For years now, the first thing my husband and I do when we move

to a new location is put up a greenhouse. Actually, for the last two

homes one of the main criteria when house-hunting was where a

greenhouse could be placed. For me this structure is not a luxury,

but a necessity for many reasons from getting a jump on spring

veggies to housing my collection of cacti that need protection from

our occasional rain events.

 

Greenhouses don’t have to be fancy. You can frame out a small one

using cedar (what I have now), buy a kit or just borrow a pipe bender

and create your own hoops from metal pipe. I have even made in-

expensive cold frames out of PVC, bent over a frame and covered in

plastic for winter, shade cloth for summer. 

 

The internet is full of plans for greenhouses from the very basic to the

most elaborate. An unused shed can even be converted by replacing

the metal roof with fiberglass.

 

One reason that every gardener should have a greenhouse is the ability

to save money by growing your own plant starts. Controlling your

environment allows you to turn a few dollars worth of seeds into a

beautiful vegetable garden or bed of flowering annuals.

 

Many seeds need light to germinate and even those that don’t can

stretch immediately if they don’t have enough light right out of the

shoot. Too much sun, on the other hand, can burn the tender seedlings,

especially in the summer time. A greenhouse with a shade cloth allows

you the perfect environment for seedlings to grow strong and healthy. 

 

Cuttings of pass-along plants are also easier to start as many need a

good humid environment for their leaves to stay plump until they begin

to set roots. A mist system can even be set up that makes rooting

cuttings even easier. 

 

Getting a jump on spring and fall veggies is another great reason to

own a greenhouse. In a greenhouse you can protect your tender

vegetable starts from too much heat in the summer (using a shade

cloth and fan) and from freezing temps in the winter using a heater

and the solar heat from having the greenhouse closed up during the day. 

 

Many seeds will not germinate if it is too cold and so keeping them

toasty warm in January means early tomato transplants out by late-

February (with protection of course) and a longer, healthier tomato

growing season. 

 

I also use my greenhouse as an excuse to collect more orchids, cacti

and other winter tender plants than I probably don’t need. Many

orchids need a certain amount of humidity to thrive as well as a little

shade. My cacti don’t mind the extra humidity and also need a little

shade, but they can’t tolerate the heavy rain storms that we can get here. 

 

So for both, the greenhouse is the perfect place to showcase them. 

In winter I also stuff my greenhouse with my citrus trees for cold

protection but with sun still available. It keeps them just warm

enough that I haven’t lost one yet- even when we dropped down into

the low teens a few years ago. 

 

Lastly, my greenhouse is my ‘man cave.’ It is some place that I can

go and just be. It is quiet and peaceful and I am surrounded by beauty. 

To me, that's the most important reason that every backyard gardener

should own one.