How to make a greenhouse for seedlings with your own hands?
Vegetable seedlings and early vegetable crops, before planting in the soil in the garden, need preliminary development. Seedling preparation begins in early March. Vegetable grains are first planted in small pots. For the further development of plants in conditions close to the external environment, a seedling greenhouse is used.
A greenhouse is a structure designed for the rapid growth and development of plants and fruits of vegetables and flowers. It has the ability to regulate the internal microclimate (air humidity, temperature, precipitation).
The greenhouse can be used not only for seedlings, but also for growing fruits (cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini).
To grow seedlings, you need to build a greenhouse. The most valuable and effective option is to make a greenhouse for seedlings with your own hands. For this, any wooden material (boards, beams, beams, window frames that are not used for their intended purpose) and metal material (metal strip, arcs bent from reinforcement, thick metal bars) available on the farm are suitable. The internal microclimate is maintained with the help of sunlight. If this source is not enough, they build different stoves from stone material, install thermal cables or use a container with hot water.
Making a greenhouse for seedlings
There are several basic design solutions for creating a greenhouse:
Frameless greenhouse. The easiest option for growing seedlings of early crops (radishes, greens). To make such a home mini greenhouse for seedlings, you must:
- Prepare a small piece of land. It is usually prepared in March;
- Then pour hot water over the ground;
- Sow the seeds of future seedlings;
- Install the wire mesh metal structure. The grid cell can be within 10x10 cm;
- After that, cover the construction of the seedling greenhouse with plastic wrap. The size of the film must be larger than the total area of the site in order to be able to wrap its edges;
- The wrapped edges of the film are pressed with soil, or wooden boards or beams are used;
- Along with the growth of seedlings, the crate must be lifted, placing it on supports made of stones or wooden beams.
Frame tunnel greenhouse. The most accessible type, which is distinguished by the simplicity of its design. It is intended for plants that do not tolerate frost well. A frame greenhouse can be made both stationary and portable.
The most common material used in the construction of a stable frame is arcs made of metal strips or reinforcement.
The wooden frame is used in the micro-greenhouse for seedlings. It can be in the form of a gable roof or a small rectangular tunnel. Wood is a natural material that is preferable to use for seedlings from the point of view of environmental friendliness. Along with this property, wood is not resistant to moisture.
To build a frame greenhouse for seedlings with your own hands, you must:
- Prepare the soil. Fertilizers (natural manure or other organic matter) are an important element in preparing land for plants;
- Install metal arcs (they are inserted into the ground to a depth that will allow you to acquire the stability of the structure), or a wooden frame;
- After installing the frame, a plastic film is stretched;
- The wrapped ends of the film are pressed with wooden boards.
On sunny days, the frame greenhouse can be opened without much difficulty. If unwanted rain or cold appears, it can also be easily covered.
Stationary, home greenhouse with a screen window and a box. Such greenhouses are built in two design solutions: a wooden frame or brickwork.
To make a mini-greenhouse for seedlings with a wooden frame, you must:
- Prepare wooden boards of the required size, depending on the size of the area;
- You can fasten them with nails, screws or metal staples;
- On both sides, cut the top of the box at an angle of 45 degrees;
- Attach window frames to the upper part of the frame. If they are not there, you can make rectangular frames and insert glass into them;
- The structure must be oriented with the sloped frames to the south. This will make growing seedlings in a greenhouse more efficient.
To make a greenhouse for seedlings using brickwork, you must:
- Choose a place;
- Deepen the soil by 30 cm:
- Mix the mortar and carry out brickwork along the perimeter of the excavated pit;
- Install window frames with glass on the upper part of the building;
- Place an emphasis on the lower part of the opening for the window frame.
Some tips for setting up a seedling greenhouse
The main requirement for choosing a place for installing a greenhouse is direct sunlight. The sun plays a major role in the process of photosynthesis of plants, therefore, the location of the greenhouse should be sunny, away from trees or buildings. If the owner decides to make a mini-greenhouse for seedlings near the house, you need to choose a place where the sun's rays get inside the greenhouse for the longest time.
For the installation of a greenhouse, it is necessary to choose a level and windless place. Strong winds can destroy the film cover, which in turn can damage the seedlings.
When the place is selected and all the elements are ready, you need to dig a small pit, 50 to 70 cm deep. A layer of heat-insulating material is lined at the bottom of the pit (crushed stone - 10 cm and 10 cm of sand). After that, a layer of organic litter (humus or straw) must be installed. Next, a layer of biofuel should be poured (horse manure is the preferred biofuel for growing seedlings in a greenhouse). When the soil is ready, the greenhouse frame is inserted into the pit and covered with a thin layer of earth.
Modern technologies make it possible to use stretch oilcloth instead of plastic film for small greenhouses, which has the ability to stretch. Due to this property, the stretch oilcloth does not sag, as a result of which air cushions are created in the greenhouse. They, in turn, create a higher temperature necessary for better plant development.
Innovative solutions allow the use of alternative materials for the construction of a mini greenhouse for seedlings. One of these materials is polycarbonate. To make such a greenhouse will not be difficult for any gardener owner. To do this, it is necessary to prepare several metal shaped pipes with a diameter of 20x20 and strips of 30x4. Bend the strip into arcs and fasten it with professional pipes into an integral frame. Then make a half-arc cover. The entire frame must be covered with polycarbonate sheets. Due to its two-layer structure, polycarbonate has high thermal insulation properties and can withstand significant rainfall loads.
A DIY greenhouse is a convenient and economical option that will meet all your requirements and ensure reliability when growing seedlings.
Whatever greenhouse we build, it must solve three problems:
• prevent plants from freezing at night;
• do not overheat the seedlings during the day;
• be stable and do not break the tightness during bad weather.
It is not very easy to create such a shelter for growing seedlings. Young plants require a certain temperature regime, and in a greenhouse it lends itself little to regulation. The greenhouse is suitable for hardening seedlings before planting in open ground. Here it is irreplaceable, the plants adapt to the change in the weather during the time they are kept in the greenhouse. Cabbage seedlings feel good in an unheated greenhouse, as they need night coolness. Such a biofuel-fired structure is perfect for growing thermophilic low plants - marrows, peppers. Temporary covering of beds with improvised means creates an increase in temperature on the ground and accelerates the germination and development of any greenery. And this is also considered a greenhouse. If the ground under the film heats up in the spring, the film is sweaty from the inside, the earth soars, it means that cold-resistant crops can be sown in the garden bed. It is better to grow high-quality seedlings in a greenhouse. There and night heating it is easier to organize daytime ventilation.