If you love having fresh garden vegetables all year round but live in a climate with extreme weather fluctuations, you might consider building a greenhouse. A greenhouse is an enclosed outdoor building that allows you to control the temperature and humidity within. And with glass or clear plastic walls in your structure, sunlight can continue to reach your plants. Discover what you should know before building a backyard greenhouse.
Compare Attached and Freestanding Greenhouses
There are two main ways to build a greenhouse. You can either attach one to your home, or construct a freestanding building. If you build the greenhouse onto the back of your house, you can hook it up to your home’s central heating and cooling. However, if you install a separate building, you may need to supply extra heat sources in the winter, and maybe an extra water hose hookup.
Bring In Bees for Pollination
Did you know you can introduce bees to your greenhouse? Keeping bees in a greenhouse means your plants will be pollinated naturally, resulting in a bigger harvest and better fruit and vegetable quality. Do note that some people recommend using bumblebees instead of honeybees in greenhouses since they’re less aggressive.
Know That Sunlight Direction Matters
As you’re planning the right space for your greenhouse, it’s important to pay attention to where the sunlight is strongest. In most places in North America, it’s best to place a greenhouse so it faces south or southeast to capture early morning sunlight. However, cloudy light in the Northwest can make the light diffuse more evenly.
Skip Building Paths
When you’re first building your backyard greenhouse, it’s tempting to leave lots of room between beds so you can move wheelbarrows and other large tools. However, if you really think about it, you’re not going to need those bigger tools once the greenhouse is complete, which means you’ll just have less space for gardening. As you design the layout of your greenhouse, place the beds so you have enough room to maneuver, but not so much that you’re wasting space.
Try a Geodesic Dome Greenhouse
Dome greenhouses can be both practical and aesthetically pleasing. On the practical side, they’re easy to install and many manufacturers make pre-built insulation and screen door options. You can customize the layout pretty much any way you want in order to maximize your dome greenhouse.
We hope you’ve enjoyed these greenhouse tips and tricks. Follow these steps next time you’re thinking of building a greenhouse in your backyard.
