If you’ve recently developed a love for growing plants, perhaps you recently realized that you want to build a greenhouse to let you enjoy planting throughout the whole year. You may think that it doesn’t have to be fancy as long as you can keep your plants healthy and alive without worrying about weather conditions.
Thankfully, there are many ways you can build a good greenhouse or even a beautiful potting shed without spending too much or hiring someone to do it for you. However, remember that it can take quite a bit of effort—mentally and physically—if you plan to do it all by yourself. But once you finish it, you’ll be glad to have made that decision.
If you’re excited to have one now, below are some of the top layout and functionality tips that can help you get started.
1. Keep The Layout Orderly And Space Optimized
The size of your greenhouse won’t matter much if you’re unable to optimize its layout. Good organization and optimization of available space are keys to a well-designed and functional greenhouse.
Considering those two in your greenhouse design can ensure that every plant, feature, equipment, and gardening tool have their place. And they will also make gardening a lot more fun and easier since they will the hassle of trying to look for where certain tools are located whenever you work inside.
Aside from those benefits, an organized greenhouse allows you to move freely and easily while you’re tending to your plants. And don’t forget about optimizing the vertical space in your greenhouse. It’s a good idea to utilize unused vertical space by installing shelves for potted and hanging plants.
2. Choose The Right Location And Covering For Your Greenhouse
Depending on where you live, you may want to ensure that your greenhouse takes in the most optimal amount of natural light inside it. One of the things you can do is to find the best place for your greenhouse on your property.
If you live in a cold region, build the greenhouse in the sunniest corner of your yard. On the other hand, if you’re in a sunny region, you may want to build the greenhouse in a shady location.
And of course, you should also be mindful of the type of plants that you’ll put inside the greenhouse. Remember that some plants only require a few hours of direct sunlight to grow properly. Also, even with a covering, sunlight can become too harsh for some plants to survive. So, you need to find the perfect balance.
Aside from planning where to build your greenhouse, you need to decide if you need thin and translucent or thick and opaque covering. When choosing a covering, you should prioritize considering the amount of sunlight it can allow and the average wind speed in your area.
3. Choose A Sturdy Greenhouse Frame
No matter the type of covering material you’ll choose for your greenhouse, you should make sure that you choose a sturdy frame. Remember that the stability and durability of your greenhouse will heavily rely on its frame. With a good frame, your greenhouse will stand strong even amidst bad weather and strong winds.
Each greenhouse frame has its respective strengths and weaknesses. Before you even pick one, learn and research about every greenhouse available to you.
If you live in the UK, you may want to consider getting an allotment greenhouse at swgreenhouses.co.uk or other similar companies that offer aluminum greenhouse frames. Aluminum frames are easy to install, and they can withstand the country’s wet season.
4. Keep In Mind The Necessary Equipment
Once you’re done planning the foundation, flooring, and frame, the next step is to consider the different equipment your greenhouse will have. If your greenhouse’s purpose is just to hardy plants throughout the year, you don’t have to install a lot of fancy devices. You only need to have the basics. Some of those are the following:
- Greenhouse fans: your greenhouse should have at least two fans. One should be for circulating air and the other is for heating. The purpose of each is as follows:
- An air-circulating fan, as its name implies, circulates the air around your greenhouse to regulate the temperature and humidity inside. This fan usually runs non-stop 24 hours a day.
- A heat-server fan is usually mounted on walls. It pulls hot air from the greenhouse’s ceiling and circulates it downward to provide warmth to the plants, especially during colder seasons.
- Four-way soil analyzer: It’s a small probe that you can insert into soil. This simple tool can help determine the moisture level, pH content, light level, and nutrient balance in your greenhouse soil. The data this tool can provide you can help you determine what kind of plants can subsist on your soil or what additional steps you can do to ensure that your plants can propagate in your greenhouse.
- Thermostat: To monitor and have better control of the temperature and humidity inside your greenhouse, you need a thermostat. Get one that’s moisture resistant and can be easily mounted on your greenhouse’s wall.
- Misting system: This is optional, and having one will require you to carefully design your greenhouse at it can introduce a lot of moisture in it. A misting system can help you water your plants automatically and reduce the amount of work you need to do.
5. Turn It Into A Garden Oasis
Your greenhouse shouldn’t just be a place you’ve designed for plants or crops to grow. As it’s a part of your backyard, it should also be presentable enough for your visitors. As much as possible, you should turn it into your garden oasis.
To do that, you need to keep the exterior well-decorated. You can put hanging vines or a garden bench outside. You can even surround it with raised garden beds and keep the surrounding lawn well-maintained.
Final Thoughts
Following all the tips above can help you design the greenhouse you want. Regardless if you want to do it yourself or get professionals to help you build it, it would be nice if the greenhouse will look and function the way you have thought of it.