HYDROPONIC GREENHOUSE
Nirvana Under Glass!

Hydroponic greenhouse...

Picture this... you just had a bad day at the office, but it's finally over. The one hour commute home adds to your stress level. You arrive home to find the house a mess and the kids fighting. Escape! Out back... it's a gloomy January evening... there it is... your oasis... a bright and cheerful hydroponic greenhouse!

                           
                           


Your ultimate goal might well be an outdoor greenhouse. It's a great thing to shoot for. Lots of room, total climate control, and plenty of nature's perfect lighting... the sun.

When do you need a greenhouse? When your 'ponics units and enthusiasm have overflowed your house. Or you've become serious about supplying much of your family's veggie needs yourself. A greenhouse is an ambitious project, for sure. But if you're serious about gardening, you'll never regret building one.

With proper heating and a little supplemental lighting, you can grow tomatoes, peppers, cukes and melons in the harshest of winter months... now how cool is that?


                           


By the time you get to this state, we should have a whole new section on hydroponic greenhouses ready to guide you. Right now, we don't have a greenhouse. It is the final destination of our "hydroponics journey". We are carefully researching many different styles and plans, as we anticipate our move to "the forest". We will keep you posted as Stella's Ultimate Greenhouse Project progresses.

 

GREENHOUSE CONSIDERATIONS

• If you don't have a sunny spot somewhere in your yard, or can't create one by cutting down some trees, don't do a hydroponic greenhouse. Ideally, your greenhouse should receive direct sunlight most of the day. If you have to provide most of the light artificially, why bother with a greenhouse?
   
• Put it close to your house so you can easily hook up to power and running water. Consider adding a "lean-to" greenhouse along an outside wall of your house to take advantage of acquired solar heat.
   
• Ventilation is very important. Vents and exhaust fans are a crucial element in any greenhouse plan. Add a thermostat to automate the system.
   
• Greenhouse gardening has always been popular with northern gardeners. But it is just as useful in the tropic and semi-tropic areas (Florida). The problem? Cooling it off in the summer. Solution: shade-cloth, fans and screen walls.

Do you have to spend a lot of money to build a greenhouse? No! There are inexpensive materials and free plans that could have you up and growing for a couple hundred dollars. Or you can spend thousands of dollars if you want a true "glass house" that will last for generations to come.


                           


Build your own from scratch or order a kit?

DIY

If you're good with a hammer and saw, plan and build your own greenhouse. Do a web search for "greenhouse plans" and explore the possibilities. You'll be proud of your own construction, and it will provide 10-20 years of hydroponic gardening; longer if you use pressure treated wood. Just make sure you follow the local zoning laws and get a building permit first, especially if you use a concrete slab.
 

                           

PREFAB

There's an ever increasing array of pre-fab, hobby-style greenhouse kits on the market. One company, Rion, has designed a clever line of prefab kits. Order it, wait for the UPS guy to deliver it, then snap it together in a few hours. Check them out at riongreenhouses.com. Other kit companies: jancoinc.com and hoophouse.com. Just do a net search for "greenhouse kits" to start your search.
 

A CONTROLLED LAB...

Are you a control freak? A greenhouse allows you total control over climate. You can create the "perfect growing environment". A greenhouse lends itself well to experimentation, too. Create your own ultimate automated food factory... with a hydroponic greenhouse. Don't know about you, but it's high on our to-do list. We are planning a whole section of our website here devoted to our greenhouse project... so stay tuned!