Many people like vegetables and fruits, and besides, they are very healthy. And how pleasant it is to grow these products on our own plot. A large number of vegetables are grown in the open ground, but every year gardeners and gardeners are increasingly resorting to all kinds of designs in order to get a harvest for a long time. Such structures include greenhouses, hotbeds, greenhouses, etc. In this article, we consider a greenhouse. What is this design?
What is a greenhouse?
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia gives the following definition: “A greenhouse is a special room or structure with a coating of material that transmits light. Such a room is intended for year-round cultivation of heat-loving crops."
Such a design can be purchased in specialized stores or make a greenhouse with your own hands. The design of the greenhouse is:
- Arched.
- With vertical walls.
- Walls that have a slope.
- Gable construction.
- Shed design.
- With an attic roof.
As we can see, the choice is large, and each summer resident can find that design option that will be convenient for him. Greenhouse coverings are made from materials such as:
- Polyethylene film.
- Glass coating.
- Polycarbonate
Consider the pros and cons of each structure to understand which greenhouses are the best and which are right for you.
Glass greenhouse
The design covered with glass is a classic among greenhouses. Many summer residents make small structures from old windows for the sake of economy. Well, if you start construction from scratch, then, given that glass is an inflexible material, the main structure should be single-pitched or double-pitched.
The advantages of glass greenhouses:
- Glass does not enter into chemical reactions. It is an environmentally friendly material.
- The glass is clear. It makes it possible to observe the growth of the crop.
- Good lighting, which allows the plant to grow well.
- This design is quite durable. Cracked or broken glass is easily replaced.
The disadvantages of a glass greenhouse are only the large weight and fragility of the glass. Strong hail can damage the structure.
Polycarbonate Greenhouses
Such a coating material is gaining great popularity among summer residents and gardeners. First of all, the greenhouse is reliability and convenience for growing heat-loving vegetable crops. The main objective of such a structure is to create favorable conditions for growth. Polycarbonate performs almost all the necessary functions.
The advantages of such greenhouses include:
- Material strength.
- Good light transmission.
- Good thermal conductivity.
- The material will last up to 15 years.
- Such greenhouses are great for winter growing vegetables.
The disadvantages of this structure include the high cost of the material, the help of specialists in the installation and the presence of a good and solid foundation.
Plastic coated greenhouses
A polyethylene tent for greenhouses is the most common material. More recently, almost every summer resident in his personal plot had such a greenhouse. But nowadays, even among simple polyethylene, there is a choice of several types of material.
An assortment of material is on sale, such as:
- Light scattering film.
- Reinforced material.
- Cellophane film.
- Foamed film.
- Copolymer ethylene vinyl acetate material.
- Light stabilized film.
Any of these materials is suitable for sheltering greenhouses, but you need to pay attention to the characteristics of the material and choose the one that is suitable for your climate.
The advantages of film greenhouses:
- An acceptable option for beginners in this matter.
- Low cost.
- It’s easy and without special skills to cover the frame of the greenhouse.
But such structures have a sufficient number of minuses. These include:
- Seasonality of the structure. It is necessary to pull and remove the film every time, this may cause the material to tear.
- The sun's rays badly affect the film.
- For low temperatures, the film greenhouse is unsuitable.
DIY greenhouse advantage
It is not difficult to build a structure for growing vegetables on your own. It can be both purchased designs, and their own design. With your own hands you can make unusual and very functional greenhouses. Before implementing the idea, it is necessary to work out some points:
- Choose a place on the site where the structure will be delivered.
- Determine the size of the greenhouse and what material it will be covered.
- What shape will the frame be.
- What function will the greenhouse perform. If this is a winter option, then you need to pay attention to the foundation.
As popular wisdom says: "The eyes are afraid, but the hands are doing." If you properly build a work plan, then both the winter and summer greenhouses can be made independently. To choose the form of the future building, you can see samples of photos of greenhouses in this article.
Winter option
Each gardener knows what the greenhouses are for and what to grow in them. But many fans have a question: "Why a greenhouse in winter?". It turns out that you can cultivate many cultures in the winter. If you follow the simple rules of planting and growing certain crops, you can harvest several times. Many summer residents grow some plants for sale, thereby paying for the construction of a winter greenhouse. Plants such as:
- Bow on a green feather.
- Dill, parsley, basil and other popular herbs.
- Salad.
- Early seedlings of cucumbers, tomato, eggplant and pepper.
Of course, the winter greenhouse has many aspects that distinguish it from the usual structure. To construct a greenhouse for the winter version, it will take a little more time, effort and materials. To build a winter greenhouse you will need:
- A solid foundation is the foundation.
- Massive wall structure.
- Powerful frame. To be able to withstand a heavy snow hat.
- Additional lighting. After all, winter days are shorter, and for many cultures light is an essential condition for growth.
- Heating is another element that a winter greenhouse cannot do without.
It is no exaggeration to say that a winter greenhouse is a profitable investment from a commercial point of view. Indeed, in addition to facilities for the cultivation of edible crops, the greenhouse can serve as a greenhouse for flowers. And by March 8, you can grow beautiful roses or tulips and make good money on it.