How to build a greenhouse: a few recommendations

Any self-respecting summer resident wants to get a harvest more and faster than anyone. To make this dream come true, it is necessary to build a house for plants or a greenhouse. The fact is that humidity and a certain temperature regime are maintained inside the greenhouse, which contributes to an early and more abundant harvest. And not every gardener knows how to build a greenhouse. A greenhouse in a country house or in a country house is an urgent need if you like fresh vegetables and greens “from the garden”. We have such a climate that little grows in open ground.

Buy ready-made or make your own

The greenhouse should serve for many years, so its task is to be solid, durable, easy to operate and at the same time not hit the owner too hard. In addition, a greenhouse can be a great source of income.

You can buy a ready-made structure, but, as a rule, high-quality greenhouses are very expensive, and their sizes do not always suit us.

Independent construction of a greenhouse will:

— cheaper; — sometimes much better than the purchased design;

— take into account the characteristics of cultivated crops;

— the size and height you need.

Where to begin

You should start by choosing a place for construction. It should be as even as possible. It is desirable that the greenhouse is located near the house in an open area. The ideal direction of construction is from north to south. This is necessary so that the sun, moving from east to west, illuminates your greenhouse evenly.

Foundation — the basis of the foundations

The construction of a quality foundation should be given special attention, because the stability and strength of the structure depends on it. Building a foundation is a rather laborious task, but the result is worth it. So let’s get started.

1. Mark the area for the future greenhouse, do not forget to take into account the orientation to the cardinal points. Your plants need the maximum amount of sunlight.

2. Dig a trench around the perimeter of the building, approximately 0.5 m deep.

3. Pour a small sand cushion (about 5 cm) on the bottom, carefully compact the sand.

4. Lay gravel on top with a layer of 10 cm.

5. Install rebar or mesh.

6. Fill with high-quality concrete mortar.

A solid foundation is ready!

Greenhouse frame — choose the shape and material

Typically, a greenhouse consists of a frame and a cover. Frames are made from different materials. The main ones are aluminum, steel pipes, plastic, wood. It is more practical to build a frame from galvanized pipes — they do not rot like wood, and do not rust as quickly as ordinary metal. However, not everyone can afford galvanized pipes. As for the coating, it is usually glass, multilayer greenhouse film https://planetaplast.com/ru/product/multilayer-films/ or cellular polycarbonate. The shape of the greenhouses does not differ in variety — either an “arch” or a “house”. The choice of form directly depends on what the frame is covered with. So, the film is suitable for any form of greenhouse, glass — only for a «house», and polycarbonate — only for an arched greenhouse.

Modern greenhouses are mounted from aluminum profiles. Consider a more budget option: a greenhouse made of wood and film. Before starting construction, the first thing to do after choosing a place is to set the dimensions of the future structure. The standard today is the size of 3 by 6 meters. Along the perimeter with given dimensions, wooden blocks are driven into the ground. The beam must be with a cross section of at least 80 mm, and even better if a cross section of 100 mm is taken. If the soil is soft (sand), the beam is driven to a depth of about 1 meter, and if it is dense (clay), then 0.5 meters is enough.

On top of the pillars driven into the ground, bars are fastened in a horizontal position. The distance between them should be approximately 0.6 meters, since rafters will be attached to them. The optimal door dimensions for such a greenhouse are 60 by 200 cm.

Covering the frame with film

To attach the film to the frame, it is best to take a whole piece of film, otherwise the installation will become somewhat more complicated. Along the perimeter of the base, wooden slats are attached, to which, in turn, a film is nailed. The end of the greenhouse should be closed completely. In order for the greenhouse to warm up better, you need to make the outer northern wall of an opaque material, and inside it should be reflective.

Ventilation and heating of greenhouses

Airing is necessary for plants on hot days. For these purposes, special «windows» are provided, which are desirable to be placed on the ceiling of the greenhouse. Make sure they open and close easily, as sometimes this procedure has to be repeated several times a day.

Heating is necessary if you grow early vegetables or herbs in a greenhouse, as well as seedlings. For heating, you can use stoves, potbelly stoves, or electrical appliances. Heating a greenhouse is either laborious or expensive, but the result will certainly please you. You can also carry out electric heating in the greenhouse, in which case you are not afraid of any frosts.

Have a bountiful harvest!