It has long been verified that productivity does not depend so much on summer care as on proper early sowing of seeds, organization of planting seedlings and providing optimal conditions for its growth and development. All this can provide a greenhouse.
With your own hands, anyone can make a construction from improvised materials, which will make it possible to develop seedlings in early spring, when the ambient temperature is not yet optimal for this. The enclosed space and materials that let in sunlight create a greenhouse effect and a suitable microclimate.
Benefits and requirements of greenhouses
The benefits of greenhouse growing early vegetable crops are obvious. You can start sowing already in late winter or early spring. Under the shelter, it is easier to protect the crop from temperature extremes, insect pests and rodents.
You can increase the yield (up to three times in comparison with the usual gardening on the open ground) if you make a greenhouse with your own hands. From the materials at hand, the assembled structure is equipped in such a way that it is possible to provide a stable microclimate in it without critical fluctuations in temperature and humidity.
An important condition for the arrangement of such a structure will be ease of access to landings for care. The greenhouse from improvised means must be reliable and withstand the load of precipitation and wind, be as durable as possible. It is important that it can be easily mounted in a new place and just as quickly put away for storage.
The cost of such a design should not significantly increase the cost of production grown with its use. If a small home-made greenhouse organically fits into the garden or courtyard, then this will be wonderful.
Kinds
Thinking about the organization of the greenhouse, you should clearly understand its purpose. Its design, dimensions and type of structure depend on this. So, small mini-greenhouses, made of improvised material with their own hands, can fully provide the family with early greens and radishes.
For the cultivation of tomatoes and cucumbers, one should choose a more thorough construction or consider an option for its expansion, taking into account the growth and development of plants in height. Such seasonal designs can be solid or consist of stacked blocks.
To grow seedlings for the purpose of its implementation, a stationary structure with a foundation, frame and door will be required. By the method of organizing the roof, it can be continuous (solid), partially disclosed, or its covering material can be completely removed for a day in sunny weather.
A greenhouse or a greenhouse can be located separately or adjoin one side to the main wall of the building. In this case, additional racks for installing containers with seedlings can be hung on this base. The wall can act as the basis for arranging a pitched roof.
Material
According to technology, the greenhouse must have drainage. For this, gravel, crushed stone or sand is suitable. Then a layer of organic litter is laid, which, when decaying, will give heat. Suitable straw and fallen foliage. A layer of fertile soil is poured on top.
The box, which limits it, can be built of wood or buried slate sheets around the perimeter. For a more reliable design, a foundation of machined wooden timber or round timber is equipped. In a constant place, you can lay the blocks or fill in the concrete base to which the frame will be mounted.
Do-it-yourself greenhouse from PVC pipes and an alternative to it - frame greenhouse from metal rods - are made in the same way. Stiffening ribs to maintain the film are bent according to the pattern. Pipes are conveniently mounted on metal pins buried in the ground, the rods simply stick in place and are adjustable in height.
The coating can be a regular plastic film or a special greenhouse. A more expensive roof option is polycarbonate.
Original greenhouse designs can be made from plastic bottles. Transparent walls are erected from them, connecting them after cutting or equipping additional supports.
Glazed frames of windows and balcony blocks can also be used for the construction of block structures. Such greenhouses are convenient to mount; they are easy to assemble and dismantle.
Seat selection
Home-made greenhouses can be organized on the site, directly next to the house or outbuildings adjacent to one of the walls, as well as indoors: in the corridor, on the balcony or even on the windowsill.
Wherever they are located, there are general rules for location. The success of growing seedlings or obtaining a crop of finished products depends on their observance.
The place is chosen sunny, protected from drafts and winds, with good drainage so that there is no stagnation of water from melting snow or precipitation. The site should not be affected by fungus or mold.
They have mini-greenhouses, made by themselves, so that the northern part is deaf, and the southern one can open for ventilation and maintenance.
Greenhouse for Cucumbers
For its arrangement on a selected site, a soil layer is selected to a depth of 50 cm. A drainage layer of gravel or crushed stone is laid at the bottom, and then organic material from the previous manure, straw or leaves. All this is covered with a layer (up to 30 cm) of fertile soil for seedlings.
Around the perimeter is a fence. From a steel wire according to the template, stiffeners bend and stick into the ground. In the upper part and on the sides they are tied together with a soft wire. This will provide additional protection against sagging covering material.
Such a simple and convenient greenhouse for cucumbers with your own hands can be made by any gardener. As the seedlings grow, the film is removed, the wire frame is removed or left as a support for weaving.
During severe and prolonged frosts at night, it is advisable to additionally insulate the structure by covering it with an old blanket or other suitable material. In too hot weather, shading may be necessary.
How to make a greenhouse-wigwam do it yourself?
For this design, a plastic sleeve (bag without bottom) is required. If it is not, you can cut out the individual pieces of film according to the required dimensions and solder the edges. Still need a wooden stake and long rods of willow, willow, hazel, poplar or other flexible material with a diameter of up to 20 mm.
Is the material for the wigwam prepared? It remains to figure out how to build a greenhouse with your own hands. The instruction is simple, the work can be done quickly by one person without auxiliary tools and equipment.
They are determined with a place and on the ground draw a circle according to the diameter of the expanded sleeve. In the center they bury or hammer a wooden stake. The rods are cut to one size and stuck with a butt into the ground along the outlined circle with a uniform interval. In between, you can set short (30-50 cm) trim.
The tops of the rods come together and are fixed in the center to the stake. A plastic sleeve is put on top and lowered to the ground with an allowance. The earth is poured on these edges or pressed by any burden. The top of the film is collected, tied with a rope with fixation to the stake.
Service is performed after raising the edges of the film up or when lowering the sleeve to the ground after untying the knot.
Express greenhouse from improvised materials
Quickly and conveniently, such a structure for planted seedlings of tomatoes can be made from a five-liter plastic canister for water. The bottom of it is cut off, and the container itself deepens and sprinkles with earth so that it is not blown away by the wind. In the process of growth, the stem should be directed to the neck.
A very simple miniature greenhouse can be made from a plastic container from a cake, pastries, or even from a disposable transparent egg tray with an opening lid. A hole is made in its bottom with a needle to remove excess moisture, and the soil for sowing can be replaced with a peat tablet.
For gardeners who have livestock on the farm, a simple greenhouse can be quickly built from straw bales arranged around the perimeter of the sowing area. On them as a frame, you can lay two crossed boards and cover the structure with a film. Its edges should be pressed to the ground or tucked under bales.
Stationary type design
Such structures allow gardening even in winter. Accordingly, the materials for their manufacture must have good thermal insulation properties, transmit light energy as much as possible, and be sufficiently strong and durable.
If there is a desire and opportunities, you can build a greenhouse with your own hands from improvised materials, but with a coating of polycarbonate plastic sheet. Its service life is more than 30 years. It is lightweight, flexible and practical, can be used for arch-type constructions.
To mount the frame, an arrangement of a light foundation is required. Installation of polycarbonate sheets is carried out with self-tapping screws with elastic thermowells. To service such a greenhouse, a door and a ventilating window, opposite, are equipped.
Service Tips
To repair a torn plastic film, it is placed on a flat wooden surface, a patch is made from a cut out piece, covered with a newspaper and carried out with a rib of a heated iron or soldering iron. In the same way, individual pieces can be welded into a large layer or sleeve of the required diameter.
During prolonged frosts, it is possible to heat the greenhouse, which was constructed from improvised materials with your own hands, by placing additional heaps of humus humus from the inside along the walls. Horse biofuel would be good biofuel.
If it is not possible to purchase a ready-made soil mixture for seedlings, you can prepare it yourself. For most cultures, the following composition is suitable: one part of sand, two - turf, three - humus. On a bucket of such a mixture, you can add potassium sulfate, urea and superphosphate - one teaspoon each. The soil should be updated every year.