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 inexpensive 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 that you are able 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.

Lastly, my greenhouse is my 'she shed.’ 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 is the most important reason that every backyard gardener should own one. ❦