PROJECT "My 6 acres" = GREENHOUSE FOR  THE HOUSE =

Rare summer cottages or household plots do today without protected ground, that is, without greenhouses or greenhouses. The greenhouse is needed both in the northern regions and in the southern ones. This facility allows you to grow your own seedlings of flowers and vegetables, as well as extend the period of active farming by 2-3 months, and in some cases longer, and protect plants from the vagaries of the weather.

Greenhouse constructions

For a small garden plot or summer cottage, an easy-to-assemble, strong, durable greenhouse is needed. The most popular greenhouses are currently supplied to the customer in the form of a set of parts, from which he can independently assemble and install such a greenhouse on his site in a day. it is a set of plastic, aluminum or galvanized profiles or pipes that are precisely matched to each other in the factory. The kits come with detailed assembly instructions and all the necessary components, down to the last bolt and material for covering the greenhouse. Some designs of such greenhouses are shown in the photo.

As you can see, greenhouses come in different sizes and designs, and often they are not just a greenhouse for growing seedlings or vegetables, but also a wonderful architectural element that decorates the site, and in the cold season, this is also your winter garden and greenhouse. greenhouses can be easily built by yourself. Installation of some of them is easier to order for specialists. They will do it faster and better. But we’ll talk about this in the last section. You probably noticed that most greenhouses are not covered with film or glass, but with some other material. Right. This is a specially developed material for greenhouses - polycarbonate.

Project - Igorhouse

So what kind of greenhouse can we recommend to Igor?

Preparations for the construction of the greenhouse have already begun. A concrete or brick base, a wooden frame and a film covering are planned. Since the work has already begun, we cannot recommend any ready-made solution. Therefore, for this particular greenhouse, we can only offer equipment that is difficult to find in Russia.

Site planning and a short description

The greenhouse is located on the site, according to the general plan, so that there is free access to it, not far from the house, and the source of water supply. The dimensions of the greenhouse - 3 x 6 meters, allow you to grow the required number of seedlings for a summer residence, and later, provide the family with fresh vegetables and herbs over a long period.

For the greenhouse, it is necessary to prepare a foundation that will allow it to stand firmly on the ground. But its design will depend on the design of the greenhouse itself. The foundation can be strip or columnar, i.e. when concrete is poured into holes dug or drilled at a certain distance, and anchors are installed. It makes sense to think over the layout and construction of the greenhouse foundation in such a way that the size of the greenhouse can be increased if necessary. Today you need a small greenhouse, but tomorrow you will want to expand it. If you plan to grow plants on the ground, then you definitely need to lay a paved path in the center of the greenhouse and leave space for the beds on both sides of it. Be sure to also make a slight incline so that water does not accumulate on the path.

Since this greenhouse is designed for both seedlings and vegetables, it is necessary to provide for the installation of racks for boxes or cassettes with seedlings during its construction. When the seedlings are grown, the racks are removed and the plants can be grown directly in the greenhouse beds.

Greenhouse equipment

Well, our greenhouse is built. How to equip it now?

First, you need to supply water and electricity to it. It is best to lay the pipeline and electric cable in the ground. Igor plans additional lighting with fluorescent lamps and special lamps for the greenhouse. Fluorescent lamps are quite suitable for growing any plants. They give a good spectrum of radiation and are inexpensive.

How to grow seedlings in sufficient quantity and good quality? This will require collapsible racks made of available material. From metal pipes or profiles, or just from wood. Think carefully about their design so as not to create additional problems for yourself when disassembling them. The shelves should be light, lattice, so that water does not accumulate on them.

Well, for growing seedlings, you need to prepare special plastic cassettes, and if this is not possible, then you will have to make boxes or use suitable ones. It is necessary to prepare the potting mix. On the composition of such mixtures, there are many materials on the Internet on this topic, and you will choose its composition from the components available to you.

Racks in the greenhouse.				Cassette seedlings	The volume of the greenhouse space can be used effectively not only in terms of area but also in height.
Paths between the rows, covered with a special plastic.				this is what a cassette with ready-made seedlings looks like.	Racks for growing plants in hydroponics.

After your seedlings have grown, the area in the greenhouse is freed up and can be used to grow vegetables, flowers, or other plants. It should be noted that it is advisable to equip the greenhouse with ventilation.

Ventilation can be either natural, and for this, ventilation windows must be opened, or artificial, when, for example, an electric fan is installed at the end. To prevent your plants from overheating, you need to provide shading. Special nets are well suited for this purpose.

Irrigation

It is impossible to grow something in a greenhouse without irrigation. Our greenhouse is designed for both rack growing of seedlings and for plants in beds. We will have to make sure that the plants are comfortable in any mode. To grow seedlings, we will have to make the upper distribution for water, and attach special micro-sprinklers to these pipes, which will water our seedlings from above. Well, for the beds, we will have to duplicate our irrigation system and lay drip irrigation hoses.

Now the last thing remains - to make sure that the plants are watered on time, and water flows to them in the required amount.
Here, of course, we have two options. Move your beloved mother-in-law or mother-in-law to the greenhouse and instruct her to open and close the water tap. But for this you need to get her consent ... If all members of your family have refused the honorary position of ameliorator, then you will have to install an automation system in your greenhouse. The water after the filter goes to the switchgear, where there are water taps, but not simple, but electromagnetic So-called solenoid valves, which together with the device - controller (this is a mini-computer), will provide automatic watering of your plants. You can control the operation of such a controller and set the desired frequency and duration of watering. If you've purchased a multichannel controller to control irrigation in your greenhouse, you can further simplify your life and automate turning on and off auxiliary lights in your greenhouse.

The picture on the left is an eight-channel controller that can be used to automate your greenhouse, and the picture on the right is a solenoid valve that will turn on or off the water supply.

The controllers are available in different types, either AC or battery-powered. If in your area the water pressure in the water supply network is sufficient, at least 1.5-2.0 atmospheres, and you do not need to install any additional pump for pumping water, then you can get by with the controller and solenoid valves powered by batteries. , even if your electricity is temporarily cut off, the controller has a backup power system that will save the program settings, and you will not have to reprogram your "minicomputer" for watering again.

Optional equipment:

Additional equipment includes a filter, a control unit where the filter can be hidden, solenoid valves, and, if necessary, a controller. Of course, the controller can be installed directly in the house, and only control wires can be pulled to the solenoids.

Sprinklers for top irrigation. Complete with a special valve.				Some models of polycarbonate greenhouse cover.	A simple controller for one line.
Various filter options.				Fitting.	Water distribution unit.

Now we have everything for our greenhouse to be equipped with the latest technology!