This week Local Llano decided to do some digging. We looked into advantages that come from building and maintaining a backyard greenhouse. Greenhouses can extend the season and lifespan of your plants. It is true that you have to put money into building and maintaining a greenhouse over the colder winter months. However if you follow Local Llano’s simple tips and tricks, you will see a profitable return on investment. Let’s get started and get saving!
Greenhouses provide a higher yield on produce, than just simply planting the seeds into the ground. Greenhouses protect your seedlings and plants from sometimes how unforgiving mother nature’s violent winds and storms can be. Greenhouses also give you better control over pests. A properly enclosed greenhouse can keep out even the most persistent of pests. Your plants are also less likely to get sick inside a greenhouse versus letting them grow on their own outside. Often times the most pervasive illness among plant gardens is from the soil they are planted in. With a greenhouse, the home gardener has more control over events similar to these.
Depending on your budget, there are three different methods to plant your greenhouse. The first greenhouse gardening system is container planting. Container planting is great if you have decided to build your greenhouse over cement or an a patio. The best part about this particular planting method is that you, the gardener will not have to worry about weeding out the allotted soil or space. Local Llano has a few DIY Gardening blogs that you can reference like our Herbs and Spicy Salsa. The second greenhouse gardening system is planting straight into the ground. Soil planting is inexpensive if you choose to build your greenhouse over nice, useable soil. We also recommend a drip system for this planting method and the container planting method for easier watering. The last greenhouse gardening system is aquaponics. Local Llano recommends the aquaponic route for those new to the greenhouse gardening game. Maintenance for this method is super easy and does not take long to figure out. We have several blogs donated to the subject of aquaponics, The Basics: Part One and Part Two, if you are interested in incorporating this method into your home garden.
Greenhouses can grow virtually any type of produce that you can imagine. One thing to consider when choosing produce is cost versus money saved/earned. Depending on the size of your greenhouse, you may be able to sell your produce as it grows. Just make sure there is a market for that specific product in your community. If you are only interested in growing produce for yourself and your family, a smaller greenhouse may be exactly what you need. You can cut down on grocery costs with a greenhouse. Produce available at the grocery store that is not in season can burn a hole through your wallet fast! Don’t sacrifice your favorite produce, grow it yourself and keep the extra money in your savings! We looked into the most popular greenhouse produce in the United States and came up with the following list.
We hope this sheds more light on greenhouse maintenance and plant selection. We also hope we debunked common myths about greenhouses being “way too much work” or “too time consuming” for the average homeowner. In fact, we’ve compiled a compete plan to build your own greenhouse, complete with step-by-step photos. Click the watering can below and get started:
