Mother's Mini-Manual: Greenhouse Gardening

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5. SOURCES OF WATER, ELECTRICITY AND FUEL FOR HEATING (IF REQUIRED)

Another important aspect of planning is to understand where access to water, electricity and heating fuel will be (if electricity will not be the means of heating). If pipes and electric wires are required underground, now is the time to think about their routes and to make certain that there will be no interference during installation.

6. APPEARANCE AND BLENDING INTO THE TOTAL LANDSCAPE SCENE. Last but by no means least, plan to fit the greenhouse on your lot in such a way that it blends in with your home and the surrounding landscaping.

STRUCTURE¹

Generally, plant growth is roughly proportional to the light intensity it receives. Therefore, it's essential to design a greenhouse which will have as much light as possible. A rule of thumb is to construct a greenhouse which has the least amount of opaque top and wall structure (wood, metal or a combination of both) as practical. This permits a maximum amount of light to enter while at the same time produces a minimum amount of shadow. The top and wall structure need only be structurally sound enough to take the weight of the covering (glass, plexiglass, fiberglass or plastic) and accumulated snow and ice if this is a problem in your area, plus the strain of the severest wind experienced in your locality.

For many years only wood was used as the framework. Now, metal and wood or a combination of both are used. Wood framing must be proportioned wider and thicker than one of metal to provide equal strength per foot run. Because wood has less heat conduction than metal, wood framing loses less heat. On the other hand, because metal framing is slimmer, it admits more light and creates fewer shadows. Maintenance costs with metal framing are lower than those with wood framing.

CRITERIA GOVERNING LIGHT ABSORPTION¹

The amount of light absorption is an important quality to consider in selecting the covering for your greenhouse roof and side walls.

1. For years, glass was the only material used to cover greenhouse framework. In fact, glass covering is so traditional that in England a greenhouse is frequently referred to as a glasshouse. Not necessarily so today. Plexiglass, fiberglass and plastic are also widely used as coverings. Although glass is subject to shattering and breakage by hail and other causes, some authorities recommend it, claiming it has the highest degree of transparency of all three materials. This is disputed by other authorities. For instance, some specialists claim that nylon fiberglass transmits 92 percent of light, while glass transmits 89 percent. (Note: Use only clear, transparent or translucent grades of fiberglass. Also use top grades of fiberglass; lower grades, which are relatively inexpensive, may become discolored with age.) These same specialists also claim that glass loses 89 percent of heat by transmission, while nylon fiberglass loses 67 percent. Personally, I favor nylon fiberglass as a covering because it's shatterproof, hailproof and easy to keep clean.

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