What to Grow in a Greenhouse for Beginners

Greenhouses are a largely misunderstood structure. Most people think that they can install a greenhouse or have one built for them, and then the warm rays of the sun will provide them all of the free heat that they need to be able to grow any type of plant from temperate to tropical all year long. The number one misconception about greenhouses is the heat. Greenhouses do not receive the majority of their heat from the sun-at least not during the cooler periods of the year when greenhouses are needed. The purpose of a greenhouse is to allow the sun to be in contact with the plants to allow the plants to begin and continue the process of photosynthesis, which is the process by which plants convert nutrients into the sugars that they need to grow.

[http://www.asiafarming.com What to Grow in a Greenhouse for Beginners ] Greenhouses need supplemental heat. The amount of heat is really dependent upon what types of plants you are trying to grow. The interesting thing about plants and heat is that most plants prefer temperatures in the 50 to 80 degree Fahrenheit range regardless of whether they are tropical or subtropical or any other range of plant. A rule of thumb is that tropical plants prefer not to get cooler than about 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Other plants are fine with the temperatures dropping to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Any temperatures above 80 degrees cause the plants to dedicate more energy dealing with the hot temperatures, so if you are interested in getting your plants to grow at the most efficient rates, keep the greenhouse between 50 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.On sunny, windless winter and spring days, greenhouses will heat up from solar radiation. If the heat increases beyond the 80 degree threshold, then you should provide for ventilation of the greenhouse. You need to allow the excess heat to escape. Once night falls however, the greenhouse will cool off quickly, and they need to be closed up tight, and supplemental heat needs to be turned on. Ideally, ventilation and heat should be thermostatically controlled, but manual control is an option as long as you keep an eye on it.

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The third most important aspect for hobby greenhouse growers to understand about greenhouses is that once the last frost has passed, you do not need the greenhouse anymore. Your plants will likely thrive better if they are moved out into natural conditions, and you will not have to worry about controlling the temperature of the greenhouse anymore.