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If you want to extend your growing season, a hobby greenhouse is likely to be a good opportunity for earlier spring planting and harvests later in the autumn. Home greenhouses used for a gardening hobby are not just small versions of a commercial operation. They have different purposes and configuration to conserve energy and take advantage of passive heat and cooling measures.
How Do You Plan to Use Your Greenhouse?
Even before you start dreaming over greenhouse plans or kits, you should determine how you realistically will use the structure. Do you plan to do most of the planting and growing within the greenhouse walls? Will the greenhouse be used mainly for starting plants in the early spring and protecting late harvests from plummeting temperatures? Perhaps you only need greenhouse facilities to protect a winter garden for fresh salads and tomatoes. The uses for the building will make a difference in choosing the right greenhouse for you.
Do You Need to Heat Your Greenhouse?
If you plan to use a greenhouse during hot summer weather, you need to make plans for cooling the space. This can take the form of fans or ventilation systems to prevent plant bolting or wilt. Where crops will be larger, interior space must be arranged in order to allow crops room to grow.
Heating systems generally must be adopted in greenhouses that you plan to use during the winter season. A greenhouse without supplemental heat sources is likely to leave some plants damaged or lost. If you want tomatoes or fresh vegetables from your greenhouse, a propane or electric heater may be necessary. Wood heat is used in some greenhouses where cord wood is available. Solar heat make good sense because of the minimal operating cost. The solar heat arrangement sometimes is used to heat space with hot water.
Where Your Greenhouse Should Be Placed
Choose your greenhouse location carefully. Sunshine during the winter reduces external heat needs. Breezes in the summer season can help reduce internal temperatures in the greenhouse. Since many greenhouses are needed mostly in winter and spring months, it is most critical to allow for the best site during these months
Those who want good use of the sun during winter months will place a greenhouse where the winter sun reaches the plants or a heating wall for passive heat. A lean-to greenhouse should be situated along the warmest winter wall of your home for best heating. The summer greenhouse should be placed to take advantage of prevailing breezes to help cool temperatures.
Building a perfect hobby greenhouse has just become faster and easier! You can start your do it yourself project today with a greenhouse blueprint and enjoy your greenhouse soon!