Many people identify spring with the bright colors of a house or lawn filled with flowers. Discount centers and home improvement stores begin stocking these items as soon as the first warm spell arrives in the spring. People love brightening their lawns after months of looking at dead grass, bare trees or piles of snow.
There is an alternative to the mishandled, uncared for selection at these retail outlets. You can grow your own flowers and vegetable plants in a hobby greenhouse in your own backyard. This will give you the color a little bit sooner and you can be sure you give the plants plenty of tender loving care.
But, how can this be done? The temperatures can hover in the low 30s or less on average (dangerous to plants) well into the spring. How? By providing your young plants and seedlings with an artificial environment that provides the warmth they need to survive. This also serves as a welcome diversion from the dreary inside of your home you have looked at for three to four months.
So, how do you get started on this adventure? First, you must find a good place to construct your greenhouse. You want the area to be level, out of a flood plain and far enough away that trees don't create shadows. South facing is best, but not enough to stop you if you need another option.
Second, you must decide how much space you want to deal with. You will be using common building materials for most of your structure, so think along the lines of 8 foot, twelve foot or sixteen foot boards. You need to think along the lines of a rectangular base.
Let's say you choose a twelve by sixteen foot structure. Remember, we are talking about a hobby, not trying to supply Home Depot. You want to run the sixteen foot boards down the two sides of your greenhouse and connect then with the two twelve inch boards. On the ends you want to construct a frame shaped like an arch using 2 x 4 lumber. Plywood is the best choice to tie the 2 x 4 lumber together and strengthen the end.
The end frames need to be at least 8 to 9 foot high so you aren't ducking your head every time you go in and out of your greenhouse. Next, you are going to take 3 twelve foot long boards, one in the center and two on each side to stabilize the structure. This will also support the PVC that keeps your outer cover in place.
PVC pieces, 1 1/4 inch or larger, six feet long will be connected with unions that make an eighteen oot long "bow". This bow must be connected on each side of the greenhouse, either by drilling a hole into the board or something to clamp the PVC to the side board. Be sure to rest the PVC "bow" over the center board before you attach it, or you will be exploring unhealthy words in your.
The next thing you need will be one of the most expensive, a piece of professional grade clear plastic. Each end must be covered with this plastic and can be attached using a staple gun. Then you must take another piece and cover the greenhouse from sideboard to sideboard.
Sounds like you are done, right? Not quite. You must have a door to get in your greenhouse. An old storm door works great, if you can find one. Also, you need a fan to put on the other end of your greenhouse to cool it. I know all the focus before now was to keep the plants warm, but forty degrees of sunlight translates to 90 to 100 degrees in a closed greenhouse.
Now you need something to put your plants or seed on in the greenhouse. Pallets and cinder blocks are least expensive choice. You can spend a ton of money buying lumber, but it is not necessary. The idea is to have a comfortable place to work on your hobby.
Dirt, pots and seeds can be bought nearly anywhere. There are retail seed catalogues as well as wholesale ones to get your supplies, or you can find most common varieties at any store.
You need to do some research to see how long it takes from the time you seed until plants are ready to plant. After all, who wants to plant tomatoes in September? This hobby greenhouse can provide you with many hours of enjoyment and will probably teach you much about the business of growing plants.
The total cost of this project will vary depending on your lumber and material costs, but should be less than $500.
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