If you are a passionate gardener and want to try your hands at growing some of the exotic vegetables or fruits, then only a greenhouse can be the solution to your problems. Greenhouses are set up to allow the cultivation of such crops and plants that may otherwise be not possible, in a confined space where regulating the temperature, sunlight, moisture and other such factors can be possible.
Setting up a greenhouse is not a difficult task. While you choose which one to put up in your farm, you must consider a lot of things like the place, how big it is going to be, what all things you will need in the greenhouse, what kind of shade it will use, a glass one or the one with shade net. All of this must be decided well in advance. If you have enough money to spend and if yours is going to be a big set up then you can use the glass greenhouse otherwise for a smaller one, the one with a shade net will also suffice the purpose. Shade nets are readily available on online portals like lion-trading.co.uk and are also cheaper than the glass coverings.
Along with this, there are a lot of other aspects that you must keep in mind while installing your greenhouse. Let us have a look at these.
The basics– you cannot just begin with your plantation after just putting up the four walls of the greenhouse. You will need a lot of other things like the containers, the tools, the benches and shelves on which the plants will be kept depending on your choice and many other things. You will need storage bins to preserve the delicate soul mix safe from insects and pests. It is necessary that while you are purchasing your greenhouse set-up, you must also buy these things along with it, if available.
Sanitation of the greenhouse– it is very frustrating if after putting in immense efforts to grow your plants, they have to get infected with insects, bacteria or fungus and ruin all your plants. To prevent that from happening, you must make sure to have sufficient quantity of disinfectants and bleach sprayed in the greenhouse. If you fail to do so, you may end up losing an entire season of your produce.
Drainage of water– water drainage must be such that it must not stagnate in the drip greenhouse. Large greenhouses use the drip irrigation system to keep the water flow whereas the smaller ones must be able to be fully irrigated by watering with water cans. The benches installed must be a bit slanting so that the water can drop away and not stagnate.
Ventilation of the greenhouse– Having a proper ventilation system for the greenhouse is equally essential. To get away with the built-up heat and excess moisture due to humidity in summers, you must install one or two ventilators in the greenhouse so that the plants are healthy.
Lighting the greenhouse– while setting up the greenhouse, you must choose a place where there is abundant lighting for the plants and most of the area in naturally lit. If it is not possible, then you may select the option of artificial lights, like the fluorescent lights. If the plant you are growing needs more light than the climate in your area permits, then having artificial lighting is the only way to solve your problem.
Shades– if you are growing a crop that is shade loving then you will have to make arrangements so that the sunlight may not reach your plants. Shade cloths come in handy at this point which you can use to block the excess rays coming in your greenhouse.
Climate regulation– climate regulation in the greenhouse can be done with the help of a greenhouse heater or an evaporative cooler, whichever suits your needs. This will make the greenhouse feasible to use all around the year. You must have a thermometer and a hygrometer installed in the greenhouse to have the all the parameters accurate for your plantation.