Greenhouse Gardening
I spent over 20 years growing plants in commercial greenhouses for my nursery - managing about 20,000 square feet under plastic producing 600 varieties of unusual annuals and 1800 varieties of perennials. When I shut down the nursery to write full time, I kept the 1500 square foot propagation greenhouse (it was a solar greenhouse) as my play space and filled it with a mix of tender and semi-tender plants.
These pages are the results of my own experiences in this area and I'll share what I know to help you with your own greenhouse adventures.
Greenhouse Gardening Articles
Structures
Greenhouse Basics. Here is the first article you want to read. It will tell you things no sales person will.
Greenhouse designs. Here's a basic summary article of the pro's and con's of each of the basic designs.
PVC Greenhouse Plans - easy to build - are right here.
An effective and inexpensive plastic hold down system is here
Pit style solar greenhouse and Doug's experience growing in one of the first commercial units (built in his nursery in 1979)
Growing
Growing in a greenhouse - some links to things you need to be able to do and the most important factor to consider (and often forgotten by beginners)
Gardening in a greenhouse - some of the considerations to having a succesful indoor-garden
Maintenance
Greenhouse shade cloth is an invaluable way to reduce energy costs and keep growing plants through the summer months.
Greenhouse Fans and how to figure out how large (and small) you need for both winter and summer ventilation.
Greenhouse Energy Saving is critical if you want to heat your greenhouse all winter. Here are a few tips you really want to do this fall.
Heating a greenhouse comes with the need to calculate how big the heaters have to be. Here's the way to do this to make sure your palnts aren't frozen out - you get the right sized heaeter for your area.
Greenhouse thermostat - you want to make sure you have the proper controls for your heating and cooling. Here's why.
Got A Question About Greenhouse Gardening?
Here's where you can ask questions about home greenhouses. Enter the question as clearly and completely as you can in the box below.
If you want to be notified when the question is answered, please make sure to add your email address. I don't collect or store these emails after they are used to send you your answer.
Here are questions other gardeners have asked
Click on the links below to see interesting "stuff"
Do LED lights throw enough lights to be used to grow plants? I have read all sorts of conflicting opinions on this. IF they throw enough light to use for growing plants, would that be cost effective for growing ...
HELP...MY GREENHOUSE IS 110 Degrees!! I live in a Southern zone 7B. I have a fiberglass greenhouse that is 8'X12'. I am wondering if a shade cloth will reduce the temp so that the fan is ...
Vegetable Growth in the Winter
Hi there,
I live in Zone 5 in MA and am helping start up a greenhouse this spring. The owners of this greenhouse would like to continue growing vegetable ...
Click here to ask more questions about greenhouse gardening
