Greenhouse Answers

Greenhouse Brands

It's important to check out a healthy selection from several different brand names. Since we're trying to grow life, it's important to stick with quality--it really hurts your greenhouse gardening project to cut corners.

 

Flowerhouse has been rapidly gaining in popularity. The company is known for offering three exceptional types of portable greenhouses. Portables have become a staple of beginner-to-advanced greenhouse gardeners. They provide many extra months of growing time.

No matter what brand name portable you use--Flowerhouse or otherwise, there are two basic types of housing, available of course in a variety of sizes. A cold frame greenhouse kit is one of the smallest you can buy; access is usually given through panels in the top. The other kind; the walk-in greenhouse, is usually best if you plan to grow more than eight mid-sized plants.

There are many reliable greenhouse brands available to you.

The right greenhouse for you depends on several different factors. Generally, the portable models are best for those small-time growers who don't do things year-round. Portables aren't ideal for harsh weather--winds over 50 M.P.H. and snow flurries require a more weatherproof greenhouse.

The best advantage to a portable is the price--an internet vendor can offer prices starting under $100 for a brand-name kit. It's important to have a reliable resource, so you can be aware of every option--many growers find it easiest to browse a recommended web vendor for this purpose.

Juliana greenhouses are one of the most comprehensive brand names around. With models retailing from $70 to over $4,000, there's a perfect Juliana for every grower.

Juliana has many styles; all of its walk-in greenhouses feature a peaked roof for many good reasons. Their greenhouses bear a stark contrast when compared with portable greenhouses--Juliana models are made to be permanent and featuring a 12-year warranty. A Juliana is made to provide many seasons of maximized growing.

Sunshine greenhouses are unique in that their frame is made of redwood. Redwood is naturally resistant to insects and fungus and insulates quite well. The finish adds an aesthetic quality that is lacking in metal frame greenhouses. Sunshine greenhouses, like all quality brands, have covers that utilize the latest in technology. A sunshine greenhouse blocks 92% of UV rays, and diffuse light for even distribution. If you're looking for moderately priced greenhouse kits that are designed to grow year-round, you should definitely browse the Sunshine name. They also have a slopped roof, which has more surface area for even insulation, and retains a lot less snow than other designs.

When it comes to comparing all of the available greenhouse options across brands, things can get confusing. This is why many growers prefer to browse a reliable web vendor to see all of their options together. Also, using the Internet is the easiest way to shop around for the most competitive prices. Finding a greenhouse for sale is simple; just make sure it fits all of your needs. Most brand-name greenhouses come pre-cut; all you have to do is bolt them together.

The Ins and Outs of Greenhouse Kits

Finding the right greenhouse kits can be fun and simple--most kits are designed for easy assembly. You can find greenhouses designed to accommodate a host of special features, from double doors to the specific type of frame you desire.

For instance, areas that experience extreme weather conditions will need a more durable greenhouse. You’ll want a name brand such as Cross Country for this type of quality. They are known to take snow loads of 50 lbs/Square foot. They can be also customized and put together easily without sacrifice to durability.

For years, growers of orchids and tropical plants have enjoyed the subtle advantages of peaked roof greenhouses. Naturally, a sloped roof offers more headroom, but it also provides growing advantages. The larger roof area helps control temperature fluctuation, keeping the environment more consistent. A sloped roof slows heat gain in hotter weather, but during colder months will increase solar retention. Having the roof slope at 45-degrees is optimal.

In addition to the great roof system, you’ll want a fan system or automated roof vents. The roof system is best when spring loaded and can run completely on solar power. There are several alternative options for vents including screens and side-mounted windows. When making the floor in preparation for greenhouse kits, it's important to keep a few things in mind. First make sure that water can drain out from the floor, and that weeds and grass won't grow on the floor. Even if you live in a low-wind area, it's always critical to anchor your greenhouse floor to the ground.

For beginning growers it is best to develop skills early on through a portable, collapsible greenhouse that can both extend your growing season for many months and be stored easily when not in use.

Designed specifically for the small-time grower, a Hobby Gardener greenhouse, are great for those who just need a few plants- whether trying to create a few fresh herbs, or grow giants from seedlings. Many growers find that an Internet vendor is the best way to browse online. Featuring enough room to stand up and walk around, Hobby Gardener makes houses for those looking to eventually expand. Customizability is an option, too--many people enjoy adding automatic vent openers. Some people take their growing to a professional level, ordering greenhouse kits that cost over $10,000. Fortunately, there are many quality greenhouse kits provided by a variety of brand name retailers that cost much less, some as low as under $100.

Greenhouse Ventilation

When purchasing a greenhouse exhaust fan there are some things you’ll need to consider. Where will the fan be positioned? Where should you place your vents? For walk-in greenhouses you’ll want to start on the wall opposite the doorway. Position the fan high up in the peak of the roof. Then place two additional fans, 1 or 2 feet from the floor, on either side of the entryway. Know the correct positioning of your exhaust fan in relation to your intake shutters.

Cold-weather growers with exhaust fans need to pay special care. There can be a lot of heat lost through the vents, which can cost loads of money and make it hard to regulate temperature. Precious heat can escape through a ventilation system costing you your plants well being. Look for ventilation systems made with heat resistant metal to prevent this.

The importance of an exhaust fan is as an excellent way to circulate air throughout your greenhouse. This can work especially well with portable greenhouses and other greenhouses with permeable covers. Fans range from small and simple to giant and complex.

When it comes to greenhouse ventilation, technology affords us many kinds of options. Automated ventilation can be the perfect way to keep your plants growing on schedule. It's important to have a reliable resource for all kinds of greenhouse ventilation, which is why many growers stick with a recommended web vendor.

How to Grow Cooking Herbs

Grow your own cooking herbs to add fresh zest and flavor to your menus year-round!

Is It a Cooking Herb or a Spice?

The first thing to know in selecting which herbs to grow is the difference between cooking (culinary) herbs and spices. The cinnamon stick you put in your hot chocolate or apple cider is a spice while the parsley on the edge of your plate is an herb. 1.Cooking herbs are usually the fresh or dried leaves of plants while spices are the ground seeds, roots, fruits, flowers, and/or bark. 2.Herbs grow very well in temperate zones, while spices generally come from tropical areas. 3.Herbs add subtle flavor, whereas spices are generally more pungent and add more robust flavor.

Herbs run the gamut of about 70 cultivars, broken into categories of medicinal, ornamental, and aromatic as well as culinary or cooking herbs. To start growing cooking herbs, it's best first to select where and how you want to grow them.

Site Selection

Hydroponics is the method of growing plants based in nutrient-enriched water rather than soil.

Most cooking herbs thrive in just about any location that gives them plenty of light, good drainage and nutrition. In addition to outdoor garden spots, culinary herbs can be grown in patio containers, as indoor herb gardens, or in greenhouses using soil-less growing techniques like hydroponics or aquaponics.

Outdoor Cooking Herb Gardens

For easy access, plant your herb garden as close to your kitchen as possible. Herbs grown in full sun have denser foliage, darker color, and higher levels of the essential oils that add flavor to your recipes. Good air circulation and drainage are also important to the success of your cooking herb garden. The size of your cooking herb garden, of course, depends on the space you have available for growing. Generally, an area 20 by 4 feet accommodates a satisfactory variety of cultivars.

Many herbs overlap in category. Border your cooking herb garden with some cultivars that have ornamental or aromatic qualities as well as the culinary. However, remember that the main purpose of this garden is for use in your kitchen.

Place cooking herbs that you use frequently in less conspicuous areas so that you won't leave big holes in your garden when you harvest them for cooking!

Most culinary herbs thrive under the same growth conditions as the vegetables they enhance and as such are a natural addition to your vegetable garden. Some cooking herbs even have properties that repel common insect pests and garden diseases, which is an added benefit to your vegetables.

The best time to amend soil with nutrient rich compost is when you till your garden plot. Herbs have coarse roots that benefit from chunky organic matter, which helps excess water drain away and also helps provide good air circulation.

After planting your cooking herbs, skirting them with a two to three-inch layer of mulch helps soil retain moisture. In addition, composting and mulching helps you maintain the neutral to slightly alkaline soil that most herbs prefer.