A Beginner’s Guide To The Different Types Of Greenhouse

Gardening has always been a fun pastime for many homeowners. Because not only does it improve the house’s aesthetic value, but it also serves as an effective stress reliever. After all, there’s nothing more relaxing than getting your hands dirty and visualizing how to make your yard look better. If you’re invested in your yard, consider setting up a greenhouse.

Simply put, greenhouses are a home for your plants designed to maintain and flourish them. They’re mostly built with transparent walls and roofs with the proper ventilation to accommodate the plants’ needs temperature-wise. There are different types of greenhouses available depending on your needs. 

As a gardener who’s still learning the ropes, it’s your job to find out the difference between each greenhouse.

1. Aluminium Greenhouses

Although all sorts of materials are utilized in building greenhouse kits, aluminium greenhouses are highly recommended for beginners who strive for security in their garden while making it easy to set up. Because compared to wood or steel, aluminium is neither bulky nor heavy. Aside from how lightweight it is, it also has a high resistance to the elements, particularly rust and rot.

By choosing a high quality aluminium greenhouse, such as the range at South West Greenhouses, you can ensure it will last for many years, as aluminium won’t degrade outside like wood does, meaning you’ll have a lovely growing area that will last for a long time. Therefore, aluminium greenhouses are the perfect starting point if you want to invest more time in your garden as a beginner.

“Greenhouse from swgreenhouses.co.uk”

2. Lean-To Greenhouses

For those who want to save materials and resources, lean-to greenhouses would suit you. Considering they’re attached to a building – for example, your house – they get to share some of its structural integrity, particularly the roof and wall. But even though this option is much more conservative, it poses a challenge to the gardener because a lean-to greenhouse relies heavily on its location.

Unless the plants you’re growing don’t need it, sunlight is one of the main components for helping them grow. Hence, given that it is leaning against a wall, it must be facing a direction that receives sufficient sunlight. Otherwise, lack of sunlight can hinder your plants from growing, forcing you to install artificial lights to compensate.

3. Shade Greenhouses

If you want something much more affordable than lean-to greenhouses, shade greenhouses might be just the thing for you. Structurally, it’s the last thing you’d consider ‘conventional,’ considering how simplistic its design is. Because unlike the traditional greenhouse, shade greenhouses typically consist of a covering, hence only giving the plants shade from too much sunlight.

Because of their minimalism, shade greenhouses are much better as a temporary solution, especially for those who are having a tough time choosing a greenhouse. But be that as it may, they still provide the basics of what a normal greenhouse offers, namely protection from harsh weather. Moreover, they also come in various shapes, so if you want a greenhouse that doesn’t have a flat covering, there are gable or dome roofs available.

4. Dome Greenhouses

Also called hoop or Quonset greenhouses, dome greenhouses closely resemble a tunnel since they don’t have any straight walls. Because there aren’t any corners or angles that hinder sunlight from passing through, dome greenhouses maximize the sun. Moreover, their curved walls enable the temperature inside to circulate smoothly, making them ideal for delicate plants.

Sadly, given it doesn’t have straight walls, there’s not much growing space inside a dome greenhouse because it’s limited to the middle area. Considering you’re still a beginner, this might not affect you since you only need some space to grow a few plants. But once you get the hang of it, upgrading your dome greenhouse is inevitable.

5. Geodesic Greenhouses

For those who want to take it one step further from tradition, aim for a modern, unique look with geodesic greenhouses. Although they’re vaguely similar to dome greenhouses, their structure is much closer to an igloo, given its circular shape. However, because of their limited growing space and headroom, they’re only suited to handle small plants more. Hence, setting one up requires thorough planning beforehand. 

Takeaway

Gardening by itself has always been a rewarding task, not to mention pleasing to the eyes. But once you’re starting to get invested in improving your garden, only then will you realize how daunting it is to handle a garden, especially if you have specific plants that are too delicate for your environment. Fortunately, you’ll be able to grow all sorts of plants with the right greenhouse.