Gable-styled Greenhouses

• Aesthetically Pleasing Designs
  This architectural style often correlates with other Colonial style buildings on a property, providing a continuity of visual form that is pleasing to many greenhouse gardeners and homeowners. Such an attractive flow of design adds value to a property and is readily accepted by zoned communities and picky neighbors alike.
• Perfect Choice for Snowy Regions
  The gable greenhouse is ideal for climates that receive a large amount of snow and ice, as the steeply sloped sides of the roof facilitate shedding of heavy snow. Excess snow and ice accumulations can crack or cave in a greenhouse roof. A design free of snow and ice also allows more winter sunlight to penetrate the gable greenhouse’s roof panels, providing extra nourishment for delicate winter plants.
• Extra Headroom in Less Space
  A gable-style greenhouse is an extremely popular choice for gardeners of above average height. The first steeply sloped angles of the roof provide adequate ceiling height, while the more gently sloping angles provide ample headroom for tall gardeners, even when working near the exterior walls of the greenhouse. This design element takes full advantage of limited greenhouse spaces.
  The added height afforded by the gable greenhouse roof gives greenhouse gardeners the option of growing extra tall plants and climbing vines without resorting to excessive pruning. This design also helps create an open-air feeling in a cramped space for gardeners who dislike confined spaces, but must settle for a smaller greenhouse.
• Various Options
  Gable-style greenhouses come in many varied options, just as other styles of greenhouses. A smaller gable-style greenhouse could cost as little as $600, while a larger gable greenhouse could run in the thousands of dollars. This style of roof design adequately supports both Lexan and glass roofs, and often features fold out vent windows as an option.

Portable Greenhouses

• From Sturdy to Flexible: Portable greenhouse kits are available in varieties that are sturdy enough to stand up to bad weather, and others are flexible enough to fold up for storage in a small space. They are versatile enough to meet a variety of greenhouse gardening needs. Some portable greenhouse kits can even be used as an inexpensive permanent greenhouse!
• Hobby Starters: Portable greenhouse kits are a great way to start a new hobby as a greenhouse gardener. They make perfect gifts for recipients of every age. You can give a portable greenhouse kit as a retirement present, or as a gift for the school age child looking for a science project idea or new hobby. Portable greenhouse kits are the perfect way for a gardening enthusiast to share a love of gardening.
• Easy Set Up: Most portable greenhouse kits are extremely easy to set up and can be ready for use in a matter of minutes, right out of the box. Portable greenhouse kits are even available that are self-erecting, only requiring the insertion of a stabilizer bar once set up is complete. This makes portable greenhouse kits attractive for gardeners with physical disabilities or generalized physical weakness.
• Overwintering Paradise: Portable greenhouse kits are perfect for overwintering those delicate plants in a mild region, some plants can even remain outdoors during the entire winter. A portable greenhouse kit eliminates the need to cram your living room with all of your favorite perennial plants during the colder winter months.
• Helpful for Starting Seeds: Portable greenhouse kits can help you get your seeds started earlier. They provide added warmth during germination and help retain extra moisture for delicate sprouts. Portable greenhouse kits also protect fragile seedlings from downpours, heavy winds, and even trampling by the family dog. You can replace those plastic terrarium trays and peat pots, letting seeds grow in their natural environment without transplantation.

Portable greenhouse kits are versatile and useful tools for the gardening enthusiasts. They make perfect gifts and are a welcome addition to any gardener’s potting shed.

Window Greenhouses

A window greenhouse is a small greenhouse that protrudes from one of the windows of your home, or affixes to an existing window in your home to provide growing space for your plants while maximizing the sun’s exposure. Most window greenhouses are square, and consist of Plexiglas sides and top, and a solid bottom (usually made of solid wood, though other materials may be used as well). They come in various sizes to fit a variety of windows and gardening needs.

Benefits:

• Added light in the home. A window greenhouse lets in plenty of light, brightening up any room. While the plants may block some of your view from the window, the natural beauty of your window greenhouse adds plenty of beauty to your home while still allowing in plenty of natural sunlight.
• Delicious aromas. Whether you plant flowers, herbs or vegetables, the fresh, clean scent of your window greenhouse can really freshen up your home, especially during those long winter months and rainy days when you can’t get outside.
• Allows those with limited space to garden. A window greenhouse attaches to your home without taking up space, allowing you to garden in confined spaces. They have even been used in nursing homes, hospitals, and apartment buildings!

Cold-Frames

Cold frame gardening is an inexpensive way to extend your growing season into those winter months. You can build your own cold frames, or purchase ready-made or easy to assemble cold frames from a garden supply store.

Before you dive into cold frame gardening, you should know a few basics that seasoned cold frame gardeners have learned.

Area: Where to Put Your Cold Frame

Cold frames can either be placed on top of the ground, or below ground level to help take advantage of the insulating properties of the earth. Your frame should be placed in a manner to take maximum advantage of the sun. Position your cold frame at a ten-degree angle, facing in a southerly position. You can also select an area with a slightly sloping landscape to assist with drainage inside the cold frame.

Befitting: What to Grow in Your Cold Frame

Some plants thrive inside a cold frame environment. Gardeners most often place leaf lettuce, spinach, chard, carrots, and even evergreen starters in a cold frame. Depending on your climate and the quality of your cold frame, you can experiment with other hardy vegetables and houseplants to see what you can grow in your area.

Climate: Temperature Control in a Cold Frame

Since cold frames essentially act as miniature greenhouses, monitoring and adjusting the internal temperature of the frame is necessary to ensure the survival of your plants. Even when the air temperature is cooler in spring or fall, direct sunlight may heat the air inside your frame to a temperature that will fry or wilt your plants. Opening the sash of the cold frame is often sufficient to vent trapped heated air and protect your plants. A simple window-mounted thermometer is often all that is required to help you monitor your frame’s temperature.

When the temperature drops below 20 degrees, your cold frame will need some additional insulation to keep your plants from freezing. The easiest way to add some winter insulation on those bone-chilling days is to use burlap, newspaper, or old blankets to help insulate the frame. (Be sure to check back and remove the insulation once the temperature warms up.)

Gardening in a cold frame is a fun and easy way to experiment with this late producing plants, and extend your gardening hobby into the winter months. Placement, climate control, and plant selection are the three key points to remember when embarking on your cold frame gardening adventure.

Click here to learn More about Cold Frames

Timber-Frames

Timber framed greenhouses are an alternative which can help you to maintain your garden’s natural appearance. Varied in style and highly adaptable, they can add character as well as giving you somewhere to care for your more exotic plants.

These greenhouse styles have a more old fashioned character and can be stained or painted to co-ordinate with the colors already present in your garden or in the wooden parts of your home. Timber frames can also provide a support for trailing plants, so you can grow ivy or roses across the outside of your greenhouse to help it blend into your garden.

Timber framed greenhouses don’t let in as much light as other greenhouse designs, but they’re still suitable for many types of plant and there’s always the option of adding supplemental lighting. Their heavier frames give them a sturdiness which is useful if you live in an area which is subject to fierce winds – you won’t need to worry about positioning them carefully to give them shelter. They’re also highly adaptable.

When you buy greenhouse designs like these, you’re buying only the basics. What the finished product looks like it up to you. Whilst timber framed greenhouses can work well just as they are, you’ll also have the option of staining, varnishing or painting the frame so that it complements your garden. White paint can give a greenhouse like this a traditional, Neo-Victorian look, whilst dark green paint will help it blend into the landscape without losing any of its elegance. Wood stains can be used to help it match trees and benches in your garden.

Sturdy timber greenhouse frames can also support further structures. If you hammer in some strategically placed nails or attach some wire mesh, you can train climbing plants like ivy or dog-roses up around the outside of your greenhouse. Be careful not to let them grow so freely that they block the light, but let them twine along the frame and they’ll give your greenhouse a truly organic appearance. It’ll fit right into your garden and look as if it grew there.

Click here for more info on the other styles of greenhouses on the Greenhouse Catalog website.

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