Greenhouse Ideas

You don't have to live in Saskatchewan to think about building a greenhouse. All but the most tropical climates have seasons of frost and cold weather. A greenhouse can help you extend your growing season, give seedlings an early start and even give you a place to shelter plants such as succulents or tropical plants that don't grow naturally in your temperate zone.

Storm Door
Storm doors, which have clear glass inserts, are made to protect your primary door from damaging weather conditions. You can find old storm doors at garage sales, or by asking people who are in the process of remodeling for their old door. These doors make good glass panels for a greenhouse. Simply attach them to the greenhouse frame. You can also use old windows for this purpose.

PVC
One popular method of greenhouse construction for the do-it-yourselfer is to build a greenhouse frame out of PVC pipe, which can be assembled quickly and easily. The few tools that you need are limited to a cutting tool such as a hacksaw, a Sharpie marker, sandpaper and PVC cement. An inexpensive skin made out of construction plastic can be easily hung from the frame. It can be attached using adhesives, or stapled in place with construction staples.

LED
If you are willing to sacrifice your garage space to a greenhouse, you can build one using light emitting diodes (LEDs) as the plants' growing light. LED's are used in many commercially sold plant grow lights. Unless your garage is insulated, you will still need insulation to hold heat in and shelter your tender plants. This greenhouse is a good solution for gardeners who live in northern climates where cold weather brings heavy winds. The garage provides protection for your greenhouse from punishing wind and rain.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/way_5241064_greenhouse-ideas.html

Greenhouse Gardening Basics

Greenhouse gardening is popular in many different climates for those who have the room to add a greenhouse to their garden area. However, building a greenhouse is only a beginning. If you are thinking about installing one, you should consider how to build it, what plants to use it for, how to protect it, and what equipment to use inside of it. With the basics down, you can create a highly successful greenhouse that will produce fruit, vegetables and flowers for you for years.

Construction
The point of greenhouses is to provide a sheltered area for plant growth that is hotter than outside temperatures. This means you want to choose an area that gets plenty of sun, but not constant sun throughout the day. Simple greenhouses are built with sealed plastic and plastic or wood frames with packed dirt bases. More complicated versions are built with glass windows and concrete surfaces that can hold in heat more easily.

Uses
You can use a greenhouse for several things. If you like to grow vegetables but do not live in the right climates, greenhouses can provide enough protection to let your vegetables mature until you can harvest them (fruit trees are usually too large to keep in greenhouses). You can also use a greenhouse to prepare young plants for spring planting, or to thaw out fall plants that you need to bring indoors for the winter.

Temperature
Temperature is an important consideration for greenhouses. You cannot just let a greenhouse reach whatever temperature it wants. Many can grow too hot and damage plants over time. Include vents in your greenhouse to allow air to flow freely. If you can, include a thermostat in your greenhouse to manage temperatures for you, as well as a heater to protect plants during colder nights.

Pests
Pests can be a problem if they get into your greenhouse. They can multiply quickly and damage your tender plants unless you take precautions. Always keep your greenhouse clean and free from unnecessary leaves or dying plants. Keep the doors and windows shut unless you need them open. If you have serious problems, disinfect your gardening tools in a light detergent mixture and chill your greenhouse for a night in the winter to freeze bugs while keeping most of your plants alive.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/list_7314009_greenhouse-gardening-basics.html