Greenhouse garden was one of the seven most grossing trends of the last year. It has already produced 1-2 percent of overall U.S fresh fruits and vegetables. Also, total sales of greenhouse products were about $3 billion last year, and it is estimated that it’ll be $4 billion within 2020.
However, the greenhouse is a growing demand for intensive production. So, now granted that greenhouse has the immense possibility to lead the market for fresh vegetables and fruits.
First, let’s look at what a greenhouse is, and then we’ll discuss 12 easy steps to make a profitable greenhouse garden.
The following steps require no expensive materials to build a self-designed beautiful greenhouse garden.
What Is A Greenhouse Garden?
A greenhouse, popularly known as glasshouse or hothouse, is a structure made with transparent materials like glass or polyethylene in which temperature is absorbed to grow plants in the climatic conditions.
Greenhouse basically works through sunlight. The heat of the sunlight increases the temperature of the house which helps the plants to grow well in the cold weather.
However, four types of hothouse are available such as attached (lean-to), freestanding, window-mounted, and freestanding-blazed greenhouse.
In the greenhouse, plants grow well because of fewer insects and diseases, a sufficient amount of water and fertilizer, considerable humidity as well as carbon dioxide, and controlled temperature.
Also, a greenhouse is a place that enhances the beauty of the house as well as a source of profit.
Here, let’s look at 12 easy steps to make a profitable greenhouse garden.
12 Steps to Grow Profitable Greenhouse Garden
Step-01: Choose Location
Location is the prime consideration of setting up a glasshouse. So, try to set up in a secured place where strong wind or snowfall can’t do any harm to the garden.
Also, it’s a wise decision to build a garden where you can easily go. Be careful about over-exposed heating from the sun in the garden.
Step-02: Design Perfect Frame
Apparently, two types of greenhouse frames are available to purchase. One is an American Classic, and another is the American Classic Lean-To.
But, building a hothouse as your desired style will satisfy you as well as reduce the cost. So, design a perfect frame of the house which you will build by purchasing materials.
Step-03: Build Foundation
Soil can absorb temperature which hinders the plants to grow. Pay heed to this situation. Treated wood beams can be a great option to build a base of the garden. They’ll be not only inexpensive but also durable.
Step-05: Choose Cover
The roof is the most significant element of the greenhouse garden. It should be thin as well as transparent enough to enter sunlight. Plastic sheet or polyethylene can play a pivotal role in the inexpensively covering roof.
Step-06: Make Shelves for Potting Plants
To support and organize the plants in the garden, build benches or shelves. The supporting benches are essential to organize as well as to make the garden beautiful.
They also let you grow more plants in a narrow space. You can carry the plants in a wheelbarrow to shift the places so that the plants won’t hurt.
Step-07: Choose a Cooling System
Surprisingly, the cooling system is part and parcel of building a greenhouse garden. It’s thought that the hothouse is made not only to avoid cold weather but also to absorb the heat. So, what is the need to keep the cooling system?
Here is the answer. Plants also produce gases such as carbon dioxide and oxygen in the respiratory and photosynthesis system. The gases make the closed infrastructure warm. So, making the greenhouse garden cool, a simple fan will be enough for a standard-sized garden.
Step-08: Choose Ventilation System
Along with the cooling system, ventilation is also necessary to regulate fresh gas into the garden. Ventilation helps to refresh the gas by eliciting hot gas and bringing in fresh gas. So, shutters will be effective ventilation to regulate fresh gas.
Step-09: Choose Heating System
Plants also need the proper temperature to grow smoothly. As the sun is not always available in winter, sunlight isn’t also. So, to grow a plant in the greenhouse, providing heat with a heater is a must.
You should be conscious of heating. You can choose gas heaters, water heaters, oil heaters, or convection tubing. But, choosing convection tubing would be an augmented decision. Also, there are many alternative ways to heat a small greenhouse naturally.
Step-10: Ensure Steady Water Supply
Water is the source of life for plants. But excessive water can ruin your plants by rotting the roots. Ensure a steady and efficient water supply to the plants. You can use hose water or cisterns to ensure regular water supply.
Step-11: Ensure Growing Elements
Besides water, ensure the sufficiency of the other three basic needs such as air, light, and temperature. The proper amount of basic needs will help to grow plants naturally.
You can also put a sufficient amount of fertilizers and minerals to grow plants fast. Before applying any ingredients, test the soil to know which fertilizers should be applied.
Step-12: Choose Fast-Growing Plants
Though the plants are the same plantation on an open field and in the greenhouse isn’t the same. There is a great difference between greenhouse plants and starter plants. In the greenhouse, you can control the environment which isn’t possible in the natural environment in an open field.
By the way, plant selecting play a vital role to make a garden profitable. To make a profit from fast-growing plants, you can choose ginseng, bamboo, gourmet mushrooms, herbs, or saffron.
Also, green vegetables grow fast to make enough profit. You can grow leafy greens for salad; microgreens such as beet, peas, Choi, and radish; spinach; cucumber; tomatoes; peppers; herbs like basil, cilantro, and watercress; squash and swiss chard.
Citrus fruits like melons, oranges, and lemons; grapes; strawberries; peaches; coriander; chilies, and raspberries have a huge demand in the market.
Wrapping Up
Setting up a greenhouse kit isn’t expensive, rather accessible in cost for the manually designed garden. Though the maintenance is somehow complicated, proper training can open a vast opportunity to make a profit by little investment.
Now, 70 percent tomatoes sold in the U.S comes from greenhouse garden. Who knows, you’ll be a Kew Gardens, one of the most famous greenhouses in the world.
