Thorough planning and preparation is essential before starting your greenhouse project. Building a greenhouse need not be time-consuming or expensive. Your greenhouse design will very much depend on your home’s home architecture, space and plants that you want to grow, cost and available location. Make sure your greenhouse will provide the environment suitable for your chosen type of plants.

Location

Your greenhouse must be built in a site where it will get the full and concentrated sunlight. Your best option is the “southeast side” of your house or shade of trees. All day sunlight is best, though also consider the morning sunlight coming from the east side because this is adequate for most plants, as it permits the course food production to start early so then progress is maximized.

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.

The location on the east captures most of the November to February sunshine. 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.

Another necessity for the location of your greenhouse is good drainage. When needed, construct your greenhouse higher than the ground so irrigation and rainwater will easily drain away. Other factors that should be considered include: light that is required by certain types of plants that you will grow, water, electricity, heat and protection from strong wind. You will need to set up a workplace and an area for storage of your supplies in your greenhouse.

Building a 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

Build Your Greenhouse:

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

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

• 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.

• Construct 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.

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

• Solicit help from someone for the next step. Each person needs to stand 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.

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

Enjoy your greenhouse!

Hilary Basile is a writer for MyGuidesUSA.com. At MyGuidesUSA.com (http://www.myguidesusa.com), you will find valuable tips and resources for handling life’s major events. Whether you’re planning a wedding, buying your first home, anxiously awaiting the birth of a child, contending with a divorce, searching for a new job, or planning for your retirement, you’ll find answers to your questions at MyGuidesUSA.com. Find lawn and garden tips and resources at http://www.myguidesusa.com/lawnandgarden