The self-regulating greenhouse will change your life!
I believe that everyone should have their own greenhouses that regulate their own temperature because it is beneficial to the environment, and your mental and physical health, and you can earn a profit. This greenhouse does most of the work by regulating the heat so your beautiful garden can grow on its own while you are at your job making money. All you have to do is enjoy watching as your plants sprout and turn into delicious produce or plants you can then plant around your house. The greenhouse will use solar panels, solar air heaters, and water storage tanks to regulate its temperature. Solar power is a renewable resource, so you won’t have to pay extra electrical costs to run your greenhouse. You can even profit from greenhouses by growing your own food and plants because landscaping can be expensive, and you won’t have to pay for fruits and vegetables from the grocery store or the fuel needed to drive to and from the store. The solar panels and solar air heaters, on the roofs, can create shading, electricity, and heat during the winter months. Usually, you can’t grow anything during the wintertime in the northern climates of the US, but now you can with a greenhouse that regulates its own temperature 365 days a year. The sun is consistent and reliable since it comes every day during the year. Shading is good so that the plants don’t overheat during the summer and the solar heaters will help provide extra heat during the colder months for no extra cost. The water storage tanks will help cool it during the hotter months and even maintain the temperature when it gets cold at night due to the water’s high heat capacity. The water will heat up slowly during the day from the sun, and then it will release the heat slowly at night which is good because big changes in temperature negatively affect your plants. Greenhouses that are powered by renewable resources are good for the environment because people can grow their own organic plants instead of having to buy them from the grocery store. Grocery stores indirectly produce lots of pollution because the trucks have to drive miles and miles away to deliver the food to the stores. You can also use your greenhouse to provide fresh food to your neighbors, and you can grow flowers that you can then plant around your neighborhood to make it more beautiful and appealing. [10] [16]
The graph and table above represent the amount of sunlight the US gets throughout the year. There are fewer hours of daylight during the wintertime which is why the blue line dips down on both ends and why there are smaller numbers at the top and bottom of the table. Normally people wouldn’t be able to grow crops in the wintertime, but with a well-designed and powered greenhouse, you can plant 365 days a year because it maintains a controlled environment year-round.
Did you know that Greenhouses are actually green?
Greenhouses are very beneficial because they provide “more efficient gardening” [8], allow you to plant a larger variety of plants, and plants can grow in all seasons. You get to taste delicious and very nutritious vegetables and fruits from your own garden. [8] Having a self-regulating greenhouse makes you feel accomplished because you don’t have to put in hours of work every day, but you still get healthy plants and flowers. You don’t need to use toxic pesticides on your plants because the plants are inside the greenhouse shelter. Using pesticides isn’t good because the plants absorb the toxic chemicals which then go into you if you eat the plants. You have full control over what and when you want to plant. If you want to grow something native to where you live, no problem. [8] You don’t have to worry about the weather, like too much wind, rain, or snow because the greenhouse protects the plants from the outside environment. You can grow many types of plants like strawberries, peppers, beans, summer squash, and cucumber. [8] Also, if you have pets, greenhouses are meant for you because your plants are enclosed in the greenhouse which means your pets won’t be able to get in and disturb any of your hard work. Plants love a stable environment, which is what the greenhouse provides, so they will grow stronger and healthier than what your grocery stores will provide for you. You can experiment with growing different plants and have fun with the absolute freedom to do what you want with your greenhouse. The plants and flowers you grow can be given as gifts to your friends, family, and community members. You don’t have to worry about dirt run-off or the geography of your yard because the plants will be planted level in greenhouses, so all you need is some space to build your structure. In addition, the greenhouse has a zero-carbon footprint because it only uses renewable energy from the solar panels and solar heaters on the roof. The greenhouse will take up some space, but it can be as big or small as you like and can blend into the environment, as you can see in the photos below, and add to the beauty of your landscaping by providing it with a greater diversity of plants. [9][14]
The sun is very powerful and useful.
The greenhouse has solar panels and solar heaters to help maintain your desired temperature from the hot summer sun and a controlled environment for your plants. They will not only provide shading for your plants but also electricity to run everything. The sun is a renewable resource, and without solar panels or solar heaters, you would have to use the grid to produce your electricity. The grid is powered by fossil fuels, which are not a renewable resource, and they contribute to climate change because burning them produces carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, and other toxic particulates in the air. The additional greenhouse gases, being put in the atmosphere, are causing the greenhouse effect which is causing global warming. Greenhouse gases are gases that absorb infrared radiation, which is thermal heat. The greenhouse effect, as you can see in the photo below, is occurring now because humans are burning more and more fossil fuels to produce electricity for transport, heating, cooling, and electric devices which increases the number of greenhouse gases in the sky, and then more heat is trapped in the Earth which increases the world’s temperature.
Moreover, you would have to pay a lot more for your electrical bill if you used the grid. Some solar panels that are used for greenhouses are thin and flexible triple-junction amorphous silicon. The flexibility allows the panels to conform to the shape of the greenhouse roof. Silicon makes up 27.7% of Earth’s crust, and it is the second most abundant element which means we won’t run out of the material if everyone goes solar. [1] These panels can be completely opaque which helps to shade the greenhouse from the intense heat and sun, or you could use bifacial modules which allow some light to pass through.
The results from an experiment came back saying that the crops in the greenhouse study continued with normal development even with the shading. [1] Solar panels are very beneficial to keep a cool and efficient greenhouse. Solar air heaters on the roof will heat the greenhouse during the colder months of the year. That means you can eat delicious produce while it snows in your yard. How cool is that!? A study combined a traditional greenhouse and lots of solar air heaters on the roof, and the image below describes how a solar heater on a roof would work.
Even though having the heaters on the roof creates lots of shading, the results from the study came back saying that the greenhouse still got enough solar radiation needed inside for the plants. [3] The greenhouse uses a mix of solar air heaters and solar panels on the roofs of greenhouses to keep a consistent temperature while also being able to create electricity for the greenhouse. If you take a break from using the greenhouse, you can keep collecting solar power from the solar panels and use the electricity produced for your energy needs in your own home. Solar panels and solar heaters are a great investment too because they have low maintenance costs since solar panels have a life span of about 25 years, so once they are built you don’t have to worry much about them deteriorating very quickly. [3] You could even add additional solar panels to your house instead of just on the greenhouse as you can see in the photo below with the greenhouse attached to the home. [1][2][3]
H2O and temperature are buddies.
There are water tanks in the greenhouse to help maintain the temperature in this addition to your home during the day and night. Water has a high specific heat capacity which means it takes a lot of energy to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius, and water can hold a lot of energy. The water will absorb the energy from the sun constantly throughout the day, so its temperature is increasing slowly. The opposite is then true, the water will release that stored energy during the night to sustain the temperature in the room, so the plants don’t get too cold. The plants have a harder time growing when the temperatures vary significantly. The greenhouse uses ground heat exchangers connected to a thermally stratified water storage tank to heat and cool small greenhouses as you can see below in the first photo. There was a study that decided to have a closed greenhousethroughout the winter and spring when the tomato crop was grown. [4] When it got cold, the system was able to maintain temperatures above the heating set point at 12 degrees Celsius and between 15 and 17 degrees Celsius using the stored warm water. When the temperatures would get too high, the system would open the cooling tower to cool the hot water at the top of the tank which is illustrated below in the second picture. The colder water was used to cool the greenhouse and allowed water to condensate which maintained the relative humidity. Water storage tanks with heat exchangers are very effective in keeping a consistent temperature in the greenhouse. [4] The greenhouse will also use water irrigation to maintain the proper temperature for plants during the winter. The heating process of irrigation water and a heating reservoir was studied using the combined effect of air heat and soil heat with a solar greenhouse. [5] Computational models were used to predict the heating process of irrigation water, and the data was used to build an effective heating reservoir in the greenhouse. The results from the simulations and models showed that the heating process of irrigation water is feasible. Water is very useful in the greenhouse to combat colder temperatures outside since water has a high specific heat which means at night the water will release heat to keep the greenhouse warm. Water is not only a very effective and efficient material to use in greenhouses to regulate temperatures, but it is very affordable. Having some vents or fans will allow the room’s air to circulate which will allow the air to have a uniform temperature instead of it being cooler at the bottom and hotter at the top of the greenhouse.[5] [4]
Don’t be scared, just read.
There are some disadvantages often brought up about using greenhouses; for example, you must invest a lot of money before you even start building, they are not always aesthetically pleasing, and can produce carbon emissions that contribute to global warming. [16] Also, the greenhouse, in the first picture below, is about the size of a larger bedroom and would cost you a total of about $5,547.63 to build on the side of your house which is about $35 to $45 a square foot. There may be some maintenance costs if extreme weather or natural disasters occur in your area, and animals start trying to live on or around your greenhouse which could damage the outside structure. It will take your free time to plan and build your greenhouse, and it will take a couple of weeks to build your own greenhouse if you work consistently on it for a couple of hours a day. [22] You also need to make sure you have an area that will allow the walls of your greenhouse to face the east, west, and south. You won’t be able to have the most efficient greenhouse if the roof isn’t angled to where the solar panels can get the most sun as they are tilted south in the northern hemisphere. [17] In addition, they may take up some space and may not look exactly natural. Greenhouses are somewhat big structures because they are pretty complex depending on how much money, time, and effort you put into making them. Your home may also be a bit conspicuous in your neighborhood especially since most people don’t have greenhouses.
Greenhouses can produce lots of carbon emissions if they use electricity from the grid for cooling and heating instead of using renewable resources like photovoltaic panels. It takes money to buy and install solar panels, and then invest in an inverter so you can use the electricity. You save money in the short term without having solar panels, but in the long run, you are losing your savings because the sun is free while the grid costs money.
In addition, you have to pay for the initial materials inside the greenhouse including nutritious soil, organic fertilizers, tools, seeds, and plants to begin your controlled environment garden. Your first few crops may not do very well because you need to test out which temperatures work best for your plants. It will take more labor time, in the beginning, to set up all of the plants and make sure they are getting enough water especially if you have never done any gardening before. Greenhouses get more expensive when you buy better materials and more technology to help track and keep a stable temperature. However, you could build your own drip irrigation at a low price, and you would never have to worry about remembering to water your plants as you can see in the second photo below. The system of tubes for drip irrigation is very beneficial because, “of their high efficiency, better water conservation, and lower water bills as opposed to traditional watering techniques.” [23] You may be thinking that this contraption will be hard to build, but actually, it is very easy to construct and maintain in your greenhouse. [23] [6] [22]
There are solutions to every problem!
Even though greenhouses may be costly in the beginning to build, may be countercultural, and can produce carbon emissions, there are compromises and solutions to help combat these disadvantages. You can decrease the start-up costs by building as much as possible on your own, buying the materials yourself, and then having someone else with skills construct it. Alternatively, you can get it built and then patiently wait for the return on investment that will happen if you create and use your high-quality, productive, and efficient greenhouse. Greenhouses are a great investment since they last up to 70 years. [21] The payback time when you grow fruits and vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries, and lettuce ranges from 8.5 months (0.7 years) to 6.4 years depending on the quantity and type of plant you grow. [18] The highest return on investment is about 8.5 months when you have 22.5% of your crops growing as cucumbers. Cucumbers have the highest return on investment because there is currently a shortage since farmers are saying that they are not being paid enough to grow them. [24] Then the lowest return on investment is about 6.4 years when you have 5% of your crops growing as lettuce. The best to worst crops, when you compare their return on investment times, are cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries, and lettuce as you can see in the image below. The more production of crops, the less time it takes to pay off the greenhouse and start profiting. [18]
Moreover, greenhouses can be created to be more appealing by growing vines, flowers, or other plants on the outside vertical walls to make them blend in more with the environment. You end up producing a higher yield of plants which helps the return on your investment because you are taking advantage of every surface in the greenhouse. Also, greenhouses don’t have to produce any pollution or carbon emissions by using renewable energy to power the structure. Solar panels and solar heaters for your greenhouse will avoid the consumption of fossil fuels and therefore your zero-carbon emissions greenhouse will power itself. As you can see in the photo below, there are many advantages to using renewable resources like solar panels. [7] [8] [18] [21]
Build your Greenhouse and make the world a better place!
You can build a greenhouse that can regulate its own temperature, so it isn’t too time-consuming or hard to maintain and you can build one on the side of your house. These structures support the ecosystem, help your overall well-being, and it can put money in your pocket. Also, by having that self-regulating greenhouse powered by solar energy, you would be consuming zero fossil fuels which help decrease climate change. Your greenhouse can produce electricity for your home as well, as illustrated below. In addition, growing your own garden improves your overall health mentally and physically.
There is joy in seeing your garden thrive from your hard work and dedication. The soil is more nutritious with many more microorganisms, so the plants will be more nutritious and therefore you will be putting more healthy minerals and vitamins in your body when eating from your own garden instead of from the store. By eating healthier you can live longer, and the quality of food you grow is much better than grocery store fruits and vegetables because yours is fresh while the others had to be transported from places like California or Florida. If you create a greenhouse, there is a high probability your neighbors will build one too because they will see your success of beautiful, delicious, and healthy crops and be jealous. Also, since greenhouses require a lot fewer fossil fuels, you use less energy and therefore you can create a profit after a certain amount of time, depending on the amount of money you invested in the project. The more consistent you are about growing your edible crops throughout the year, the shorter amount of time it will take to get your return on investment.[11][12][13][20]
Overall, my self-regulating greenhouse design looks similar to the one portrayed below. First, the self-regulating greenhouse has solar panels and solar air heaters on the south side roof which will absorb the sunshine throughout the day. There are water storage tanks on the outside of the house which are used to water the plants and maintain a consistent temperature inside the greenhouse. You can add some landscaping around the greenhouse using the flowers that you have grown to help blend into the environment. The plants are grown in pots on the shelves and in raised garden beds with an irrigation system. There are ceiling and standing fans on the inside to simulate natural airflow for the plants, and they can be used to cool the room.
Now that you have seen my self-regulating greenhouse design, watch “The Beginner’s Guide to Greenhouses” video that is listed at the end of my blog. [26] The video will help you determine the best location, materials, and sizes to consider when building your own greenhouse.
Your Turn! Are You Ready?
Now it’s your turn to start building your own greenhouse by following Jardinier’s detailed steps listed below with photos. Jardinier built a greenhouse in his backyard, as you can see in the image below, from old windows, a recycled door, and wood. [25]
a) Anchor the greenhouse to the ground.
Strong winds can lift a greenhouse. That is why it is necessary to anchor the base of a backyard greenhouse. Build a garden greenhouse on a base attached to the ground.
b) Secure the greenhouse base to anchors.
There are different options when building a greenhouse foundation. The cheapest and easy way to build a base or foundation for a greenhouse is to use wood beams. Join them over the greenhouse anchors and you got a foundation.
c) Build the side wall structures.
Building greenhouse walls with wood allows you to customize its structure. For this building project, wood was chosen to build the greenhouse frame. The material you choose depends on the material used for the covering type.
d) Build front and end walls.
You can use recycled old windows and doors to build the greenhouse’s front and end walls. Then integrate them into the greenhouse frame.
e) Build roof trusses for the greenhouse.
For this project, 2×4 rafters, support beams, and board ridges were used to frame the greenhouse’s roof. To secure trusses to the side walls, you can make homemade wooden brackets.
f) Install greenhouse plastic.
Using plastic sheets, polyethylene, or poly to enclose a garden greenhouse is the most inexpensive way. Typically, you cover your greenhouse on the front, end, side walls, and roof. Installation must be strategically planned. Request a helper and cover during a day without wind.
g) Finish work on the greenhouse base edging.
Once the structure of the greenhouse is complete, you can proceed to exterior finishing. It will also consider adding an edge to the bottom of your garden greenhouse base.
h) Interior finishing.
One of the most interesting building steps of a garden greenhouse is undoubtedly its interior design. Before proceeding, you must stain the wood frame of the greenhouse to preserve it.
i) Organizing the greenhouse.
Be creative to organize your garden greenhouse according to your space and growing needs. You want to have shelving, potting benches, and raised beds. It would be best for the environment to build from recycled materials.
j) Build raised beds in a greenhouse.
Depending on the size of your garden greenhouse, it’s possible to make raised beds in a greenhouse. In addition to defining the greenhouse walking path, the growing boxes extend the growing season for plants.
k) Make greenhouse shelving.
To organize and support plants in your greenhouse you must build shelves, benches, or tables. Determine the height and space of the greenhouse before constructing them.
i) Build a greenhouse potting workbench with a sink.
Useful for transplanting or potting plants, filling growing trays and pots, and hanging gardening tools. You can use a recycled laundry tub as a sink. [25]
Helpful Tips!
There are a lot of steps to building a greenhouse, so here are some tips with accompanying pictures below that can help you.
- It is much cheaper to build the greenhouse yourself, so all you have to pay for is the materials and not the construction workers.
- It would be more efficient and even more fun to have friends, family, and neighbors help you assemble your own greenhouse.
- Find a place for your greenhouse where the ground is level and there is good drainage and sun exposure all through the day. [19] Also, don’t forget that the prime sun exposure is facing south which is most important during the winter months when the sun isn’t out as much as in the summer.
- Some good materials for your foundation, if you choose to have one, are wood and concrete. [19]
- The best materials to use for the vertical frame of a greenhouse are wood, PVC pipes, and aluminum. Wooden greenhouses are very pretty but can rot while PVC pipes are easy to use, inexpensive, and lightweight. Also, aluminum doesn’t rust and makes a good frame for glass or polycarbonate panels.
- Glass panels, UV-resistant polycarbonate sheets, or plastic sheeting are very good materials for a greenhouse covering. Glass is more fragile, so there is a higher risk of it breaking but they are the most popular material because they make greenhouses look beautiful.
- Buy shelves, benches, or tables to hold your plants and potting supplies.
- Buy a fan to circulate air and a dehumidifier if opening doors and vents aren’t efficient enough.
Ventilation is important to have in your greenhouse because plants die from excess heat within a greenhouse and from the cold. The temperature will be more stable and controlled by having vents. [20] In addition, all plants need carbon dioxide, so your greenhouse needs good airflow. You can use a fan to bring in fresh air when the vents are open. Your plants need pollination, so the fans will help simulate natural wind that would be occurring if wasn’t within walls. Moving air will gently shake the plants, allowing pollination to occur. This is especially important with plants such as tomatoes, which are self-pollinating. [20] If you notice that your favorite plants are not fruiting, this is a sign that you need to increase airflow in your greenhouse. The small amount of pressure on the plants from the fans will allow your plants to develop strong stems and roots which overall helps the plants’ health. You should have at least one vent near the roof of the greenhouse so heat can escape and several on the ground to keep the air moving. [20] Have fun gardening! [15] [17] [19]
References
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