8 Key Considerations When Building a Backyard Greenhouse
Embarking on the journey of building a backyard greenhouse opens the door to a world of cultivating plants, extending growing seasons, and growing your own nutritious food. year-round. However, your success hinges on a series of thoughtful considerations that shape the functionality, sustainability, and overall effectiveness of your greenhouse.
From harnessing the power of climate-conscious design to optimizing water sources, light fixtures, and ventilation, each aspect plays a pivotal role in creating an environment where your plants can thrive. Redfin reached out to experts from across the nation, Sunglo Greenhouses, to share our best tips on how to build a backyard greenhouse. These eight considerations will help you meet your horticultural aspirations and ensure you have a greenhouse built to last. Be sure to check out 8 Key Considerations When Building a Backyard Greenhouse.
A Dramm Watering Wand can make watering an easy job
1. Think about your water sources
Being thoughtful about water sources is essential as it enables efficient irrigation planning, minimizes water wastage, and ensures consistent hydration for your plants.
“Consider where you will get water for your plants in your greenhouse,” recommends The Thirsty Earth. “Rain catchment is an awesome solution for greenhouse water since you’ll have a roof to gather water. Also, a frost-free hydrant in your greenhouse can be incredibly convenient.”
Running a hose from the house spigot works great or even tying into your existing landscaping irrigation system during the summer months. However if you plan to grow year round this solution may not be possible. During the winter months, you may find having water storage inside the greenhouse more practical. This can be as simple as a 5-gallon bucket or a 50-gallon drum. If you decide to store a large amount of water it is suggested to add an air bubbler to keep the water agitating and oxygenated.
Grow in winter with a Sunglo Greenhouse using infrared heater and our exclusive geothermal technology, GAHT® Lite
2. Select a climate control system
Selecting a climate control system for your residential greenhouse is crucial for maintaining optimal growing conditions.
“It’s important to choose a system that can accurately regulate temperature, humidity, ventilation, and lighting to create an ideal environment for your plants to thrive. Consulting with greenhouse experts or professionals can help ensure you select the right system for your specific needs,” shares Climate Control Systems.
Our Sunglo Greenhouse Kits include climate controls that operate the greenhouse exhaust fans, heater, and geothermal system, GAHT® Lite. Having the ability to control a greenhouses environment will greatly improve the yield and quality of your food production.
Sunglo Greenhouse for Year-Round Gardening
3. Consider the size of your greenhouse
The size of your backyard greenhouse is important as it directly impacts the diversity and quantity of plants you can cultivate, allowing for proper spacing and growth.
“A backyard greenhouse is an opportunity to try growing a myriad of wonderful tropical plants that may not typically survive winters in your area,” says Alder & Oak Plants. “Be sure to design your greenhouse to be not only big enough to accommodate your goals, but also be wise in your plant selection. For example, if your dream is to grow a gorgeous avocado tree, go for a dwarf variety like Wurtz ‘Little Cado’ that will stay small enough at maturity to manage without taking up all of your greenhouse space.”
Sunglo Greenhouses encourages our customers to review their local ordinances and neighborhood covenants prior to purchasing or building a greenhouse.
Harvesting Microgreens inside a Sunglo Greenhouse in winter.
4. Think about your light fixtures
Carefully consider the lighting in your greenhouse, as proper lighting selection and placement significantly influence photosynthesis and plant growth. Understanding your growing goals will help determine your lighting needs. For example, will you be germinating seeds or do you plan to grow through the shorter days of early spring and winter. Grow lights will be necessary if you are planning to grow summer vegetables in winter in order to provide additional light to allow for eight and sixteen hours per day of light, every day.
“If your backyard does not get plenty of sunlight or the time of year you are growing in does not provide long enough days, you may want to add to the photoperiod with supplemental light.
High-intensity artificial lights can be used to promote crop growth and yield. A 1000W HPS light should be hung at least 36 inches from the canopy to cover a 5’ x 5’ grow space. Turn the lights on only when there is insufficient sunlight, such as cloud cover or nightfall,” notes Global Garden.
HT.w Water-Resistant Temperature / Humidity Smart Senso
5. Look at your controller
Adding a controller allows for precise automation of environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and ventilation.
Jorma Voeks President and Owner of Voeks Inc. shares, “The first consideration we look at when building a backyard greenhouse is evaluating the greenhouse controller and selecting the appropriate product. These days there are a wide array of options, from simple controllers to handle just your watering schedule to advanced irrigation and environmental controllers that monitor all aspects of the greenhouse (lighting, temperature, humidity, CO2) and report conditions to you via the web.”
For smaller backyard greenhouses having the ability to monitor conditions inside and set alarms is highly recommended. There are many options to choose from when selecting monitoring devices. I have used SensorPush which can be seamlessly integrated into the cloud through wifi or ethernet where you can easily monitor real-time, review historical data (no monthly fee), or set alerts.
Add value to your property with a Sunglo Greenhouse
6. Consider the location of your greenhouse
The location of your greenhouse impacts sunlight exposure, wind patterns, and accessibility, affecting the overall performance and energy efficiency of the structure.
“How to orient the greenhouse can depend on prevailing winds, but if you plan to grow year-round, having the long side of your greenhouse facing south should take precedence. This allows you to maximize sunlight throughout the year, especially in the winter season when the sun is at its lowest point on the horizon. If you are in an area with high winds, then position the greenhouse so that the width (narrower) faces into the wind,” recommends Sunglo Greenhouse.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding where to build your Sunglo Greenhouse please give us a call at 720-443-6761.
7. Be able to ventilate your greenhouse
Incorporating proper ventilation into your backyard greenhouse is important to regulate temperature, humidity, and air circulation, preventing the buildup of excess heat and moisture that could harm your plants.
“One of the most challenging tasks is ventilating,” notes Gremon Systems. “In most cases, these greenhouses are rather small, and sunshine can easily overheat it in the morning. Plants are able to create a microclimate for themselves, but fast temperature shock can block evaporation, so be sure to open windows, especially during summer. If you have the opportunity, plant similar crops in a greenhouse. It is better not to mix fruity and leafy crops. They have different temperatures and water demands.
All Sunglo Greenhouses include a temperature controlled 16″ greenhouse exhaust fan, louvered intake vents, and ridge vents to provide maximum ventilation so that you can grow year round even in the heat of summer. We also highly recommend installing an Aluminet Shade Cloth to help control temperatures.
Sunglo Greenhouses are durable handling snow loads found in the mountains of Colorado
8. Look at climate or climate change issues
You’ll want to consider climate change when building a backyard greenhouse. Accounting for shifting temperature patterns and potentially extreme weather events can help design a greenhouse that provides a stable and controlled environment for your plants while contributing to long-term sustainability efforts. Consider any climate issues that may occur in your area, like storms, hail, heat, fire risk, unseasonable cold, flood, and drought, then build your greenhouse accordingly. Check with your insurance agent to see if your greenhouse (ADU) is covered under your current policy.
Sunglo greenhouses have been around for over 45 years.
Sunglo customers are in every part of the USA and Canada and have seen and survived every kind of weather imaginable. Sunglo is now under new ownership and they are committed to keeping the quality and durability that made Sunglo one of a kind and adding new features that take the 4 season growing performance to new levels. In production since 1976 and many original greenhouses are still around. That is why our customers consider our pricing a small amount to pay for a lifetime of returns. A Sunglo Greenhouse is an investment in your family’s health, well-being and independence from corporate produce and flowers for generations to come.
Order a Sunglo Greenhouse for your backyard today. Speak with a Sunglo Professional at 720-443-6761 or susan@sunglogreenhouses.com
Written by RYAN CASTILLO | REDFIN | MARKETING MANAGER The original article can be seen at https://www.redfin.com/blog/tips-for-building-a-backyard-greenhouse/ additonal edits/pictures by Paul Weiss @ Sunglo Greenhouses
