Benefits of Greenhouse
Gardening
By Ellen Bell
For those of us who live in colder climates, experiencing five
months or more of winter each year, the benefits of greenhouse
gardening can be enormous. Gardening with a greenhouse allows
for an extended growing season that can begin and end months
outside of
the traditional outdoor growing
season in your climate. Greenhouses may even allow you to grow
plants year round. Greenhouses can also provide a warmer
mini-climate for plants that typically would not grow in your
zone, allowing you to cultivate many varieties of plants that
are unique to your area.
When growing plants in a greenhouse, it's important to remember
that the air temperature inside can be as much as 30 to 40
degrees warmer than the outside air temperature. While the
warmer air is wonderful for your plants during the cool months
of late fall, winter, and early spring, in the hot summer
months, these temperatures can pose a real threat to your
plants. When the temperature inside a greenhouse gets too high,
your plants can actually burn. In the hottest part of the
summer, it's a good idea to add a shade cloth to your
greenhouse to help keep the inside temperatures down. When
building your greenhouse, consider aligning the roofline in an
east-west direction so that the largest area of the roof is
exposed to the south. This will accomplish two things. First,
if a shade cloth is required, you'll likely only need to cover
the southern facing side of the roof, saving you time and money
in materials. Second, by having more roof area exposed to the
intense southern sun, you'll get maximum solar gain in your
greenhouse during cooler months, when you need it most.
For those of us who enjoy vegetable gardening, another benefit
of gardening with a greenhouse is the ability to start
vegetables from seed early in the year. While many nurseries
and garden centers to sell vegetables as young plants in the
early part of the year, these small plants can be expensive to
buy. Certainly when planting on a larger scale, starting your
plants from seed is a much more economical option.
Additionally, when planting some certain types of herbs and
vegetables, starting plants from seed may be a requirement, as
most nurseries don't grow the more obscure varieties and
hybrids.
In the case of vegetables that grow well in containers, such as
tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, strawberries, and many herbs, a
greenhouse can be a way to grow your own produce year round and
save money on your grocery bill. One option is to begin your
vegetables in the greenhouse early in the year, and then move
then outdoors during the warm summer months. When the weather
cools off again in the fall, the plants can be brought back
into the greenhouse to extend harvests for several more months,
or as long as the lifespan of each individual plant will
allow.
While a greenhouse can be a significant up front investment,
the rewards of greenhouse gardening are almost endless. Your
greenhouse will pay you back with new and unique varieties of
plants, bigger and better harvests, and a wealth of invaluable
gardening experience.
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