You can build a greenhouse yourself in just a few steps. We'll show you how here.
Greenhouses for the home garden are available in a wide variety of designs. Whichever design you choose - we will show you how you can build your own greenhouse for your crops in just six steps.
1. Planning
When planning, you have to consider how big the greenhouse should be. The location is decisive for whether the plants can later grow well. This also applies to the type of greenhouse. That's why the very first step is to think about which plants you want to grow in the greenhouse and what quantities.
How big do you want it to be?
Greenhouses come in many different sizes. The question of how large your copy should be depends primarily on the available space. But the amount of vegetables and other plants that should grow in it is also very important.
If you only want to grow a few cucumbers and tomatoes, you obviously need a smaller greenhouse than if you need a larger supply of fresh vegetables or simply want to have a certain variety of fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers.
Basically, the greenhouse should be at least two meters high. If you only have little space for the greenhouse, you can create the necessary space with more height and shelves or hanging baskets. Be sure to make the door wide enough to accommodate a wheelbarrow or similar sized equipment.
Choose the right location
When it comes to the question of the optimal location for the greenhouse, various factors play a role.
Material:
For a glass house, a northerly or southerly placement is particularly favourable: as the sun rises in the east, the glass panels heat up quickly, while at noon they stand lengthwise against the sun and absorb less heat. When the sun begins to set, the last rays of the sun fill upexploit.
Multiwall Greenhouses perform best when positioned east or west. This variant is particularly useful if you want to start breeding early. In spring, the light falls from the southeast and west. A greenhouse with the wide side facing south will therefore absorb the most light.
Sheltered:
So that the greenhouse is not cooled down by the wind, it should be protected from the wind as much as possible. At the same time, however, it should not be positioned directly under large trees - apart from the lush shadow cast, falling branches and fruit can damage the house. On the other hand, low hedges and small bushes are suitable as windbreakers.
Off the slope:
If you want to use the greenhouse even at low temperatures, it should not be at the foot of a slope. Cold air collects there, which then surrounds the greenhouse and cools it down.
2. Gear & Materials
The next step is to gather the equipment and materials you will need to build the greenhouse.
Working Safely
For your own safety when doing DIY, you should think of the following protective equipment:
Work gloves:
Work gloves protect hands during various activities in the house or in the garden. Based on the different protection classes, you can decide which work gloves are the right ones. Category 1 gloves are sufficient for low risks. If there is a moderate risk of injury, you should wear category 2 gloves.
We recommend category 3 work gloves for dangerous work that involves a high risk of injury. If you are handling a saw or similar sharp tools, the gloves should ideally be cut-resistant so that you cannot seriously injure yourself in an emergency.
Goggles:
Splinters and chips fly around when sawing. So that none of it gets into the eye and causes injuries there, protective goggles are essential when doing DIY. Small foreign bodies that have flown into the eye are often only noticed later when they cause irritation. It is not uncommon for the complaints to be classified incorrectly and accordingly treated incorrectly.
It is important that the safety goggles are of good quality and also fit tightly around the eyes. The model should be theLabeled according to DIN EN 166.
Respirator:
Grinding, sawing, drilling: All such work produces fine wood or metal dust. If it gets into the lungs, it can have dire consequences. Therefore, you should definitely wear respiratory protection during such activities so as not to inhale the fine dust.
Hearing protection:
Working with a circular saw, hammering sheet metal, using a hand grinder: these types of work have a volume of between 90 and 115 decibels. This volume is not only uncomfortable for the ears, but also damaging to hearing over a longer period of time. Volumes up to 80 decibels are not harmful. That's why it's important to protect your ears by wearing good hearing protection when doing noisy DIY jobs.
Sturdy footwear:
If you handle heavy materials and tools at home, it is best to wear safety shoes. This keeps your feet whole if you drop a tool on them. If the shoes have a puncture-resistant sole, nothing can happen if you step on a nail.
If you don't have safety shoes, other stable shoes that can cushion minor mishaps are sufficient for most work at home.
The right work equipment
The following work materials should not be missing:
- Folding Rule
- Level
- Cordless Screwdriver
- Drilling Machine
- Hammer
- Circular Saw
- Jigsaw
- Angle
- Wood Screws
- Nails
- Clamps
- Hinges for the flaps and the door
- Sliding bolt with locking plate for the door
- Window Latch
- Paint roller
- Brushes
- Weather protection paint
- some roofing felt
- Staple
- Ladder
Materials for Greenhouse
You will need these materials to build the greenhouse:
- Material for the desired foundation (concrete, aluminum, wood, etc.)
- the appropriate number of frame timbers and wooden beams in different dimensions
- Glass or Plexiglas for the walls
- Glass or Plexiglas corrugated sheets for the roof
- Weed Fleece
3. The Foundation
When everything is prepared, you can start building. First the foundation is made. You can choose between a foundation made of wood, concrete or steel.
A wooden foundation is easy to assemble, but may not last as long as other foundations. Conversely, a concrete foundation is very durable and stable, but you have to invest more time and money in the processing of the concrete. The middle ground is the steel foundation: It is relatively quick to assemble and also durable.
In order for the foundation to be the desired size and level, stake out the edge using wooden stakes and twine. Then excavate the ground along the edge and build the foundation from the desired material. The ground in the middle is leveled.
4. Build the framework
The supporting frame consists of planed, well-dried wooden slats of at least 5 by 5 centimeters. The wood should be impregnated once or twice beforehand and painted with a clear wood preservative glaze so that it is weatherproof. Note: The color must be compatible with Plexiglas. To prevent water from penetrating the wood of the frame from the foundation, you should staple roofing felt to the underside of the frame beam for insulation.
The frame consists of four parts: For the sides of the greenhouse you need a frame made up of two long bars and between two and four shorter ones (depending on the size). The shorter slats serve as struts, placed at right angles between the two long beams. The beams are then bolted together with angle brackets.
The frame parts for the front and back are narrower than those for the side parts, so you need fewer vertical braces for this. Note that you'll be attaching a frame for the door to the front instead of the struts.
The individual frame parts are then gradually placed on the foundation and screwed together and to the foundation. A connection using metal straps is ideal for particularly good stability.
5. Deploy the Walls
You can use glass (also old window glass) or plexiglass (double wall sheets) for the walls of the greenhouse. The glass panes must be cut to the appropriate size before installation.
You can attach an aluminum rail to close the openings in the plexiglass panes. In order for the water to drain, you need to drill holes in the bottom rail. The finished panes are inserted into the individual faces of the frame partsinserted and screwed tight.
6. A roof for the greenhouse
Attach the supports (rafters) to the framework. How many there should be depends on the number of vertical struts in the side parts. You can use Plexiglas corrugated sheets as a roof covering. These are fastened with special system screws. Web plates are also possible, but then even more heat is stored inside. Depending on the solar radiation, this can be problematic.
The roof of your greenhouse should be pointed: This guarantees the optimal growth conditions for the plants, because low buildings heat up too quickly, but at the same time cannot store the heat well. A pointed roof also has the advantage that dust and dirt can run off when it rains and the snow can slide down in winter. This allows more light into the greenhouse. If the roof protrudes a little, this prevents direct rain on the wooden structure.
Once the greenhouse is up, it's time to start thinking about planting. Tomatoes are an absolute classic for the greenhouse. In our article we present a variety of old and new tomato varieties - there is something for everyone.