What is a Greenhouse – Introduction

Though many dictionaries try to define a greenhouse purely as a structure of glass walls and a ceiling that is used during unfavorable weather, there is much more to a greenhouse than that. Just consider the following:

• A greenhouse may be only a seasonally used structure that protects plants from the latest or earliest frosts;
• A greenhouse can be designed and used on a year round basis as a means of keeping insect infestations to an absolute minimum;
• A greenhouse can be made from metal tubing and covered with plastic sheeting and does not have to built from glass;
• Greenhouses can stand alone or be attached to another building; and
• A greenhouse might be a far better alternative to a garden.

Most of these points are fairly straightforward and valid, but it is the last point that really needs to be considered in great detail – a green house can be better than a garden.

Optimal Conditions

How is that possible? Please take a moment to indicate the times when you had total control over nature. Explain how you made it rain when necessary and when you had the weather create the ideal conditions for the plants in your garden. Naturally, you can’t explain such times because they are totally impossible, but in the world of the greenhouse you really can control almost every possible factor.

Consider that you will control the temperature of the soil by controlling the temperature of the entire space and this is great for germination and the suppression of mold or mildew growth. You also control the relative humidity, the amount of rainfall received, the amount of fertilizer that is applied, the amount of direct sunlight that the plants receive, and the general pace at which everything will grow.

These are all things that might be tackled by ongoing persistence in an outdoor garden setting, but are not usually fruitful efforts.

Additionally, the controlled environment of the greenhouse will also mean that it is far less likely that infestations of insects will be a problem, or that traditional garden pests, such as rodents that steal fruits and vegetables, are eliminated from the proverbial equation too.

Longer Seasons

It is also helpful to note that most greenhouse users will rely on their structures to greatly extend seasons. For instance, they will use the greenhouse to start plants well ahead of the traditional growing season. They will then put the structure to use later in the season if this is going to keep the plants from being killed off early due to frost. Alternately, many different varieties of plants will actually be able to live out their entire life cycle in a greenhouse as well.

The controllable conditions and ideal environments contained inside of a greenhouse are among the primary reasons that so many professional and home gardeners will use them. They can be built in a way that makes them functional on a year-round basis, and they can allow for gardening to be done in a way that optimizes results and generates the largest and most substantial returns on the effort.