Sustainable Gardening: Building An Easy And Cost-effective Greenhouse In Your Back Yard

If you want to garden year-round, a greenhouse is a great idea, and doesn't need to be an overly expensive or time-consuming project. However, thorough planning and preparation is essential before starting your greenhouse project. Your greenhouse design will very much depend on your home’s architecture, space and plants that you want to grow, cost and available location. Make sure that your greenhouse will provide an environment suitable for your chosen type of plants.

Location:

Your greenhouse must be built in a site where it will get full and concentrated sunlight - especially during the winter, if you are going to garden year-round.

Your best option is the “southeast side” of your house. All day sunlight is best, though also consider the morning sunlight coming from the east side because this is adequate for some plants. A location on the east side captures most of the November up to February sunshine.

Deciduous trees like oak and maple can shade the greenhouse effectively from the strong late afternoon sun during the summer but they must not shade or cover your greenhouse during the morning. These trees likewise permit maximum sun exposure during the winter due to the shedding of their foliage during fall.

Your greenhouse must not be located beside trees having leaves all year as it will block the winter sun. You must maximize greenhouse exposure to winter sun especially if your greenhouse will be used year-round.

Drainage:

Another necessity for the location of your greenhouse is good drainage. When needed, construct your greenhouse slightly higher than the surrounding ground so as irrigation and rainwater will easily drain away.

The amount of light that is required by the types of plants that you will grow, water, heat and protection from strong wind are other factors that should also be considered.

Also, you need to set up a workplace and an area for storage of your supplies in your greenhouse.

Here are basic instructions for a simple and easy to construct greenhouse:

Materials:

5 pieces of 20 foot each “of 5/8 inch” rebar, cut into 1/3's - 6 foot in length.
7 pieces of 20 foot schedule” 40 PVC” drilled with a hole size 3/16 to ¼ inch “dead center” at 10 feet.
84 feet that is “cut into 4 foot lengths” of “½ schedule 40 PVC”
80 pieces size 2X4 wood (treated).
4 pieces fence posts, 8 foot in length (treated).
Size “40X24 fee” UV “polyethylene”, stabilized
60 pieces 2 ½ inches fence staples

1. Begin by extending a thin rope or string where the “two long sides” of your greenhouse should be. Then pound the 6 foot rebar in, each with a distance of 4 feet away from each other, in a “straight line” and allowing 48 inches to protrude from the soil or ground.

2. Nail the 2X6 runner on to the “rebar stakes”. This will provide you with something so as to nail on the polyethylene later. You may use a “60 2 ½ inch fence staples”.

3. Slide in the PVC pieces (20 inch) over the “rebar stakes”, making certain that no sharp points are exposed, such as rebar, wire ends, rough pipes, etc.

4. Put the PVC pieces (20 foot) on the “rebar stakes”. You need to have somebody do “one side” as you also do the “other side” carefully and slightly at each time. Make sure that you drilled holes “parallel to the ground”.

5. Slide the wire all through the PVC holes and through the 8 PVC (4foot) pieces “along the roof”.

6. So as the “ribs” will not shift horizontally, you need to wire together the 4 foot PVC pipe lengths with either baling or copper wire. Make certain that the wire is wrapped so that the PVC pipe is forced inward.

7. Construct now the “two end walls” and the doors. Use vertical posts (4X4) 10 foot length and buried 3 or 4 feet for the doorway frame. Make certain that the end walls are not floppy and must stay vertically so that the PVC will not separate. Your door must be very tight so that the wind will not be able to inflate the greenhouse.

8. Drive some nails into the post’s base horizontally of the posts and submerge them to the ground.

9. With somebody’s help, and one person on each side holding the plastic, slide it over the rib cage and then attach the ends by wrapping the plastic’s end around lath pieces then “nail the lath” to the “end walls” and also along the foundation.

10. Be creative and add a few of your personal touches.

All done! Have fun in your greenhouse!

If you prefer to purchase a greenhouse kit with all pieces included and detailed instructions, there are many of these on the market today as well - in all different sizes and price ranges. Here are some examples: