In regions with temperate and cold climates, a greenhouse is an essential accessory for a summer cottage, allowing you to grow vegetables and fruits from the first days of spring until the last days of autumn, or even year-round. Currently, there are several well-established types of greenhouses, each with its own characteristics. This raises the important question of how and which greenhouse to choose for your summer cottage, and what should you consider?
What types of greenhouses are there?
They differ in the type of frame construction. These include house-shaped greenhouses, arched greenhouses, greenhouses with sloping walls, and greenhouses with a mansard roof.
Greenhouses can be free-standing (isolated), when the greenhouses have all their own walls, and greenhouses that are adjacent to some other building (usually a residential building), when one of the walls of the greenhouse and the building is common.
Greenhouses can be made from a wide variety of materials—wood, metal, etc.—and covered with glass, cellular polycarbonate, polyethylene film, etc.
Greenhouses can have different heating systems - a boiler, a radiator, a stove, solar heating only, etc.
Greenhouses can be supplied as a ready-made kit, which can then be assembled quickly on-site, like a construction kit, or they can be built directly on-site by either construction specialists or homeowners themselves.
In addition, greenhouses can be portable or stationary, with their own foundation.
Which greenhouse should you choose for your summer house? Let's take a closer look at the options.
Greenhouse - a house
Perhaps the most common type of greenhouse today. The frame is standard—vertical walls plus a gable roof. This design truly resembles a house, hence the name.
You can buy a prefabricated greenhouse, or you can build it yourself. A wide variety of materials are used for the walls and roof, from polyethylene film to glass, but recently, more and more gardeners have rightfully chosen cellular polycarbonate.
Find out, How to grow tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse
This type of greenhouse can be used for growing crops both in the ground and on shelves, including without soil. Accessibility for work is good. Ventilation (windows) can be installed on the roof to maintain an optimal temperature inside.
Snow loads in winter are not a major concern, as snow will gradually slide off a low-sloping roof. DIY construction is possible and straightforward, but the materials required will be quite high.
Light transmission is good. The vertical walls are typically 1.5 meters high. The greenhouse itself does not require a complex, heavy foundation and can even be transported. These greenhouses are often sold as a ready-to-install kit.
Arched greenhouse
This type has no vertical walls or roof as such—the frame is constructed using arches, to which the covering material is then attached. Building an arched greenhouse yourself is challenging—it's easier to buy a ready-made one.
The main advantages of arched greenhouses are good light transmission and low construction costs. Disadvantages include the difficulty of working in them at full height and the impossibility of growing crops on racks, as the usable volume of the greenhouse decreases significantly as one moves upward, from the base to the roof.
Furthermore, such a greenhouse cannot be glazed—only flexible materials such as honeycomb carbonate, polyethylene film, etc. must be used.
Snow does not accumulate on top of the greenhouse, but immediately falls down, thereby reducing the load on the greenhouse surface.
A greenhouse with sloping walls
This type is partly similar to a greenhouse house and partly to an arched greenhouse. The roof is gabled, but the walls, unlike those of a greenhouse house, are not vertical, but at a slight angle. This greenhouse has a wide base, and as it rises, its area and volume gradually decrease.
Accordingly, it is convenient to grow vegetables here only in the soil of the greenhouse's foundation, and further, as you move towards the roof, problems with the installation of shelving may arise, since the volume of usable space will decrease.
Greenhouse with a mansard roof structure
This type of greenhouse is also similar to a greenhouse house, but has a more complex roof. While this type of roof allows for full-height work and makes it more convenient, constructing a mansard roof is complex and requires a significant investment of time, effort, and money.
Vegetables can be grown either directly in the ground or on racks or shelves. Construction costs are quite high. However, such a greenhouse looks beautiful and can fit well into the overall design of the garden.
What to choose?
First, you need to decide the maximum amount you're willing to pay for a greenhouse. If time is more important than money, and you have ample funds, it might be easier to purchase a prefabricated greenhouse rather than build it from scratch, especially if you have no experience building such structures.
Next, based on the functions your greenhouse will need to perform, you need to calculate its approximate dimensions—height, volume, and area—and decide on a heating method and construction location. If the greenhouse will be used in winter (a winter greenhouse), heating is essential. One cost-effective option is to attach the winter greenhouse directly to the house.
For summer greenhouses, the covering material is crucial. Polyethylene film is suitable for any type of greenhouse; it's easy to stretch over the frame and is inexpensive, but it's not durable—it stretches, deforms, and tears easily.
Glass isn't suitable for all types of greenhouses, but it can be installed in winter greenhouses. Furthermore, it's difficult to install, cut, and transport, is heavy, and is expensive.
Cellular polycarbonate has recently gained popularity. It's suitable for any type of greenhouse, transmits light well, and retains heat. It can also be used for arched greenhouses, as it can be folded. It's also suitable (as well as glass) for winter greenhouses.
The method for heating a winter greenhouse depends primarily on the availability and price of energy resources. In many regions, winter greenhouses are heated with wood and/or coal. Peat, if available, can also be used. Electricity is expensive, but very convenient.
Another important question is whether you'll be growing vegetables in the greenhouse's foundation soil or on racks. Racks and shelves aren't suitable for some greenhouse types. If you're planning a multi-story vegetable garden, you should choose between a greenhouse house or a greenhouse with a mansard roof. They offer a large amount of usable space.
The first option is easier to make and less expensive, but the second looks much more beautiful and impressive. Both types can be made at home using store-bought materials and components.
If you don't have the money to buy a greenhouse and decide to build one yourself, it's best to choose a greenhouse house. The most economical type is an arched greenhouse with metal arches and a polyethylene film top cover. However, it's short-lived and can't function as a winter greenhouse because it retains heat poorly.
Now you know how to choose the right greenhouse for your dacha. Wishing you a good harvest!
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