|
How to Determine the Size of Your Greenhouse |
|
|
|
Friday, 06 July 2007 |
|
Once you have decided to use a greenhouse to lengthen your gardening seasons you will need to determine the size of your greenhouse. Most people should get as large of a greenhouse as possible. However, budget and the number of plants that the greenhouse will hold are major considerations. Your greenhouse should be large enough to hold all of your plants comfortably and still leave yourself plenty of room to move around. This means that you should have enough room to group your plants in rows and have decent walkways between the rows.
As a general rule of thumb there should be a minimum of a two foot walkway between your rows of plants. There should also be a minimum of two feet between your outer rows and the walls of the greenhouse. Additionally you will need room to move around and work in your greenhouse. Keep in mind that you will be performing all typical gardening tasks as well as a few others within your greenhouse. You will need work benches, shelves for supplies, and room for vents and other necessities.Cost is a big factor in the size of your greenhouse. A greenhouse kit can run as high as eight hundred dollars, and permanent greenhouses can run in the thousands of dollars. The bigger your greenhouse the more expensive it will be. Make sure that you do not break the bank just to have a greenhouse for gardening year round. Decide what your budget is for your greenhouse before shopping around. When you know what your budget is, you can see how large of a greenhouse you can actually afford. You may determine that you will need to scale down your gardening dreams in order to get a greenhouse that you can afford without overcrowding with plants. Ultimately, the size of your greenhouse is determined by what you want to grow. If you want to do the same gardening during the winter months as you do in the spring and summer you will need a fairly decently sized greenhouse. If you plan to grow vegetables and herbs you will need a very large greenhouse. If you only want to protect a few precious plants from the frost, a smaller greenhouse will suffice. |
