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When choosing a size, consider if the greenhouse will be used year-round, seasonally, or mainly as a sunspace. If you want a greenhouse to house an extensive collection of houseplants, then it is best to plan on building or purchasing a structure that is larger than your current space requirements. Most hobby greenhouse owners find they need a larger greenhouse than they originally thought. Upgrading later on may be more costly than ordering a larger unit from the beginning. Another important size consideration often neglected is height. You want to make sure your greenhouse has adequate head room. You need to consider both peak and eave (sidewall) height. Taller houses are also easier to heat and ventilate because the air has a greater buffer area. Uses: Are you using it for year-round vegetables and flowers, foliage houseplants, or seasonal see starting for the outdoor garden? A tightly sealed and insulated greenhouse with high light transmission is desirable for year-round vegetables and flowers (especially in northern climates) but not necessary for foliage plants and seed starting. If you are just starting seedlings or wintering over a few plants too tender for your area's winters, then a simple plastic greenhouse with few accessories other than ventilation and possibly a heater (depends on location) are needed. You should consider upgrading to twin wall polycarbonate if you plan to grow plants in the winter because of their heating efficiency. If you are interested in an attractive greenhouse, a painted frame and glass covering are popular options. Permits: Check local ordinances for required setbacks from property lines, design requirements, and other requirements. Call your local building department. Some hobby greenhouses may not need a permit, but it is a good idea to check anyway. Selecting a Site for Your Greenhouse Choosing the right site for your greenhouse will not only determine how well it works as a greenhouse, but how much you will enjoy it. There are several factors to consider in choosing your site. 1. Sunlight: If the greenhouse is going to be used primarily for starting seeds and transplants or plant propagation in the summer, place it in partial shade to minimize heat buildup. You can use a shade cloth to control the amount of sunlight reaching the interior if a partially shaded site is not available. If the greenhouse will be used for growing in late fall and winter, or growing plants to maturity, it will need maximum exposure to the sun. It should receive a minimum of 6 hours of direct sunlight everyday. It is best to position the greenhouse with the ends facing east and west. This will provide more heat gain from the sun during the winter and create less shadowing in the greenhouse. If the southern exposure is restricted, but open to the east, southeast, southwest, or west, turn the greenhouse to the winter sun. Remember the difference in sun angles from summer to winter (the sun is much lower in the winter). Sometimes a shade tree can be an advantage, providing some shade for the greenhouse during the hot summer and letting the sun in after losing its leaves in the fall. The problem with overhanging trees is one of falling branches that can damage your greenhouse. 2. Accessibility: You want your greenhouse to be easily used. A good site should be sheltered from high winds and easily accessible from your home and garden. Remember the need to move soil, plants, fertilizer, and yourself to and from the greenhouse. Access to utilities such as electricity and water are important requirements to remember also when selecting your site. 3. Weather: Many regions have chronic weather problems such as heavy rain, snow, and/or strong winds. Heavy rains may cause drainage problems in and around the greenhouse. To avoid standing water, choose a spot on high well-drained ground or install a drainage system before the greenhouse is erected. Snow is usually not a problem as long as you provide adequate insulation and heating. Strong winds can be a real problem. In cold weather, winds blowing over a greenhouse can drain it of its interior heat escalating energy costs. Windbreaks are your most effective weapon. A windbreak is an obstacle that "breaks" up the force of the wind. Trees, shrubs, fences, and other structures can all be effective windbreaks. Remember that a windbreak can also obstruct light. Try to locate one where it will block the least amount of light. 4. Construction and maintenance: A level, well drained site will obviously be easier to work with and maintain than a low, swampy, or sloped area. It is also a good idea to locate your greenhouse away from children's play areas. What's the Best Material for Greenhouses? There really is no best material for a greenhouse. It is hard to know what's best when there are so many different materials used to make greenhouses. Aluminum, galvanized steel, wood, PVC, glass, fiberglass, polycarbonate, polyethylene, etc. They all have their place in greenhouse construction. Your needs and budget will determine which is best for you. Greenhouse Coverings Most important is the covering. It will determine the amount and type of light reaching your plants, the overall appearance of your greenhouse, its safety, ease of maintenance, and longevity. Glass: The traditional greenhouse covering, preferred for its permanence and beauty. Glass is one of the least efficient materials for retaining heat, because it transmits heat and cold quickly and has very little insulating value (that's why it is used in cooking utensils and thermometers). Greenhouse glass should be double or triple strength to increase heating efficiency and decrease breakage, which can be dangerous when installing as well as a problem in the completed greenhouse. Glass is much heavier than other coverings, requiring more substantial framing. Other disadvantages include: it doesn't diffuse light, so there's a risk of burning plants; glass breaks more easily than the plastic glazings (important if you have hailstorms, trees nearby, kids that play baseball, etc.); and finally, slight deviations from horizontal and vertical frame alignment or settling of the foundation can crack it. Most glass greenhouses use engineered aluminum, steel, or laminated wood frames with full foundations. Never install glass on breezy days. Because of the need for many smaller, overlapping, glass segments in these greenhouses, site selection should take wind into consideration. Air (heat) leakage is greater in glass greenhouses because of the many panes needed. If you are unsure about your building talents, you might do well to avoid glass as the frame must be absolutely square and rigid. If you must have glass, consider hiring a contractor for your installation. Plastics: These coverings include fiberglass, polycarbonate, acrylic sheets, and polyethylene film. All plastics resist hailstone damage and are shatterproof, a distinct advantage over glass. Rigid plastics are stiff, but not brittle. They can be flexed to fit over a curved surface and are available in large sheets. This reduces the number of potential air leaks by reducing the number of joints in the covering. Fiberglass - The first of the practical replacements for glass, fiberglass usually comes in rolls or corrugated sheets and is translucent rather than transparent. You can't see through it but light transmission is roughly equal to glass. Fiberglass diffuses light that passes through it creating a virtually shadowless greenhouse. Fiberglass retains heat more efficiently than glass (but not as well as insulated plastics like multi-wall polycarbonate or two layers of inflated polyethylene film) while transmitting less heat into the greenhouse, a benefit in both winter and summer. Its corrugated form allows overlapping sides to seal well but its undulating ends can make for difficult joints. Aesthetically, the corrugations tend to detract from the structure and grime can collect in valleys. Greenhouse fiberglass is UV protected by a gel coat that will eventually be baked off by the sun lasting only about 6 years before turning yellow. When this happens, dirt accumulates among the glass fibers and becomes very unsightly. Polycarbonate - One of the newest covering options, UV treated polycarbonate provides much of the clarity of glass and is stronger and more resistant to impact than other coverings. It is also more resistant to fire than other plastics. Polycarbonate is available in several different thicknesses and normally comes in single and double walled sheets with many structural walls separating its two flat sides. Single wall polycarbonate is the least expensive and is generally used for its attractive appearance, but it lacks the strength, heat retention, and light diffusing properties of double wall polycarbonate. The multiwall structure gives it greater strength and superior insulating values with the air space built into the product. Multiwall polycarbonate also provides your greenhouse with an even diffused light that minimizes shadow and is optimal for growing plants. Another advantage of polycarbonate is its +15 year lifespan in most areas. Polyethylene Film: A favorite of commercial growers (about 90 % of all greenhouse sq. footage in the USA) because of its simplicity of maintenance. Use it for 2 to 5 years (life depends on poly thickness and UV treatment used) then recover with new poly. Used in single thickness, polyethylene film is good for simple cold frames and greenhouses used for starting seeds and other seasonal needs. When two layers are used, and the space between is inflated by a fan creating insulated air space, the polyethylene film retains heat more efficiently than glass houses, saving roughly 40% in heating costs. Drawbacks to polyethylene film include a relatively short lifespan vs. other coverings, possibilities of rips and tears, and a translucent appearance much like fiberglass. Polyethylene's low cost, ease of replacement, high light transmission, and good heat retention have made it a favorite of nurserymen and commercial growers. There are differences in polyethylene film. Cheap, thin films sold at many hardware stores and home centers are unsuitable for greenhouse use. Those films are designed as vapor barriers in home construction and other "interior" uses. Greenhouse polyethylene films are specially coated for protection from UV (ultraviolet) rays, which shorten the lifespan of unprotected film. There's a minimal cost difference and a considerable difference in performance on your greenhouse. Greenhouse Frames Most greenhouse frames are made from aluminum, galvanized steel, and plastic. Which material is right for you depends a great deal upon where and how you will be using your greenhouse. Galvanized Steel: Most commercial greenhouses have galvanized steel frames because they are long-lasting, low cost, and require less framework (thus less shadowing) than any other framing material thanks to steel's natural strength. Steel's greatest value in greenhouse construction is its strength. You want as much light to enter your greenhouse as possible and steel frames can be thinner than others, creating less shadow. Its other big advantage is its low cost. Steel greenhouses are normally covered with polyethylene film because most frames are not designed to accommodate rigid panels without additional hardware. Be sure that any steel tube greenhouse you purchase is made with heavy-duty galvanized or stainless tubing which is made for outdoor construction purposes to protect it from a greenhouse's normal humid and corrosive (fertilizer salts) atmosphere. Aluminum: Aluminum is used primarily in conjunction with glass or polycarbonate in architectural sunspaces and hobby greenhouses. It can be anodized in a variety of colors and has low maintenance requirements. Because of its higher initial cost, aluminum is most often used with glass and rigid plastic coverings. Aluminum is the longest lasting of all of the framing materials mentioned because it will never rust, rot, or break down from UV rays. Aluminum does not have the strength of steel so frame members either must be larger or more numerous. Look for engineered shapes in aluminum that are designed to increase frame strength, because you want as little frame shadowing as possible while not sacrificing the integrity of your greenhouse's frame. Plastic: Over the last 5 to 10 years plastic hobby greenhouses have become increasingly popular. The main advantages of these greenhouses are their low cost, portability, and ease of installation. Plastic is generally used to construct smaller structures because it is not as rigid as metal and wood, but the introduction of options like metal wire supports compensates for what plastic lacks in strength. Plastic frames have become increasingly popular because of the low amount of heat loss they produce compared to similar size metal frames. This is because plastic is a poor heat conductor like wood. The main drawback to a plastic frame is that ultraviolet rays from the sun will eventually cause the plastic to deteriorate even if it is a UV protected material. UV protected PVC materials generally have a 20 year or better life. Plastic frames are also normally larger than equivalent metal frames, which increase the amount of shadow in the greenhouse. Growing in a Greenhouse A greenhouse can be a great asset when growing vegetables in your garden, extending your growing season and even providing you with fresh vegetables through the winter and early spring. Successful vegetable growing requires the right environment in your greenhouse. Environmental elements to be considered are heat (in cooler months), cooling (in warm months), ventilation, air circulation, shading, humidity and lighting. Starting Seeds Seed starting for the summer or winter vegetable garden is a very common use for a greenhouse. With a greenhouse, you can get an early start to your garden or even have vegetables year round. Needed seed starting supplies are containers, sterile soil, fertilizer, water, and, especially for northern gardeners, heat and light. A relatively inexpensive way to start seeds is using a propagation mat under seed flats. This provides warmth directly to the soil to help with germination. An alternative to using flats is to plant seeds directly into a soil bench. Warmth can be provided with a heat cable buried about 6 inches in the soil. Heating Heat in the greenhouse can be provided with electric, natural gas or LP gas heaters. Electric heaters are flexible, economical, and easy to install with 240 volt heaters generally being more efficient than 120 volt. However, a 120 volt heater is generally adequate for heating a small greenhouse when controlled by a separate heavy-duty, moisture resistant thermostat. Natural gas and LP heaters should be properly vented, both providing fresh air for combustion and exhausting fumes, and equipped with a good thermostat. Other, less common heating methods include in-the-floor radiant heating or an extension of a forced-air home heating system to an attached greenhouse. Lighting Once the seeds come up they need light. If the natural light in your greenhouse is low (a common issue in winter), providing supplemental lighting is important to keep plants from getting spindly. A simple fluorescent shop light hung about 4 inches above your plants may be enough. However, many growers swear by the new High Output Fluorescent lamps, High Pressure Sodium, Metal Halide, or LED grow lights. These specialized lights provide strong, full spectrum light and can often cover a larger area than ordinary fluorescent. The high output fluorescent lamps are energy efficient as well. Vegetables to Grow in the Winter Greenhouse Vegetables commonly grown in a winter greenhouse include lettuce, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. However, what you are actually able to successfully grow depends on the night time temperatures you decide to keep. A cool greenhouse, with night time temperatures of 40-45°F, works for lettuce, spinach and radishes. Peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers need warmer temperatures at night, around 65°F, especially when fruit is growing. Pollination Vegetables growing in a greenhouse often need help with pollination. Standard cucumbers will need hand pollination, taking the male blossom and gently rubbing the female blossom center. Tomatoes and peppers are self-pollinating but the blossoms should be gently shaken or vibrated on a regular basis. Circulation fans can help move plants. A preferred alternative is to look in seed catalogs for varieties of seeds that are appropriate for greenhouse production, often due to their method of pollination. Watering Water is needed but the amount and frequency varies with temperatures, day length, plant size and your growing medium. It is recommended that the plants be thoroughly soaked at every watering. In January, watering may be needed every 10 to 14 days. As the days get warmer, the frequency should be increased. A flat of seedlings being warmed by a heat mat will also dry out more quickly. When watering, avoid splashing foliage to prevent spreading diseases. Ventilation In the winter, it can be difficult to prevent the growth of mold and mildew. Do not over water. Help control humidity with proper ventilation and air circulation. For air circulation I recommend an oscillating fan running 24/7 all year long. For ventilation in the warmer months, the gentlest form of ventilation is through natural convection with base wall vents or jalousie (louvered) windows pulling cool air in down low, with roof vents allowing hot air out through the roof. Cooling Positive cooling is usually not needed in a greenhouse as long as adequate humidity and shading is provided on hot days. If positive cooling is needed we would suggest using evaporative air coolers which humidify as they cool. Air conditioners are not good for plants since they remove moisture from the air. Click here to view greenhouses Composting Home composting is one of the most environmentally beneficial activities of modern society. Yard and food wastes make up approximately 30% of all waste in the US. Composting helps diverting a significant portion of your family’s waste stream from the landfill and water treatment facilities; it is a natural method of recycling organic materials into nutritious soil. The composting process encourages the production of beneficial micro-organisms (mainly bacteria and fungi), which in return break down organic matter to create humus (a rich nutrient-filled material). It increases the nutrient content in soils and helps soils retain moisture. Compost has also been shown to suppress plant diseases and pests, reduce or eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers, and promote higher yields of agricultural crops. Using compost can reduce the need for water, fertilizers and pesticides. It serves as a marketable commodity and is a low-cost alternative to standard landfill cover and artificial soil amendments. Composting also extends municipal landfill life by diverting organic materials from landfills and provides a less costly alternative to conventional methods of cleaning contaminated soil. 4 Key Elements to effective composting: 1. Air (oxygen) 2. Water (Moisture) 3. Food (compost material) 4. Heat How to Compost: Good composting is a matter of providing the proper environmental conditions for microbial life. Compost is made by billion of microbes that digest the yard and kitchen wastes you provide for them. However, these living microbes need air, water, food and heat. As long as you maintain proper conditions your waste will quickly turn into compost. Air Composting microbes are aerobic (require air). When the compost heap is not turned or mixed the anaerobic (do not require air) microbes take over the pile and though they do cause slow decomposition, they also tend to smell like rotting garbage. This is one very good reason to mix your compost heap on regular basis. Maintaining air passageways into the pile is essential to allow for proper airflow. The airflow passages can be opened by using a mixing tool for the bin style composters. When using a tumbler design composter the air is circulated through the heap through the mixing and turning action. In addition, air passages can be created by adding straw or small wood chips that will not get matted down easily. WATER - ideally your compost pile should be as moist as a damp towel to insure a good microbial habitat. If your pile is drier, composting will be slowed down. If the heap is to moist, the ingredients tend to mat down and exclude air, resulting in a slower and smellier process. When using dry ingredients, such as dry leaves or shredded paper, you will need to wet them as you are adding them to the pile. Moisture can be checked at any time, simply by turning the tumbler composter (in order to mix the pile). The best way to check on moisture content is to open the lid of the composter and touching the compost heap with your hand. FOOD - In broad terms, there are two kinds of food that composting microbes need. Browns and greens. `Browns` are dry and dead plant materials such as straw, dry brown leaves, wood chips, paper bags or shredded cardboard. These are a source of energy for the composting microbes and help promote good aeration, but they tend to be dry, and so brown often need to be moistened before they are add into and composter. `Greens` are fresh (and often green) plant material, such as fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grinds and tea bags, green leaves and flowers. Greens are high in moisture and have more nitrogen in them, which is a critical source of protein for the microbes. A balance of browns and greens is crucial in creating a successful composting system. Heat - The temperature of your pile is an important factor for successful compost. As the microbes work on digesting the ingredients in the pile they release heat, the temperature of your pile is determined by the collective body heat releases from billions of microbes. Maintaining moisture, airflow and a good balance of ingredients along with the unique design and color of your composter will assure that the temperature of the pile stays ideal for the composting process. The rule of thumb is that the darker the color the more heat is attracted and therefore the hotter the heap and the faster the breakdown process will be. This is a general rule as too hot a heap could “burn out” and actually kill the microbes need for the breakdown process. It is strongly recommended that you purchase a compost thermometer. This is the easiest and most accurate way to make sure that your temperature is at the acceptable range. Acceptable temperature for the inner core of the heap should be in the range of 120-150 degrees Fahrenheit. If the heap is less than 115 degrees Fahrenheit the process moves much slower, if the temperature is over 160 degrees the microbes will die. What to Compost: A good balance of greens and browns has to be maintained in order to keep the composting process active and efficient. Making great compost is much like making a cake. The ingredients and the amount of each are very important. Below is a general list of what to and not to put I you composter. What to compost What NOT to compost Green: Chemically treated wood products Kitchen waste Pernicious weeds Fruit and vegetable scraps Morning glory Egg shells Bindweed Old spices Sheep sorrel Coffee grounds and filters Ivy Tea bags Pine needles Dinner leftovers Oak leaves Yard waste Diseased plants, leaves and stem Green leaves Meat Lawn clipping Fish Flowers Animal waste Wood or bark larger than 2 “ Brown: Stale bread and cereal Shredded cardboard and newspaper Wood chips and sawdust Dry brown leaves Straw Tips Here are a few more tips to turn material inside your Composter into compost more quickly: • Help start a new compost pile with a product like Compost Boost that will help "fire-up" the microbes responsible for breaking down organic matter into compost. • Use a product like the ECO Kitchen Compost Collector in your kitchen. The built in carbon filter helps to keep odor down vs. a typical garbage bin. This will help limit the number of trips needed to the Composter. • Use equal parts by volume of dry and green plant materials in the overall mix. When adding layers of fine green plant wastes such as grass clippings make sure you mix it with other material properly. Grass mats easily and prevents water from moving through the mass. • Always make sure you leave enough empty space inside the Composter to allow the material to mix. • Do not compost plants or materials that have been treated with non organic pesticides. • Turn or mix the compost heap once a day. This will help introduce oxygen and speed up the composting process. • Keep the Composter in the sun. Microbes are more active when warm. • Plants lose between 50 and 75 percent of their volume in composting, so a lot of plant material can be processed effectively. Composters Raised Garden Beds Experienced gardeners use raised beds to sidestep a long list of gardening challenges. These controlled experiments in plant parenthood are so easy, in fact, that they’re also well suited to novices picking up a shovel for the first time. What are raised garden beds? Raised garden beds are simply a bordered garden that is planted above the existing ground level. You can think of it as a large potting area that can be used for any types of plants. It was started in the South Eastern US due to poor soil conditions for growing plants due to the high concentration of clay and has been spreading across the entire US over the past few years due largely to the aesthetics as well as the versatility that these garden beds offer. Raised garden beds come in many sizes, shapes, colors, and are made from different materials. They can be made by a homeowner that is handy or more easily purchased from sites like www.greenproducts.info. They are fairly easy to assemble and use but as you will see below there are things that must be considered to optimize your garden and your raised garden bed. Benefits: Bad dirt is out, because you fill a raised bed with a customized soil-and-compost blend. Drainage is built into the bed walls, which hold the soil in place to keep erosion in check. Greater exposure to the sun warms the bed, which allows more plant diversity and extends the growing season. Plants can be spaced closely together, so yields go up, water-use efficiency is maximized and weeds are crowded out. Finally, raising the soil level by even a foot reduces the back-bending effort needed for jobs such as planting, weeding and harvesting. Beyond the ease is the control—as you grow your favorite foods, you feed and soak your plants with just what they need for optimum growth. A raised garden bed is most productive and attractive as a bottomless frame set into a shallow trench. The sides can be almost any durable building material, including rock, brick, concrete and interlocking blocks. Watering troughs or claw-foot tubs can work, as long as they have the capacity and drainage. The most popular raised garden bed material though is the wood constructed ones as well as the recycled wood/ plastic plank kits. These kits are pre-designed to optimize your raised garden bed, not only for productivity but for aesthetic values as well. The major caveat, since raised beds are often used to grow edibles, is to steer clear of wood preserved with toxins. Avoid creosote-treated railroad ties; opt instead for naturally rot-resistant cedar or redwood when constructing a raised garden bed. This wood will cost more that the lesser quality woods available in the market but will last longer without the contaminants. The EPA considers wood infused with alkaline copper quaternary (ACQ) to be safe for food crops, but if you use this pressure-treated wood you may want to line the bed interior with landscape fabric—an air-and-water-permeable screen—to prevent soil contact. Whether using pressure-treated or naturally rot-resistant wood, put the bed together with galvanized or stainless screws or bolts. Dimensions: One of the first things to consider when buying or building a raised garden bed is the size. Raised garden beds can be any size or depth that the homeowner feels comfortable with. The main thing to consider as a homeowner is how easy is it to reach the center of the raised garden bed? As a homeowner you do not want to have to climb into the raised garden bed to tend to it. This will defeat part of the purpose of the raised garden bed in that the soil will become compressed and hard cutting down on the oxygen supply to the roots. Most pre-made garden beds are no wider than 4 feet and typically no longer than 12 feet for this reason. When considering the depth of the raised garden bed consider how ergonomic you would like the bed to be. What this means is consider how far you need to bend over to reach the base of the garden bed. By raising the sided on the raised garden bed the gardener will raise the soil level and also the level of the base of the plants. It is not recommended to go too crazy with the height, as this will also increase the amount of soil needed to fill the raised garden bed. The range of height will also depend on what is being grown in the garden as some plants have deeper root systems than others. As a rule of thumb, most raised garden beds are between 6” to 18” tall. What type of dirt to use: Don’t fill the bed with dirt from the garden. Instead, use peat moss, compost or a soil mix for planters. Use a 2 x 4 to level the soil, then plant. A 3 x 6–ft bed should be wide enough to support sprawling tomatoes, but narrow enough to reach easily from both sides. If possible, build more than one bed, which makes it easier to rotate crops and meet the watering needs of specific plants. Aligning beds in straight rows simplifies the installation of an irrigation system. Location & Preparation: Finding a flat spot spares a lot of digging—you want the walls to be level. In general, a north–south orientation takes full advantage of available light. Stay close to the kitchen, but avoid sites shaded by the house or beneath messy trees. Leave at least 18 in. between beds for walkways, or 2 ft if you need room for a wheelbarrow or lawnmower. To prepare the site, get rid of turf and weeds. Outline the raised garden bed dimensions on the ground with chalk line or string, then dig with vertical strokes along the outline, just deep enough to bury about half of your first course of lumber. Raised beds are designed so water trickles down, eliminating most of the problem of poor drainage. But if your only viable location is bogged in a marsh, you can prevent the “bathtub effect” by digging a few inches deeper and putting a layer of coarse stone or pea gravel in the excavation. You can also install perforated drainage pipes in trenches under or around the raised garden bed, or just drill weep holes at the base of the sides of your raised garden bed. Likewise, if there is no turf between your beds, put down some landscape fabric and cover it with pavers or a layer of gravel to improve drainage—after running out in the rain for a fresh bell pepper, you’ll appreciate the mud-free shoes. Level the earth or gravel layer at the bottom of the bed, then put down a layer of weed-suppressing landscape fabric that extends to the outer edge of the wooden frame. Now is also the time to think about pest control. “The rich soil in a raised bed has worms and other delicacies that attract moles, and gophers and voles relish young veggie roots,” To keep out burrowing pests we recommend a bottom layer of hardware cloth—a mesh grid of steel or galvanized metal. The kit designed raised garden beds offer unlimited amounts of options regarding designs, colors, sizes, and materials. They take a short time to physically construct and since they are kits, there is very little cutting needed. If you are building a raised garden bed on your own make sure to build each wall separately, then fasten them together and put the bed into position. Raised garden bed builders often sink posts into the ground for stability, either at the inside corners of the bed or halfway along the side walls. These help hold the raised garden bed in place, but can also reduce the outward pressure that a full bed exerts on the frame, which can dislodge the lumber after a single season. A cap railing that runs around the top of the raised garden bed ties everything together. Plus, it provides a handy place to set down gardening tools while working, or, when you’re done, a seat to admire the fruits of your labor. Greenhouse Effect There are 2 ways to create the greenhouse effect with your raised garden bed. The simplest and most economical would be the purchase of a seed started (also known as a cold frame). These are specifically designed to keep the cold out and keep the warmth and moisture in, especially when starting your new garden in the spring when there is still uncertainty about frost. There are many different sizes and shapes and we have found that they all function the same. These are all portable and can be re-used season after season. The second would be to actually build your own greenhouse (cold frame) cover for your raised garden bed. The framework that is described below is not meant or designed to be removed. If you are concerned with appearances we recommend the cold frame for your raised garden bed. To construct your own cold frame use galvanized pipe straps to mount 1-in. PVC pipe inside the bed walls. Cut ½-in. flexible PVC tubing twice as long as the beds’ width. Bend it, mount it and clip a cover in place. A simple framework of hoops and a lightweight cover can extend your growing season in cool areas, conserve moisture in dry areas and protect plants from birds or insects. Use clear polyethylene film to raise soil and air temperatures in early spring or fall—to get an early start on heirloom tomatoes, for instance, or to try your hand at exotic squashes. But be careful not to bake your plants on warmer days. Remove the cover or slit vents in it to avoid excessive heat buildup. For pest control, cover the raised garden bed with bird netting or with gauzelike fabrics known as floating row covers, which keep out flying insects but let in both light and air. Automate, Irrigate The simplest drip-irrigation setup uses flexible ½-in. poly tubing. It installs easily, it’s inexpensive and it can easily be repaired if damaged. Drip emitters spaced evenly at 12-in. intervals send water to the plants’ roots throughout the raised garden bed. Install spray emitters to give leafy greens a rinse above the soil’s surface. Once you add an automatic watering system to your raised garden bed, you’re free to plant, weed and harvest. A simple micro-irrigation setup ensures that plants get water consistently—especially important for seedlings and leaf crops such as lettuce. The sides of raised beds heat up quickly in the sun, baking the moisture out of the soil. Irrigation delivers the water evenly and gently. You can set your timer to water early in the morning—less will evaporate, and you resist disease. A basic setup starts with a faucet or hose-bib attachment that is essentially a series of valves that prevent back flow into the plumbing, filter the water and control the water pressure. These valves are designed with 1-in. or ¾-in. connections. From these, attach supply lines of flexible ½-in. poly tubing. The tubing’s accessibility makes it easy to check for leaks and repair damage from punctures or bursts. To protect the tubing, bury it a few inches and cover the line with mulch. Lay the tubing along the beds in lines 12 in. apart. Fit sections together with compression elbow and T-fittings. Install drip emitters at 12-in. intervals along the length of the tubing for even delivery of moisture to plants. Low-volume sprayers or misters on risers can also be used, but these lose more water to evaporation. Close the ends of each line with hose-end plugs and caps. Then sit back and let the system water for you. Advantages for your raised garden bed: • Perhaps the most important advantage is greatly reduced soil compaction. Plant roots need air. In an ordinary garden, you can’t avoid stepping in the raised garden bed occasionally when doing your everyday gardening. A properly designed raised garden bed allows you to do all your gardening from the garden path. • Plants can be spaced a little closer together in a raised garden bed because you don’t need places to step. This increases productivity per square foot of bed and reduces weeding when the plants begin to mature. • Note: Avoid the temptation to crowd your plants. You will still want to use generous plant spacing • Soil conditions and types can be controlled more efficiently in a raised garden bed and they can be varied easily from bed to bed. Raised garden beds are the answer when topsoil is thin. • Water, fertilizer, compost, mulch, etc. can be applied more carefully because they only need to be applied to the raised garden beds. • Various studies have shown that raised garden beds produce 1.4 to 2 times as much vegetables and flowers per square foot as ordinary beds, due mainly to the above advantages. You can have a smaller and more manageable garden that produces more goodies for your table. • Raised garden beds tend to drain away excess moisture better than ordinary garden beds. This is another advantage that helps the plant roots to breath. In areas that have saturated soil like Florida and many areas of the South, raised beds may be the only way you can grow many types of plants. • If you’ve framed your raised garden beds with railroad ties, timbers or landscape blocks, disassembly and reassembly is really a lot of hard work. • If you’ve framed your raised garden beds with nice wood bed boxes: Raised garden beds bring your garden closer to you. • Raised garden beds are after all, raised! • Raised garden beds tend to bring more order and pleasing geometry to your garden, especially when forms or edging are used to define them. • Raised garden beds can extend your gardening season. They tend to warm up a little sooner in the spring and remain productive later in the fall. • Do your gardening from the comfort of the garden path. No more bending over to pull weeds or trim plants. Sit on a stool or put a seat board on your garden wagon! Disadvantaged of your raised garden bed: There are problems with most raised garden bed systems if you want to disassemble your raised beds to move or rearrange your garden or if you just want to roto-till your garden beds. • You can try to pry the assembled bed boxes out of the soil. However, the small wood screws that most makers use to attach the form boards to the corner posts might pull out and the boxes could require major repairs. • You can disassemble the raised garden bed boxes. However, on most bed boxes, the screws that hold them together are on the inside and are buried, fouled with soil and probably corroded. 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Compost is a key ingredient in organic farming. At the simplest level, the process of composting simply requires making a heap of wetted organic matter (leaves, food waste) and waiting for the materials to break down into humus after a period of weeks or months. Modern, methodical composting is a multi-step, closely monitored process with measured inputs of water, air and carbon- and nitrogen-rich materials. The decomposition process is aided by shredding the plant matter, adding water and ensuring proper aeration by regularly turning the mixture. Worms and fungi further break up the material. Aerobic bacteria manage the chemical process by converting the inputs into heat, carbon dioxide and ammonium. The ammonium is further converted by bacteria into plant-nourishing nitrites and nitrates through the process of nitrification. Compost can be rich in nutrients. It is used in gardens, landscaping, horticulture, and agriculture. The compost itself is beneficial for the land in many ways, including as a soil conditioner, a fertilizer, addition of vital humus or humic acids, and as a natural pesticide for soil. In ecosystems, compost is useful for erosion control, land and stream reclamation, wetland construction, and as landfill cover (see compost uses). Organic ingredients intended for composting can alternatively be used to generate biogas through anaerobic digestion. Anaerobic digestion is fast overtaking composting in some parts of the world including central Europe as a primary means of downcycling waste organic matter. Raised Gardens - Gardens Raised - Raised Garden Beds - Buy Raised Garden Beds - Raised Garden Beds Orcalot - Orcalot Raised Garden Beds - Frame It All Raised Garden - Raised Garden Frame It All - Raised Garden Beds Frame It All - Frame It All Raised Garden Beds - Raised Gardens Kit - Buy Raised Garden Bed Kits - Raised Garden DYI - Wood Raised Garden Beds - Plastic Raised Garden Beds - Raised Garden Store - Raised Garden Beds Store Raised Gardens - Gardens Raised - Raised Garden Beds - Buy Raised Garden Beds - Raised Garden Beds Orcalot - Orcalot Raised Garden Beds - Frame It All Raised Garden - Raised Garden Frame It All - Raised Garden Beds Frame It All - Frame It All Raised Garden Beds - Raised Gardens Kit - Buy Raised Garden Bed Kits - Raised Garden DYI - Wood Raised Garden Beds - Plastic Raised Garden Beds - Raised Garden Store - Raised Garden Beds Store Raised Gardens - Gardens Raised - Raised Garden Beds - Buy Raised Garden Beds - Raised Garden Beds Orcalot - Orcalot Raised Garden Beds - Frame It All Raised Garden - Raised Garden Frame It All - Raised Garden Beds Frame It All - Frame It All Raised Garden Beds - Raised Gardens Kit - Buy Raised Garden Bed Kits - Raised Garden DYI - Wood Raised Garden Beds - Plastic Raised Garden Beds - Raised Garden Store - Raised Garden Beds Store Raised Gardens - Gardens Raised - Raised Garden Beds - Buy Raised Garden Beds - Raised Garden Beds Orcalot - Orcalot Raised Garden Beds - Frame It All Raised Garden - Raised Garden Frame It All - Raised Garden Beds Frame It All - Frame It All Raised Garden Beds - Raised Gardens Kit - Buy Raised Garden Bed Kits - Raised Garden DYI - Wood Raised Garden Beds - Plastic Raised Garden Beds - Raised Garden Store - Raised Garden Beds Store Raised Gardens - Gardens Raised - Raised Garden Beds - Buy Raised Garden Beds - Raised Garden Beds Orcalot - Orcalot Raised Garden Beds - Frame It All Raised Garden - Raised Garden Frame It All - Raised Garden Beds Frame It All - Frame It All Raised Garden Beds - Raised Gardens Kit - Buy Raised Garden Bed Kits - Raised Garden DYI - Wood Raised Garden Beds - Plastic Raised Garden Beds - Raised Garden Store - Raised Garden Beds Store Raised bed gardening is a form of gardening in which the soil is formed in 3 – 4 foot (1.0–1.2 m) wide beds, which can be of any length or shape. The soil is raised above the surrounding soil[1] (approximately 6 inches to waist high), is sometimes enclosed by a frame generally made of wood, rock, or concrete blocks, and may be enriched with compost.[2] The vegetable plants are spaced in geometric patterns, much closer together than conventional row gardening.[2] The spacing is such that when the vegetables are fully grown, their leaves just barely touch each other, creating a microclimate in which weed growth is suppressed[2] and moisture is conserved.[3] Raised beds produce a variety of benefits: they extend the planting season,[2] they can reduce weeds if designed and planted properly[2] and reduce the need to use poor native soil. Since the gardener does not walk on the raised beds, the soil is not compacted and the roots have an easier time growing.[4] The close plant spacing and the use of compost generally result in higher yields with raised beds in comparison to conventional row gardening. Waist high raised beds enable the elderly and handicapped to grow vegetables without having to bend over to tend them. Green House - Greenhouse - Greenhouses - Buy Greenhouses - Hobby Greenhouses - Portable Greenhouses - Greenhouses Portable - DYI Greenhouse - DYI Greenhouses - Buy Greenhouses - Discount Greenhouses - Greenhouses For Sale - Greenhouse Kits - Green Products Greenhouses - Greenhouse Store - Greenhouses Shop Green House - Greenhouse - Greenhouses - Buy Greenhouses - Hobby Greenhouses - Portable Greenhouses - Greenhouses Portable - DYI Greenhouse - DYI Greenhouses - Buy Greenhouses - Discount Greenhouses - Greenhouses For Sale - Greenhouse Kits - Green Products Greenhouses - Greenhouse Store - Greenhouses Shop Green House - Greenhouse - Greenhouses - Buy Greenhouses - Hobby Greenhouses - Portable Greenhouses - Greenhouses Portable - DYI Greenhouse - DYI Greenhouses - Buy Greenhouses - Discount Greenhouses - Greenhouses For Sale - Greenhouse Kits - Green Products Greenhouses - Greenhouse Store - Greenhouses Shop Green House - Greenhouse - Greenhouses - Buy Greenhouses - Hobby Greenhouses - Portable Greenhouses - Greenhouses Portable - DYI Greenhouse - DYI Greenhouses - Buy Greenhouses - Discount Greenhouses - Greenhouses For Sale - Greenhouse Kits - Green Products Greenhouses - Greenhouse Store - Greenhouses Shop Green House - Greenhouse - Greenhouses - Buy Greenhouses - Hobby Greenhouses - Portable Greenhouses - Greenhouses Portable - DYI Greenhouse - DYI Greenhouses - Buy Greenhouses - Discount Greenhouses - Greenhouses For Sale - Greenhouse Kits - Green Products Greenhouses - Greenhouse Store - Greenhouses Shop A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse) is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings. A miniature greenhouse is known as a cold frame. A greenhouse is a structure with different types of covering materials, such as a glass or plastic roof and frequently glass or plastic walls; it heats up because incoming visible solar radiation (for which the glass is transparent) from the sun is absorbed by plants, soil, and other things inside the building. Air warmed by the heat from hot interior surfaces is retained in the building by the roof and wall. In addition, the warmed structures and plants inside the greenhouse re-radiate some of their thermal energy in the infrared spectrum, to which glass is partly opaque, so some of this energy is also trapped inside the glasshouse. However, this latter process is a minor player compared with the former (convective) process. Thus, the primary heating mechanism of a greenhouse is convection. This can be demonstrated by opening a small window near the roof of a greenhouse: the temperature drops considerably. This principle is the basis of the autovent automatic cooling system. Thus, the glass used for a greenhouse works as a barrier to air flow, and its effect is to trap energy within the greenhouse. The air that is warmed near the ground is prevented from rising indefinitely and flowing away. Although heat loss due to thermal conduction through the glass and other building materials occurs, net energy increases (and therefore temperature) inside the greenhouse. Greenhouses can be divided into glass greenhouses and plastic greenhouses. Plastics mostly used are PEfilm and multiwall sheet in PC or PMMA. Commercial glass greenhouses are often high-tech production facilities for vegetables or flowers. The glass greenhouses are filled with equipment such as screening installations, heating, cooling, lighting, and may be automatically controlled by a computer. 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