How Greenhouses Work: 6 Ways To Improve Your Greenhouse
Australians are known to grow their food in their garden. And with the recent lockdowns, gardening has been their way to de-stress. Out of 9,000 home gardeners, 5,580 said that gardening has become an important activity for them. Around 1,800 of them said that they wouldn't have been able to go through the pandemic without their garden. (1)
With the surge in the popularity of gardening, greenhouses have become a trendy thing to build recently. A greenhouse creates an isolated bubble that allows plants to grow regardless of weather conditions or season. It safeguards plants just like how houses protect people from the elements. Additionally, most Australians can grow food or flowers they want to have as long as they set their greenhouses to the right conditions for the specific plants they wish to cultivate.
If you’re new to gardening or interested in having a greenhouse of your own, below is a quick explanation of how greenhouses work.
How greenhouses work
Typical greenhouses in have transparent walls and roofs, making it possible for sunlight to penetrate inside. This setup allows plants to undergo photosynthesis where light is converted to chemical energy, even if housed inside.
In some cases, greenhouses – don’t have transparent walls and roofs. Instead of the sun, these greenhouses use artificial lighting to let plants grow, but is not often the case for backyard growers.
Another feature that most greenhouses have are ventilation louvres and vents. Most greenhouses have this since they allow light to get inside, and the temperature inside a greenhouse can rise. A ventilation louvre system can regulate the temperature and prevent sensitive plants from wilting. During the winter months, gardeners and farmers often let warm air from a heater to circulate inside.
Those are the primary ways Sproutwell greenhouses work and let plants thrive regardless of climate. If you have one and want to improve yours, you can follow these tips and tricks assuming you’re entirely new to this.
1. Utilize the space above your plants
Many gardeners feel their greenhouse isn’t big enough, especially if they bought and installed smaller greenhouses frames and kits. Unfortunately, for them, they’re focusing too much on the ground space they have. They always forget that there’s still space above their heads.
To allow yourself to plant more in your greenhouse, consider installing hanging plants. That way, you can make your greenhouse more efficient and yourself busier whenever you’re inside it. However, don’t forget that those hanging plants may block sunlight for those below. Only follow this tip if the plants you have aren’t ones that only thrive in full sunlight.
Utilizing the space of your greenhouse is crucial. After all, property space in the country is becoming an expensive commodity. Most properties only have 25–35% dedicated to garden space. (2)
2. Plant on pots as well
To maximize your greenhouse, you don’t just plant on raised beds, and the ground inside it–just like most people do with their greenhouses in victoria. As much as possible, grow your plants in pots. Planting in pots allows you to take out the plants that can thrive outside and will enable you to produce out-of-season plants inside. Self-watering pots are a fantastic way to grow.
3. Bring in some pieces of furniture
Know that a greenhouse isn’t a palace for plants alone. Even if you bought yours from an online greenhouse store, it’s a great place to escape when you’re stressed or when the weather is bad. Placing a couch, chair, or desk inside the greenhouse can let you have a place to chill with your plants when it's raining or snowing hard outside.
4. Compost inside your greenhouse
If you’re in a cold or frost-prone area, you must build a compost or hotbed inside your greenhouse. Know that compost generates heat as it breaks down the organic material. Composting is also an excellent way to save money that would have gone to heating.
Aside from those, composting lets you:
- Promote healthier plant growth
- Reduce garden pests
- Suppress plant diseases
- Recycle waste
- Save the environment (3)
5. Get some solar panels installed
The biggest problem with greenhouses is that it quickly heats up when the sun is out. One way to solve that concern is to improve the ventilation and adding a shading system to reduce the heat stress and leaf burn. Misting kits are also another great option to lower the temperature but again its important to ventilate whilst misting.
6. Connect a chicken coop to your greenhouse
Another way to get the necessary heat to your greenhouse during the night or winter months is through chickens. They and their manure can effectively raise the temperatures inside your greenhouse. Aside from that, they can give you eggs, free fertilizer, and compost.
Conclusion
Those are several of the things you can do to improve your greenhouse. Of course, the improvements you can put in it are almost boundless and are not limited to the ones mentioned here. So, once you’ve done all this, don’t hesitate to find other improvement ideas, tips, and tricks.
References:
- “Every Seed I Plant Is A Wish For Tomorrow: Findings And Action Agenda From The 2020 Pandemic Gardening Survey”, Source: https://sustain.org.au/projects/pandemic-gardening-survey-report/
- “As Our Cities Become Denser, The Great Australian Backyard Is Paying The Price”, Source: https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/home/outdoors/as-our-cities-become-denser-the-great-australian-backyard-is-paying-the-price/news-story/a6ea0576f9781a0869d811d3048156be
- “5 Benefits Of Composting For Your Plants And The Environment”, Source: https://www.miorganics.com.au/5-benefits-of-composting-for-your-plants-and-the-environment