How to build a greenhouse yourself

If you've decided to build a greenhouse yourself and have absolutely no experience with this type of structure, you should do a lot of research beforehand. It may seem like a waste of time at first, but proper theoretical preparation will significantly simplify the construction process, reduce the construction time, and help avoid additional financial costs. Take a look. Features of caring for tomatoes in a greenhouse.

A greenhouse with a metal frame, wood, polycarbonate, or glass will have its advantages and disadvantages. However, building a greenhouse yourself from scratch is much better than buying a used one. Using wood or other used materials is not recommended. Experts advise considering new materials. If building a greenhouse from new materials would be extremely expensive, consider ways to cut costs without sacrificing quality.

Building a greenhouse at your dacha with your own hands

During the initial DIY construction phase, you'll need to study a lot of theory, photographs, and videos. Then, moving on to the practical part of the construction, you need to determine exactly where on the site the greenhouse will be located. As for the dimensions, everyone determines them for themselves based on their specific situation. This article discusses the construction of a DIY greenhouse that is 3.6 meters wide, 5 meters long, and approximately two and a half meters high.

Advice! Your greenhouse may be shorter or longer, but the recommended width is around 3.4-3.5 meters. This is a universal width that's extremely convenient for a wide variety of plantings.

It's also important to note that the roof of a wooden or metal greenhouse built by yourself shouldn't be too flat, otherwise the entire structure could collapse. Therefore, in this article, we'll consider an arched greenhouse. It will be strong and reliable, and can withstand snowfall or heavy rain. However, construction will require some effort.

Steps to building an arched greenhouse yourself:

1. First, the end walls must be erected. This is a mandatory requirement for the first stage of construction, without which the main structure will be impossible to construct. The end walls themselves can be built later; beams are not required at this stage.
2. The outline of the greenhouse is determined and a piece of PVC pipe and wooden planks are temporarily attached to it.
3. A hole should be drilled in the pipe in advance so that it can be easily attached to a wooden element; self-tapping screws should be used for this.
4. Assemble the entire frame, keeping in mind the doorway. The width of the doorway should match the size of the door. Typically, this is between one and one and a half meters. A threshold is required, but this can be added during the door installation process.
5. If you want to further strengthen the frame yourself, especially for wooden structures, we recommend using a special adhesive for outdoor use.
6. Once the wooden frame is assembled, you can mark the outline of the future structure on the planks.
7. Now remove the pipe and saw off any excess pieces of the frame, which will now be visible based on the outline drawn. Reattach the plastic pipe, but this time from the outside to its permanent location. For this, use screws and wire anchors.
8. The only remaining elements are the rear and front end walls of the greenhouse. Film is used as the primary covering material in this version of the structure. It can be attached to the structure at the very end of construction. It's important to ensure that the frame consists of sufficient wooden elements; otherwise, securing the film later will be difficult (it may sag or tear in strong winds).
9. To easily measure out the required piece of film, you can unroll the roll on the frame itself. Then, use a knife to cut the required piece (place something hard under the cut for support). First, attach the film to one side, then reattach it to the other side. Care is crucial here, as the film must be secured as securely as possible at this stage, as the strength of the future structure depends on this.
10. Now you'll need to cut a hole in the film on the end face yourself, as the door will be installed here. You can fold the film over and then secure it to the frame itself. It's important to make cuts in the upper corners of the hole so they can be used later for the doorway.
11. Next, you'll need to drive long pieces of rebar into the ground; steel fence posts can also be used. They're driven in at a distance equal to the width of the doorway. The tables are installed vertically relative to the plumb line.
12. Next, when building a greenhouse at home, you need to tie the arched greenhouse frame to these posts. For this, in addition to wire anchors, you can use regular wire or rope.
13. Once the end walls are complete, a string should be pulled along the length: this will show the builder the line for installing the side ribs of the structure. Using this line as a guide, drive in rebar stakes spaced a meter apart to secure the intermediate ribs.
14. Attach PVC pipes to the stakes, and you'll immediately be proud of your handiwork, as the greenhouse will have a clear outline. For even more stability, it's recommended to use thicker pipes or space the ribs more closely than every meter.
15. If the greenhouse is being built in a region with frequent rainfall and heavy snowfall in winter, it is recommended to install a PVC pipe in the center of the arched greenhouse to increase the strength of the structure.
16. A ridge extending from a thick pipe is attached to the very top of the frame. This will ensure the film is stretched as tightly as possible and will prevent sagging. Attach the side ribs to this ridge and, for added security, secure the structure with rope.
17. You should also make wire spacers in the shape of an "X" using strong double-stranded wire. They are secured at the top and bottom using washers.
18. Now stretch the film over the frame on all sides and secure it securely. You can use a special construction stapler. Additionally, secure the film with screws; you'll need a drill for this.

Important! To completely cover the greenhouse frame with film and secure everything neatly and securely, you will need to call another person for help. Greenhouse tomatoes for the Moscow region.

How to determine the dimensions of a structure

To ensure the future structure is a delight, it's essential to think everything through from the very beginning. Therefore, determining the size of the future greenhouse deserves special attention. Planning begins with the gardener considering what the future structure will be used for—growing seedlings, extending the fruiting period, planting early crops, or growing fruit year-round.

Additionally, the final size is affected by paths, bed placement, and equipment storage requirements. The interior of the greenhouse should be carefully planned from the start to ensure efficient distribution of space, and the required amount of building materials, time, and effort for construction should be calculated in advance.

Advice! For a small DIY greenhouse, it is enough to use arches 1-1.5 meters high and cover them with film. cucumber varieties suitable for growing in a greenhouse.

Size by width

To make plant maintenance easy and convenient, you'll need to create raised beds inside. These affect the final width of the greenhouse, which is a big plus. Ideally, the paths should be about 60 cm wide with a total width of three meters. This will leave 1.2 meters of free space on both sides for the raised beds.

If you want to create two paths inside, the overall width will have to be expanded to six meters. This will result in two 1.2-meter-wide beds along the wall, plus another 2.4-meter-wide bed in the center. However, gardeners note that a three-meter-wide greenhouse is easier to build and maintain.

Size by length

The length depends on the greenhouse's intended purpose and the size of the site. The optimal ratio of length to width is 6-8 meters. This will ensure easy maintenance, ventilation, and efficient heat retention.

Size by height

The first parameter that will help here is the height of the plants you plan to grow there. For example, only early-ripening tomatoes can be planted, and walking around the greenhouse should be comfortable if its height is at least two meters.

Advice! As for the shape, there's also a choice—you can build a single-pitched or double-pitched roof, a more complex design. General recommendations are that the side walls should be at least a meter high, the slope should be 45 degrees, and the height of the paths should be at least 2.2 meters. Read on. How to care for tomatoes in a greenhouse.

Alternatively, some gardeners use the south-facing walls of existing buildings to build a lean-to greenhouse. This option can be considered if there's simply no space for a full-fledged greenhouse. However, it's important to remember that the wall will become saturated with moisture and become moldy, and additional heating will be necessary.