Greenhouse Economy

Greenhouses are increasingly popular not just for hobbyists, but also “grow your own” devotees, as the possibilities are vast.

However, buying greenhouses based solely on initial purchase price can lead to high costs in running and maintaining the structure.

Gabriel Ash believes its greenhouses are not only beautiful, but offer cost savings on maintenance and running,

And to make them even more efficient, we are compiling tips and hints in our Greenhouse Gardeners Toolbox.

Perhaps you’ve got tips of your own you are willing to share?

Greenhouse efficiency and cost savings are not just about good engineering and design, and the best building materials for durability and low maintenance.

It’s also about ensuring there are no drafts and the greenhouse is well insulated.

From the start, decide if you want to keep fuel bills down – by growing plants that need little or no additional heating.

It would be foolish not to consider ways of adding additional insulation to your greenhouse during the colder months.

And if you do need the heating on day and night, just like your home, you can save considerable amount by turning it down just a few notches. Although growth may be slowed, many plants can get along fine with a few degrees less than optimum.

Another top tip – if your benches are open on the bottom, create cloth “skirts”” around the base of to help confine heat above them, where it's really needed.

Plus, in the Winter, you could water tropical foliage plants and other warm-season plants with water warmed to 65° F.

The future? Watch this space for advances in sustainable heating sources, such as ground source heat pumps.

They could be an environmentally sound solution, and represent costs savings. But they are currently expensive, and difficult to install, and only suitable for larger greenhouses.

Don’t forget….all other ideas and experiences of keeping Greenhouses economical would be gratefully received.