8 Reasons to Start a Greenhouse [The Essentials for Greenhouse Gardening] – Beginners Guide

A greenhouse can enhance the quality of the green patch that you have at home. Moreover, a greenhouse can be useful for all purposes including commercial and indoor gardening. You might be a florist, botanist, or plant enthusiast, having a greenhouse will improve your trade by giving the perfectly controlled environmental conditions that they need. The primary purpose of a greenhouse is to provide the plants a suitable environment for growth irrespective of the outside temperatures. There are different types of greenhouses available in the market. Each has unique designs to handle the climate of a particular region. 

However, before going through the types of greenhouses, it is important to understand the need for a greenhouse and the ways it will benefit you. Greenhouses are not a part of the modern marvels and have been around for quite some time now. They are a popular mode of growing plants. Growers belonging to different parts of the world have opted for greenhouse plantations. These uniquely built simple systems can increase the amount of harvest by a huge percentage, as the plants do not depend on the outside environment for growth. Moreover, a greenhouse can elevate the level of your ordinary garden to a bountiful green patch. However, if you are in a dilemma about starting a greenhouse, then go through this article for more clarity. 

Why should you start a greenhouse?

Beginning with a greenhouse can have a range of benefits. Let us now look at some of the potential reasons for building a greenhouse. 

1. Longer Growing Season 

If you are into growing vegetables, then you will understand the importance of having a greenhouse, especially during the off-seasons when they cannot be grown outdoors. It is a well-known fact that buying seasoned tomatoes or cucumbers can be expensive. Therefore, if you have a commercial base where you grow to sell the harvest, then growing seasoned crops throughout the year (especially during winters) with the help of greenhouses can be beneficial. Therefore, let us look at some of the potential advantages of having a greenhouse in regards to a stretched growing season.

• Extension of the period of the growing season is a huge advantage that growers can avail themselves of a greenhouse.
• Moreover, in a greenhouse, the crops remain protected. This means that the crops are saved from harsh weather, rain, wind, and other natural hazards.
• The use of a greenhouse also increases the yield from each harvesting session.

2. Better Protection

There is no doubt about the fact that the greenhouses protect the plants along with the providence of a controlled environment. This means that the health of the plants is also better maintained in a greenhouse as they are protected from unnecessary pests. Moreover, the plants are less prone to events like root rot and other diseases. Let us look at some of the frequent hazards from which the greenhouse prevents the plants.

• The greenhouse protects the plants in their vegetative or flowering stage from rodents, birds, insects, and other kinds of infestations.
• Although there are chances of plants being attacked by different kinds of pests and flies, having a greenhouse reduces such occurrences. 
• Even if pests infect them, you can always use an organic pesticide. Moreover, there are fewer chances of the pests returning after treatment with organic pesticide, unlike outdoor gardening. 
• The greenhouse also manages to protect the plants from bigger herbivorous animals like deer or rabbits.
• Moreover, the greenhouse also protects the plants against whimsical weather conditions or extreme temperatures like an unusually hot day in May.

3. Better Controlled Environment

Greenhouse can provide a better-controlled environment to the plants who are in their delicate vegetative stage or flowering stage. In the case of plants, it is essential to provide them a suitable temperature and surrounding environment for growth. This is because the plants are not able to regulate their body temperature and are completely dependent on the exterior temperatures. Let us look at some of the important pointers in regards to greenhouses providing a better-controlled atmosphere for plants.

• As a grower, you must know how plants are highly sensitive to temperature changes, especially during the growing stages.
• Fluctuations in temperature can stun the growth of the plants and reduce the speed of their budding stage.
• Moreover, different types of plants have different lighting schedules. This means that most of the plants do not require direct sunlight and might receive severe damage if exposed to bright direct light.
• The greenhouse provides a translucent layer through which the sunlight passes and is then received by the plants. This helps them to grow perfectly.
• The greenhouse is specially designed to capture the heat and provide the ideal growing conditions to the greens.
• Even if the surrounding temperatures require the greenhouse to be cool or at a controlled temperature you can always make use of cooling fans, heaters, and humidifiers. 

4. Multiple Uses

Another crucial reason behind starting a greenhouse is the sheer number of uses it can have. The greenhouse can be used for multiple uses and is one of the best ways to have an all-in-one gardening place. Let us look at some of the potential uses of the unit.

• The greenhouse can be used to grow just about any kind of plant-like fresh vegetables, flowering plants, houseplants, bulb plants, or any other exotic plant.
• Moreover, you can always change the combination of cropping or flowering mix to give your garden a new look each harvesting season.
• Greenhouses are efficient tools to produce crops belonging to different seasons at the same time.
• The greenhouses come equipped with designated space for all kinds of plants like the ones that would need bright direct light and the ones that have to be placed in a shade for growth.
• Furthermore, you can also keep all the gardening supplies inside the greenhouse itself for better accessibility.

5. The increased amount of Income or Savings

When you are planning to have a greenhouse, you can expect a considerable amount of money to be spent on the complete installation of the unit. However, the return derived from the greenhouse compensates for the price paid. Let us look at some essential pointers about how a greenhouse induces savings. 

• If you are located in a place where the market demand for out-of-the-season crops can be high, then having a greenhouse will certainly help you produce such crops and take a part in the profit.
• Moreover, from the buyer’s side, having a greenhouse will help you to grow your off-season vegetables without having to buy them at considerably high prices.
• Furthermore, having a greenhouse saves you from buying from the produce section. Hence, reducing your expenditure.
• It might take some time before the greenhouse starts adding to the profit, but it will sure do. 

6. Better Quality Harvest

A greenhouse gives the grower an immense sense of control over the crops that are being harvested. This means that as the plants are grown in a controlled environment under the supervision and monitoring of the grower, there are fewer chances of something going wrong. Moreover, as a grower, you have control over each of the elements to which the plants are being subjected. This means that such controlled exposure will lead to a better quality harvest. Moreover, you need not worry about the plants being exposed to chemical fertilizers or pesticides as you can always grow them with completely organic materials.

7. Expanded Gardening

If you have started with your indoor garden and now want to expand the patch with more varieties of plants, then greenhouses can be the most suitable option for such an outcome. You can always have the extended version of the indoor garden by your kitchen windowsill inside the greenhouse. Such an arrangement shall also help you to customize your garden with the favorite kind of plants whenever needed. Therefore, you can keep the lettuce inside the greenhouse and replace it with thyme by the windowsill, for the time being. 

8. Home Aesthetics and Décor

Greenhouses can enhance the aesthetic value of the house and can be used as home décor. The greenhouse located in the backyard of your house simply adds to its beauty. It gives the space an aesthetic outlook and increases its beauty. There are different types of greenhouses available in different kinds of shapes and sizes like gothic architectures and dome-shaped units. Uniquely designed greenhouses can make your living space beautiful.

Conclusion

These are the major reasons behind starting with a greenhouse. Greenhouses have been a contemporary choice for all who are into growing plants. Moreover, most of these units are self-sustainable and environment-friendly. This means that buying and installation of a greenhouse can prove to be expensive. However, if you can properly use it to produce crops, then a greenhouse can be one of the growing mediums with optimum returns and higher yields. Therefore, do not just restrict your garden to the indoor patch, have a greenhouse today for better growth and variety of the plants.