Backyard Greenhouse Plans

1 | P a g eBackyard Greenhouse Plans .com

What Every Gardener Needs to

Know About Greenhouses

Backyard Greenhouse Plans .com

http://backyardgreenhouseplans.com/


The Legal Stuff

You are free to give this report “What Every Gardener Needs

to Know About Greenhouses” away in its entirety, as long as

you keep the footer links hyperlinking back to my site intact.

You are not allowed to break the report into sections for re-

distribution. The report must remain intact.

That’s it! Enjoy this free report and feel free to share it with

anybody that you think would like it!

http://backyardgreenhouseplans.com/victorian-greenhouse


What Every Gardener Needs to Know About Greenhouses

With so many harmful elements that tend to destroy the environment these days, having your plants

nurtured and developed within a remarkable structure. Known as the greenhouse, you can expect an all

year-round supply of lush vegetations and flowering plants without worrying about the adverse effects

of the pollution in the environment.

Indeed, cultivating plants in a greenhouse is one of the most remarkable structures and concept man

has ever created. However, putting up and setting up a greenhouse is not an easy thing precisely

because it entails a lot of factors that needs to be considered in order to provide the plants a healthier

place to live.

With the “closed environment” of the greenhouse, it is a must for every gardener to provide the

appropriate equipments that will answer to the different needs of the plants.

Tips on Planning and Building Your Home Greenhouse

Building a greenhouse is like building a house. You should have a well-designed plan and several things

need to be taken into consideration. There are different types of home greenhouses but your choice

should depend on the growing area, architecture, location and costs. Most importantly, the greenhouse

that you will be building should, of course, serve its purpose of maintaining a proper environment for

plants to grow.

As mentioned, there are several things that need to be considered when putting up a greenhouse. To

give you some tips, here are the things to be included in the planning stage:

- Location. First thing to note in building a greenhouse is its location. The best location for a greenhouse

is a place where it will get maximum sunlight. Morning sunlight is best for plants because it makes them

start processing early which will result to maximized growth.

Thus, the best location is on the east side where it gets maximum morning sunlight especially from

November to February. North of buildings or any major structure is the last location to be considered as

it only provides little light. Also, it is best to make sure that the trees nearby the chosen location will still

allow enough sunlight to reach the greenhouse.

Other things to be considered when choosing location are good drainage, location of sources of water,

electricity and heat. The location should also be convenient for the owner or the caretaker as well as to

the utilities.

- Greenhouse type. In general, a home greenhouse can be any of these two types – a free-standing

structure or one that is attached to your house or garage. Attached greenhouses also have different


kinds. One example of an attached greenhouse is the lean-to. This is a half greenhouse attached directly

to one side of a house or building with doorway, if possible. This type is close to sources of heat, water

and electricity and is the least expensive. However, this kind of structure also has some limitations on

space, ventilation, and sunlight.

Freestanding greenhouses are separate structures that are not limited to a small space. Since it is set

apart from an existing structure or building, it should have its own water and electricity sources as well

as heating system.

When choosing the preferred structure, make sure that enough space for benches, storage, as well as

future expansion is considered. The University of Maryland Cooperative Extension Service suggests a

minimum area of 6 feet by 12 feet for a free-standing or even-span greenhouse.

Examples of Free Standing Greenhouses are:

Victorian Greenhouse – A Victorian greenhouse is the easiest to heat and cool making it the most energy

efficient due to its gable roof. It looks like a house with straight walls and a typical house roof.

Hoop Greenhouse – Inexpensive to build and can be built any size that you choose.

- Structural Materials. Your greenhouse should also have a good structural foundation to withstand

extreme weather conditions. There are several options for a frame and framing materials to choose

from. Do-it-yourself greenhouse plans commonly use wood or metal pipes as their structural material.

There are different kinds of frames available which range from simple to complex designs.

Another material to be considered is the covering for your greenhouse. Your choice of frame and

covering should correctly match. Some factors to be considered to choose a good covering is its ability

to trap the most amount of heat inside, as well as its life span. The different choices for greenhouse

covering include regular glass, fiberglass, double-wall plastic, and film plastic.

- Foundations and flooring. Glass frames and the double-wall plastic need a permanent foundation and

the plan should be provided by the manufacturers of the frame. It is also recommended for the

greenhouse to be elevated a little to have enough space for water to flow. Thus, permanent flooring is

not advisable as the soil may stay wet and make the floor slippery. A walkway made of gravel, concrete

or stone is advised for easy access to the all the plants.

- Environmental systems. Once you now have a good plan for the structure of your home greenhouse,

the next thing to consider is its proper maintenance. Aside from sunlight and heat, different elements

are important to maintain the ideal growing condition for plants. These environmental systems that

should be included in greenhouse planning are heating, air circulation, ventilation, cooling, controllers

and automation, water and lighting systems.

Building a greenhouse can prove to be demanding and challenging. Complete knowledge about

greenhouse is needed for you to be able to build a productive structure. A considerable amount of time


is needed to make a good plan which should cover all aspects. It pays to learn and scout for different

options before making your final decision.

Supplies Needed for Your Greenhouse

1. The best advisable covering a greenhouse should have is a fiberglass covering. The maintenance is

very easy and it does not deteriorate fast. It has the ability to control the needed sunlight compared to

plastic and wooden shades. The ventilation is readily prepared on the roofing to control the

temperature and humidity inside the greenhouse.

2. The potting benches are the most common helpful supplies he may need in the greenhouse. Most

potting benches come with one or two shelves that store potting supplies such as dirt, manure, fertilizer

and the pots. He may not need extra effort in cleaning it after its use because of the tray supporting the

holders and the flat top. He may place the potting supplies near his potting area so that it would be

more convenient for him not to waste any movements while gardening.

3. Rainwater systems are also available for ecology oriented and conscious gardeners. He may collect

the needed water from the downspouts and gutters of the greenhouse water system. The irrigation and

watering of the plants can be environment friendly compared to those automated water systems.

4. The lighting supplies are very essential in the greenhouse. He may avail of grow lights that increase

the spectrum growth of the plants. It also provides the needed warmth and artificial sunlight in cases of

climate changes. They may be very effective during the winter season where most plants grow short

because they are not exposed to the needed sunlight.

5. A greenhouse should have shelving supplies. There are growing shelves supplies that stabilize the

greenhouse condition. They come with aluminum frames where he can place the seeds on its trays.

They also feature an ultra violet plastic stabilizer covering to create the needed greenhouse conditions.

6. He may need to supply the greenhouse with a misting propagation system. This will ensure the plants

of a healthier growth because of the sustained moisture in the air. To have a balanced and controlled

humidity, he may avail of the automated misters. They come with timers to mist the place and moisture

sensors for the moisture density. The misting propagation system is very essential to those greenhouses

that grow tropical plants.

Other optional supplies and accessories he may add to his greenhouse are the automatic plant misting

system, soil sterilization supplies, thermometers, special shelving systems, shelters and shades with roof

ventilation, plant lighting tools, and humidity gauges. All these supplies may have their own use in a

greenhouse. He may consider his budget before availing any of these optional supplies.


Here Are The Three Greenhouse Environmental Systems:

1. Greenhouse lighting system -Light is an essential factor in plant propagation and development. Since

we started to learn how plants make their own food back in grade school, it is worth noting that light

will always be a part of a plant’s survival.

Given that premise, it is substantial to note that a good lighting system is important in a particular

greenhouse environment. Greenhouse lighting systems provide undoubted assistance to the

development of the plants especially during the winter season.

The idea of the greenhouse lighting system is to remake summer’s warmness, heat, and light through

artificial methods and devices. In this way, the plants will be lured to continue on its production stage

even if they should already be on their inactive phase.

Hence, it is interesting to note that with this innovative greenhouse lighting system, gardeners can

actually look forward to a yearlong production in spite of the winter season.

2. Greenhouse watering system

Among the important factors that initiate plants production and growth, water comes close next to

light. Without water, plants will die; there is no doubt about it. But where water seems inadequate to

provide since the plants are confined in a close environment, the greenhouse water systems will do the

job.

http://backyardgreenhouseplans.com/hoop-greenhouse


Greenhouse water systems do not necessarily pertains to the watering activity within the greenhouse

environment. One of the main purposes of the greenhouse water system is to lessen the temperature

inside to as much as 25° Fahrenheit.

This particular greenhouse system is, likewise, built to provide adequate water as well as fertilizer feed

as possible. It specially designed to provide mechanical “trickle type” of irrigation and fertilizer feeding.

It has a modifiable control system that will provide changeable flow of fertilizer and water 24 hours a

day, 7 days a week.

3. Greenhouse Electrical System

This is the most important aspect of the greenhouse systems. Electricity is the utmost element that is

needed to fuel all of those feasible devices such as temperature and humidity gauge, lighting fixtures,

and other important devices that feeds on electricity.

This particular greenhouse system has an adjustable on and off button that regulates the flow of

electricity within the area. It also has its won timer switch that automatically shuts off when no device is

expected to use it.

One of the best things about the greenhouse electrical system is that it has “low-voltage timers” and

power line of electricity. In fact, the maximum amount of voltage for most electrical systems is 150

watts. This goes to show that the amount of energy that is being consumed is just enough to power all

the devices needed inside the greenhouse but not too much that it will burn your expenses right at your

fingertips.

Moreover, this greenhouse system is so easy to install. In fact, for small greenhouses, there are electrical

systems that can be mounted even without the expert help of an electrician.

Indeed, these three greenhouse systems work together in order to answer the needs of the plants as far

as their development is concerned. With all these greenhouse systems, putting up and maintaining a

greenhouse is never hard enough to start with.

Given all that, coming up with your own greenhouse is as easy as 1-2-3 as long as you have these three

reliable greenhouse systems at hand

http://backyardgreenhouseplans.com/lean-to-greenhouses


Tips To Build Your Own Greenhouse

1. He may consider using salvage materials if he intends to make a larger greenhouse. He may use these

materials in designing and planning for a low cost budget greenhouse. This will also help him minimize

the expenses of the other supplies and materials needed.

2. He should also determine the climate of the place where he lives. An insulated greenhouse should be

appropriate for cold climate areas. This will help him provide the needed warmth and heat for his plants.

For warm places, a greenhouse that has a shade control should be advisable.

3. He also needs to make sure that his greenhouse will be designed with proper air circulation spaces,

ventilation, pest control soil, heaters for winter season, and humidity control devices. He may create an

environment that would be appropriate for the types of plants that will grow in the greenhouse.

4. The location of the greenhouse should be built were there is enough sunlight. He may choose a solar

greenhouse for vegetables and exotic fruit bearing plants if he would like his greenhouse to be situated

on the east-west part where his place is more exposed to sunlight.

5. It is also important to consider the covering of the greenhouse. The most advisable shades are the

expensive glass made coverings and fiberglass. They provide more durability and they do not deteriorate

quickly compared to plastic coverings. A greenhouse covered with glass or fiberglass allows more

humidity and warmth.

6. He has the option to choose on what kind of foundation he would like to use. The foundations can be

concrete for a more secured greenhouse. Others prefer the less expensive lightweight foundation where

they use improvised materials such as railroad ties, which they can easily attach to the ground. It all

depends on how much he is willing to spend on the structure of the greenhouse.

7. He may consider building a greenhouse that will maximize its full potential. He may add benches or

materials that will be used for his comfort every time he wants to relax in the greenhouse. He may add

many accessories to the place like automatic watering systems, heating systems, ventilation system and

other automatic equipments that are effective in maintaining the plants.

8. He may use the “good bugs” for his pest control chemical. They prevent and control the spread of the

bad bugs in a greenhouse. If ever he may find insects in a plant, he may isolate the plant and if possible

place the plant outside the greenhouse so that the insects would not house the other plants.

9. He may allot a space where he can store fertilizers, potting soil and other tools that are essential in

the greenhouse. He may place a tool rack nearer to the potting place so that it would be easier for him

to transfer the soil from the pot of the plants. He may also place buckets and tool holders to

accommodate the other equipment when they are not in use.


Greenhouse Kits for Plant Enthusiasts

In this light, the right greenhouse supplies should be availed by interested cultivators. There are a lot of

greenhouse kits available out there for people who would want to put up their own greenhouses for

commercial plant cultivation or as a plain hobby.

Here are some of the available greenhouse kits that are out in the market:

Sunshine - These are greenhouse kits which are framed by fantastic redwood. They have polycarbonate

insulations for covering the plants. Another good thing about the sunshine greenhouse kits is that they

provide a lot of space because they have very tall frames (usually 10 feet tall). They are also very easy to

install because the insulated polycarbonate insulations are already built into the frame. Their prices rage

from a thousand dollars to around four thousand.

Cross Country - These are high quality greenhouses which have several modified options which are

available. They are framed with aluminum which provides sturdy support for the greenhouse. They also

come with doors with screened windows and an automatic ventilation system. They are priced from

$2,500 to $30,000 dollars. They can be quite expensive but the price speaks of their quality.

http://backyardgreenhouseplans.com/victorian-greenhouse


Little Greenhouse - These are greenhouses which provide economy for people who would want to

engage in plant cultivation. These kits come with structures which are protected from ultra-violet rays.

They also include bench setup and an exhaust fan. They come with a PCV frame, a four millimeter

polyethylene covering made up of plastic. They provide optimum environments for plant cultivation.

These are recommended for beginners.

Juliana - Juliana greenhouse kits are very popular for their rust-free frames which are made from

aluminum and a poly-carbonate, twin-wall covering which provides cultivators with a long time of

enjoyment at a very affordable price. There are many models under this kind of greenhouse kit. They

come in very affordable prices- as low as 65 dollars.

Portable - These are very inexpensive greenhouse kits which are very easy to assemble and disassemble.

They are recommended for seasonal gardening because one can easily put them up and store them

away when they are no longer needed. They come with one of the most durable coverings which are

made with plastic film. Their structures are made of steel. They also come in with a build-in door and a

screened ventilation windows. They also have storage bags. They are available for the price of 300

dollars.

Hobby Gardener - These greenhouse kits are covered by original “snapglas” panels. These are panels

which have the clarity that is offered by glass and the sturdiness and durability possessed by

polycarbonate. They are also equipped with barn-like roof which provides more room for plants. They

also include hinged-doors, hinged-roof and ventilated walls. They are priced at around a thousand to

two thousand dollars.

There are many kinds of greenhouses for different kinds of enthusiasts out there. One must be keen in

choosing the kit that suits his needs and preferences. Moreover, he must be able to know which

greenhouse will provide the optimum environment for the growth of the plants which he will be

cultivating.

You can develop and grow all sorts of plants with a versatile greenhouse no matter if you built it yourself

or you got a kit. Putting up a greenhouse will be more enjoyable if it done with the help of the family

and friends. Visit backyardgreenhouseplans.com for more information on greenhouse kits and plans.

http://backyardgreenhouseplans.com/

http://backyardgreenhouseplans.com/lean-to-greenhouses

Documents

Backyard Greenhouse Plans