Benefits And Drawbacks Of Greenhouses For Gardening
Many gardeners make use of a greenhouse for growing a wide variety of plants. If you are thinking about getting a greenhouse for gardening then it is worth weighing up the pros and cons before making a decision.
One of the biggest draws for greenhouse gardening is that the warmer temperature inside the building or structure enables you to grow a wider variety of crops than if you planted them outside. The temperature in a greenhouse is much more controlled and consistent than outside, so your crops are more likely to be a success when grown in a greenhouse. With a greenhouse, you can extend the growing season so that you can start planting earlier and harvesting much later on in the season. If the weather turns wet and windy you can still potter away with your crops in the confines of a greenhouse.
Growing your own fruit and vegetables is fun, healthy and can save you money. Some plants, unfortunately can be susceptible to pest, disease and attacks, which can destroy them. Plants grown in a greenhouse, however, are less prone to widespread aphid attacks, nibbles from slugs and snails, airborne fungus or bacteria from outside.
There is a lot more choice nowadays in the type of greenhouse you can buy. Even if you lack the space or budget to buy a fully-sized, glass greenhouse, you may still be able to enjoy the benefits that a greenhouse brings. A small cold frame that you could lean against a wall, or a vertical, tiered frame with a polyethylene cover, are both affordable, space-friendly ways to get involved with greenhouse gardening. Your greenhouse can also be handy for storing tools and gardening items.
On the negative side, if you do want a traditional, glass greenhouse, they can be quite expensive. Deciding where to install the greenhouse is also another dilemma, especially if you only have a small garden. Ideally, the greenhouse needs to have direct access to sunlight in order for crops to grow successfully. Once the greenhouse is in place, it is pretty much confined to that area so it is important to make sure that you are happy where it will go and won’t change your mind further down the line. If you do want a degree of flexibility then opt for a mobile tiered frame greenhouse that can be easily moved.
Owning a greenhouse does require regular maintenance to ensure that the optimum temperature and humidity conditions are controlled. In warm weather the inside of a greenhouse can get stifling hot so you will need to water your crops more regularly than those outside and ensure they have enough air. If you go away on holiday then unless you have a sophisticated irrigation system rigged up or a kindly neighbour willing to water your plants you cannot rely on rainfall to keep your greenhouse crops hydrated.
The insides of the greenhouse will also need to be kept clean and in good order to ensure no diseases or pests take hold. This means that at the beginning and end of the gardening season a thorough clean-up job is normally required.