Your own greenhouse or tunnel is an easy way to grow healthy vegetables and fruits, regardless of the vagaries of the weather. There is also the joy of growing vegetables, herbs and flowers at home. Thanks to them, the season starts earlier and ends later.
Building a greenhouse and tunnel yourself
Greenhouse house or tunnel, what to choose?
If you have your own garden, the desire and time to grow vegetables yourself, you should definitely build a greenhouse. In weather conditions, vegetables grow worse in the ground – this is especially true for tomatoes, peppers and other heat-loving vegetables. Your own greenhouse will allow you to be independent from the vagaries of the weather and grow tasty and healthy vegetables from April to late autumn.
Unlike foil tunnels, a durable one will last for many years. Even a small straight-walled greenhouse looks aesthetically pleasing, which is difficult to say about the most commonly used, amateur foil tunnels.
Additional Information! In a garden greenhouse you can grow vegetables and fruits in winter, but in tunnels the first sowing and planting can only begin in early March. Located in full sun, it allows you to grow not only local, but also tropical types of fruit.
When choosing one of these products, first of all you should take into account how much money you want to spend on the purchase, what vegetables and fruits we will grow, how much area is allocated for cultivation. Both solutions have their advantages and disadvantages.
Although building a garden greenhouse is a more expensive and time-consuming process than installing a tunnel, its benefits partially offset the costs incurred. To make the right decision, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the individual characteristics of these garden structures.
Greenhouses can be purchased or built independently. For many years, gardens have been dominated by traditional glass greenhouses. However, polycarbonate with metal construction has been a hit in the horticultural market for several years now. The greenhouse is equipped with panels with a UV filter and a hinged window.
Material for construction
A greenhouse covered with film, glass or polycarbonate is a much more durable solution. If you build it on a foundation and use quality materials, it will last for many years. Making a garden greenhouse yourself is cheaper, but requires more labor. The frame of the greenhouse is made of wood, steel or aluminum.
A wooden greenhouse is a simple, natural and easy to install solution. Particularly suitable for small garden plots. It looks very nice and matches other wooden elements in the garden. The wood does not heat up and is pleasant to the touch. However, it must be remembered that the wood must be impregnated once a year and protected from moisture, sun and frost. Otherwise, it will quickly become unusable.
The greenhouse with a steel frame is resistant to weather conditions and mechanical damage. However, it will be very heavy and massive. This solution will work well in large professional greenhouses, but not necessarily in small, home or hobbyist greenhouses.
Aluminum greenhouses have become increasingly popular recently. Aluminum is resistant to weather conditions, but the structure is very light and is not resistant to mechanical damage. A strong storm can easily destroy it.
The most expensive element of the entire structure, of course, will be the coating.
- Polycarbonate is a colorless plastic, similar in appearance to ordinary glass, more resistant to mechanical damage, and transmits light well.
- Glass is a popular material that transmits approximately 90% of light, but is not resistant to mechanical damage.
- Foil is a compromise solution for those gardeners who do not want to give up the advantages of lightness and low price.
Modern greenhouses have ceilings made of either glass or polycarbonate.
Polycarbonate is a type of plastic. Transparent polycarbonate is suitable for greenhouses because it allows a lot of light to pass through, just like glass. It can break, but the pieces are not harmful. You can replace polycarbonate yourself; it is easy to cut with a regular saw. There are different thicknesses to choose from.
Additional Information! To grow plants in a greenhouse you will also need a good substrate, preferably one that is suitable no matter what kind of plants you are going to grow.
How to make a greenhouse yourself
Installing a greenhouse on a summer cottage has become popular again. This is due to environmental trends, the desire to include more healthy fruits in the diet and the growing popularity of growing vegetables at home.
You can build a small home greenhouse yourself. However, if you don’t have the time or desire to do it yourself, it’s better to entrust it to professionals. You can also buy a ready-made greenhouse at a hardware store and simply assemble it on site.
Where on the property can a greenhouse be built?
Despite the availability of different sizes, this type of structure cannot be placed in a small garden. The size of the plot is one thing, but what is much more important is which place in the garden is the sunniest. The greenhouse should be positioned so that its long part is oriented from east to west.
When constructing it, several elements must be taken into account. The design must be resistant to strong winds, heavy rainfall or hail. Particular attention must be paid to the construction of the western wall, which is subject to high loads from gusts of wind. The slope of the greenhouse roof must be equal to or exceed 20 degrees – due to this, snow will roll off the roof,
Note! Take care of your greenhouse equipment. The basis of the greenhouse are tables and shelves placed in such a place that they do not cast a shadow on the plants or interfere with their growth. It is also worth remembering that even a small greenhouse needs constant air humidification – so-called drip irrigation.
Amateur greenhouses can be heated or unheated. If they have better thermal insulation, they cool down more slowly in winter and warm up more slowly in summer.
The height of the greenhouse is assumed to be such that the highest point is at least 200 cm. It is easier to work in a high greenhouse. The width of the door should also allow entry with a wheelbarrow or bag.
Step-by-step instructions on how to build a greenhouse:
- clear the site, lay out the foundation and dig;
- place the reinforcement in the trench and fill it with concrete;
- all wooden elements must be impregnated in two stages: the first stage is a primer, the next is a protective and decorative garden impregnation;
- after impregnation, coatings are installed: polycarbonate panels are the most popular; transparent glass looks best.
Another option is to place the greenhouse on a foundation slab, but this will make it less stable and more susceptible to moisture.
The greenhouse should be equipped with a door on the west side (this side is most often windy), and a window on the east side for outside ventilation. It is also possible to install tilting windows in the side walls or roof.
Film tunnels
Is a greenhouse the best option or should I choose film tunnels? Both solutions have their advantages and disadvantages. A foil tunnel is a much cheaper option. It does not require a foundation and can be moved to a different location each season. In winter, the tunnel is removed and assembly is also very simple.
Foil tunnels protect plants from adverse weather conditions: frost, wind, rain and hail. Thanks to its independence from the weather, it is possible to sow and plant earlier and later than in the ground. Vegetables and herbs are usually grown in foil tunnels. Even a very small one is enough to provide a family with fresh vegetables and herbs for most of the year.
An arched greenhouse is cheaper and easier to install. Installation is similar to installing a tent. Arches are the main load-bearing element of the structure. No foundation is required; it’s easier to move it to another location.
A small foil tunnel can also be used as a seed bed. From early spring, seedlings of any cabbage grow well in the tunnel. In April, you can harden off eggplant, tomato, and pepper seedlings before planting them in permanent places. Seedlings of fruit and ornamental shrubs, such as grapevines, take root well in it
However, the tunnel has a significant drawback. If it is not secured properly, a strong storm is enough to tear and destroy the film. Sometimes even anchoring it to the ground may not be enough. It is poorly ventilated, which leads to the occurrence of fungal diseases that can destroy the entire crop of tomatoes or cucumbers in a few days.
The film differs in thickness, light transmission, number of layers, stability, perforation, and color. In amateur cultivation, white and green are most often used. Does color matter?
The green tunnel is warmer and heats up faster than the white foil tunnel. The difference is only a few degrees Celsius, but it is very important for sowing in early spring and autumn.
White film reflects light better, it heats up more slowly and less than green film. Green and white foil can have a built-in mesh that protects it from breaking down too quickly.
