by tonx

While gardening can be a satisfying and beneficial pastime, many of us reside in climates that only allow us to garden outside a few months annually, due to seasonal temperature changes.  These temperature restrictions can severely curb our ambitions, and may frustrate many people enough to discourage them from the practice altogether.  This is why so many people in recent years have decided to build a garden greenhouse of their own in order to extend the growing season throughout the year.   

Simply moving your crop indoors for part of the year can allow you to put your green thumb to use virtually year-round.  In fact, in addition to greatly increasing the length of your growing season, a properly configured garden – greenhouse can even allow you to grow flourishing plants that would not naturally reside in your area.

Before you can successfully begin to grow your plants in a greenhouse setting, there are some things that you should keep in mind.  For example, the very aspect of greenhouse gardening that makes the practice so attractive in the winter-time (the higher than ambient air temperature inside) can actually kill your plants off during the warmer months.  

The fact is that, on average, the air inside a greenhouse is 35 degrees warmer than the air outside.  This is a pretty drastic difference, and during the warmer months, it can make your greenhouse inhospitable.  The solar power that you depend on in the winter can actually work against you in the summer months. That is why it is important that you take measures to monitor and maintain proper temperatures at all times.

One of the best ways to modify the temperature of your small garden greenhouse without using electrical power  or other potentially expensive energy sources is to simply utilize a blanket or sheet as a shade source.  When the sun is prevented from entering the structure, the temperature is lowered.  

Another important thing to consider when planning out a hobby greenhouse project is your new growing season.  If you are using the garden for food, you will be able to substantially cut down on the cost of plants by starting from quality garden seeds rather than purchasing costly young plants from a commercial nursery or garden supply center.  

In order to determine the appropriate planting dates for your climate (to ensure that your budding plants are transplanted to your outside garden at the right stage of their development and at the right time of year), you may want to consider investing in and inexpensive (and generally very accurate and resourceful) farmer’s almanac.  

Finally, in many cases, individual plants can not only be brought from your garden greenhouse to the outside each spring, they can also (in many cases) be transplanted from the garden back to the greenhouse for the summer.  This allows you to harvest fruits and vegetables off of the same plant(s) for several growing seasons, and can be another way to help you cut your food budget. In addition, many people opt to do the majority of their gardening in the confines of a greenhouse because it cuts down on pests and makes organic -gardening a snap.