environment, you must choose a suitable covering. The best covering to go with should be durable and robust to withstand extreme weather conditions capably. Coverings usually come in different thicknesses, styles, and materials, so you have a wide range to choose from depending on your budget and needs.
When buying covering, you shouldn’t overlook its quality as you want something that will serve you for an extended duration.
5. Set Up Your Greenhouse’s Cooling And Ventilation
You don’t want the plants inside your greenhouse to suffer from overheating. For this reason, having ventilation is vital to ensure the plants remain cool for optimal growth. You can find cooling systems in various styles, and the options include shading, natural ventilation, and mechanical ventilation.
Before choosing a cooling and ventilation system, do your research to know which one best suit your preference. Ideally, you should invest in a suitably sized system for optimal ventilation of your greenhouse, as this ensures you have a growing room with cool temperatures.
6. Install A Heating System
Plants need proper heating as this creates a conducive and healthy environment for promoting optimal growth. Of course, this is optional and depends on where you live.
Some of the heating options available to you are oil heaters, water heaters, convention tubing, and natural gas and propane heaters. The perfect choice of heating system for your greenhouse depends on the greenhouse you’ll build and the climate in your region.
Takeaway
If you’re thinking about producing vegetables and fruits at your home, building a greenhouse is the right decision to take. With that said, the main obstacle hindering you from growing your fruits and vegetables is knowing the steps on how to set up a greenhouse. If you have trouble thinking of a design, there are many greenhouse designs out there on the web. Take your time picking one, and have fun building!
