Sleeper Sofas

Greenhouses offer the opportunity to have a garden of fresh flowers and vegetables every month of the year. However, greenhouse ownership is a considerable commitment of time, money and space. We can help you select from our wide range of greenhouse options and find one that meets both your budget and your gardening dreams.

To help you select the best greenhouse for your needs, we have compiled some of the most important factors for you to consider before making your purchase.

Size:
You should easily be able to choose the size of your greenhouse based on whether or not the greenhouse will be permanent or temporarily placed, the amount of space available, the amount of space desired and the amount you're willing to spend. To select your greenhouse size, consider when and how you will be using it (if it will be used all year long or just seasonally). It is a good idea to purchase greenhouse structures that are larger than your current space requirements to give room for growing plant collections. Upgrading the size of your greenhouse later will probably be more costly than just buying a big size to begin with.

Once you've determined how much room you will need for your plants, remember to leave enough room for yourself! Check to make sure the greenhouse height leaves you sufficent headroom for working by considering both peak and eave heights.

Purpose:
Well-insulated and tightly sealed greenhouses are ideal for growing vegetables and flowers year-round in colder northern climates, but aren't necessary for warmer climates or for starting seeds and growing foliage plants. Whether you're growing vegetables, flowers, foliage houseplants or if you will be using the greenhouse to shelter seasonal seed-starting for an outdoor garden should also help you determine what kind of green house you will need.

Details:
Simple plastic greenhouses with few accessories beyond a heater and ventilation will be sufficient for starting seedlings or wintering plants in foreign or harsh climates. Consider our twinwall polycarbonate greenhouses or greenhouses with inflated double layers of polyethylene if you plan on growing plants in the winter. These types of greenhouses are much more heating efficient than the simple plastic options. Another greenhouse upgrade involves physical appearance; painted frames and glass coverings are probably the most aesthetically appealing options.

Location:
Once you've picked your greenhouse based on size, purpose and physical characteristics, select the site where you will place it. The important factors to consider for greenhouse placement are sunlight, weather and accessibility.

• Sunlight Greenhouses used primarily for seed starting and transplants should be located in partial shade to prevent wilting due to heat build up. Shade cloths can be used to create this effect if necessary, but if natural shade from a tree or building can be achieved with the placement of the house, that may be an easier alternative. For gardeners using their greenhouse in late fall or winter, or for maturing plants, maximum sun exposure is required. For improve heat gain and reduce shadows from one end of the greenhouse to the other, it is best to position the house with its ends facing east and west. Shade from trees can be an asset, as they provide some shade for the greenhouse during the hot summer but let the necessary sun in after they lose their leaves in the fall and winter months. Avoid overhanging trees because the branches and debris may fall and damage your greenhouse.
• Accessibility Position your greenhouse in a highly accessible location, close to both your garden and your home. Access to electrical and plumbing resources should be considered in the placement of your greenhouse, and the site should also be easy to enter and exit while you work and carry plants and tools in and out.
• Weather In regions with a lot of heavy rain, hail, snow and strong winds there are other placement facters to consider. If you live in an area with a large volume of rainfall, avoid having your greenhouse sit in pools of standing water by choosing a site on higher ground, or at least a spot that is well drained. Snow is typically not a big problem, so long as the roof of your greenhouse is strong or the house is well insulated and heated during the winter. In colder climes, strong winds can drain greenhouses of their interior heat and thus increase energy costs. Windbreaks like trees, shrubs, fences and other structures can all be effective at alleviating this problem, but you must remember that these breaks may also block the sun. Locate your windbreaks where they'll obstruct the least amount of sun and greatest amount of wind.

The Best Material for Greenhouses:
This is a subject that really depends on your needs and budget. There are so many options for greenhouse materials, all with different pros and cons, it is best for you to determine which qualities are most important to you and go from there. Below we describe some of the attributes of different greenhouse components and materials, including glass, fiberglass, polycarbonate, polyethylene, aluminum, steel, wood and PVC. Our greenhouses are made out of the best combinations of these components, mostly with double wall polycarbonate.

Greenhouse Coverings
The most important compenent of a greenhouse is its covering. The covering determinds how much light reaches your plants, the overall appearance of the greenhouse, as well as its safety, durability and ease of maintenance.

• Glass Glass is the traditional greenhouse covering, and is preferred for its aesthetic appeal. However, glass is also one of the least efficient material for retaining the greenhouse's heat, since it transmits outside temperature quickly and is a poor insulator. Glass used in greenhouses must be double or triple the strength to give it enough heating efficiency and breakage protection. Glass is also much heavier than other coverings, and require more substational frames than its alternatives. Usually glass greenhouses require aluminum steel or laminated wood frames and professional installers, since any imperfections in horizontal or vertical frame alignment can cause cracks or other breakage.
• Plastics There are a number of plastic alternatives to glass that offer improved resistance to weather damage from wind and hailstones. Shatterproof plastics are stiff but not brittle and resist breakage. Plastics can be curved and are also available in larger sheets than the small glass panes that must be used for glass greenhouses. Plastic coverings include fiberglass, polycarbonate, acrylic sheets and polyethylene film.

• Fiberglass Fiberglass is a practical replacement for glass, however it is translucent rather than transparent. The light transmission is approximately equal to that of glass, but you can't see through it. Since fiberglass diffuses light, the light that does pass through creates an almost shadowless environment for your plants. Fiberglass is also a much more efficient heat retainer than glass. Fiberglass is not the best alternative to glass due to the decreased longevity of its physical appearance. Since fiberglass is often corrugated, waves in the material can accumulate dirt that detracts from the greenhouse's visual appeal. Also, greenhouse fiberglass is protected by a UV coating that bakes off after about 6 years and turns a yellowish color. These changes do not necessarily effect the greenhouse effectiveness, but do detract from its beauty.
• Polycarbonate Polycarbonate is one of the newest and most popular greenhouse coverings. UV treated polycarbonate is shatterproof and strong, unlike glass, but provides similar clarity. Polycarbonate is available in different thinknesses and comes in single, double and triple walled sheets. Single wall polycarbonate is less expensive than the other types and is sometimes thought to be more attractive since the single layer is more transparent than a combination of layers. However, single wall polycarbonate is not as strong as thicker alternatives and is also not as good at diffusing light as double or triple-walled polycarbonate. Not only does multiwall polycarbonate offer superior insulation with the air space between the layers, but it also provides the greenhouse with an even diffusion of light, minimizing shadows. In most areas polycarbonate has a life span of more than 15 years. Triple wall polycarbonate is most expensive, but with the reduction of heating costs that its thickness allows, it can pay for itself.
• Polyethylene Film
  Polyethylene film is often preferred by commercial greenhouse owners due to its simplicity and ease of maintenance. It can be used for 2 to 5 years depending on its thickness and UV treatment. It is good for cold frames and for seed starting greenhouses. Double layer polyethylene, inflated by a fan, creates insulated air space. Polyethylene does retain heat better than glass houses. While polyethylene does have a shorter lifespan than other coverings and is more likely to rip or tear, its low cost and high light transmission make it easy to use for seasonal or extremely large nursery greenhouses.

Insulation: The R Factor
While browsing the different greenhouse covering options, you may see values for the covering material's 'R Factor'. The R factor, or 'resistance factor', is a measure of how well insulation slows the transfer of heat. The higher the R factor is, the better insulated your greenhouse will be.

Greenhouse Frames
Greenhouse frames are made from aluminum, galvanized steel, PVC or wood. Choosing a material depends a lot on the purpose and location of your greenhouse.

• Aluminum Aluminum is the most enduring frame material of all greenhouses since it will not rust, rot or break down in the UV rays from the sun. It is used most commonly with glass or polycarbonate greenhouse coverings and has low maintenance requirements. It is more expensive, but its longevity makes the investment worthwhile. Since aluminum is not as strong as steel more supports are required to achieve the same structural integrity. An increased number of frame supports also means that the amount of shade in the house will be decreased. Look for aluminum greenhouse structures with the greatest amount of strength in places where supports will not block a lot of your sun.
• Galvanized Steel Steel frames require less framework and therefore decrease the amount of shadowing. They are very long-lasting and fairly inexpensive. Steel is used most often with polyethylene because most frames are not designed for rigid panels without lots of additional hardware.
• Wood Wood frames may be more attractive for sunrooms and greenhouses, but they have limited lifetime in the moist greenhouse environment. Woods that are better at enduring the humidity of a greenhouse are cedar and redwood since they have natural resistance to elements and insects. Use of sealants and stains can also improve the lifespan of wood frames. Wood frames are heavy and are usually offered only for small or homemade greenhouses.
• Plastic Plastic hobby-sized greenhouses are becoming more popular due to their low cost, portability and ease of assembly. They are often less expensive than other options and protect from heat loss since it is a poor heat conductor. The major downfall of plastic frames is that UV rays from the sun cause plastic to deteriorate. To compensate, UV protected PVC frames have been created that have a lifepsan of longer than 20 years.

We offer a great selection of greenhouses from popular hobby greenhouse manufacturers like Juliana, Sunshine, Rion, Poly-Tex and Easy2Build. Browse our selection of greenhouse kits and accessories like greenhouse benches, tables, fans, window openers and more. With all of the options we offer and the information we provide to help pick the best greenhouse for your needs and budget, you will soon be gardening year round!

Our best advice is to call our toll-free customer service number, (800) 593-7261, for help making your decision or purchase. We have trained greenhouse experts on hand, Monday-Friday, 9 AM-6 PM EST.