by Owen Jones

If you are a keen gardener, then you perhaps would like or already have a greenhouse. A greenhouse allows a gardener to indulge in gardening all year round, but did you know that the design of the greenhouse is very important? Greenhouse designs vary according to what they are to be used for and to some extent where the garden is situated. Therefore, when it comes to greenhouse designs, choosing the best for your garden is quite important.

If you get the right greenhouse for your purpose and use it as it should be, your greenhouse will pay for itself over and over again, but not only that, it will repay for its carbon footprint by propagating more flowers which will in turn help keep the ecosystem in balance. Not to mention keeping the gardener happy. Everybody is a winner with a greenhouse.

Greenhouses are not inexpensive and one often wonders why. There just does not appear to be much to them to make them so costly.

For this reason, it is vital that you get the best of greenhouse designs for what you want to cultivate. You will also have to take size into account: the volume of space that you can allocate for your new greenhouse and how many plants you want to grow in it. After you have thought about the overall size that you would like, the next deliberation is the basic structure. Do you want it attached to your house like a lean-to or do you want it to be free-standing?

Free-standing greenhouse designs are more expensive but they are also the more flexible of the two greenhouse designs. They are more expensive because you will have to have four walls not three and you will have to run water and electric mains to it.

Free-standing greenhouse designs are more flexible and therefore offer greater proceeds because you can locate them wherever you like to gain the most light from the sun. Normally, this means having the longest side to the south in the northern hemisphere.

Attached greenhouse designs use the wall of the house or garage as one wall of the greenhouse. Which wall of the greenhouse that is, is up to you naturally, but if you can use one of the gable ends, the short side, so much the better.

Try to have one of the longest walls facing the sun for most of the day. Again, you will need to run water and electricity into it, but this does not usually mean burying the cable and pipe underground or armouring the cable, which works out less expensive.

Once you have made your choice from the several greenhouse designs, you can decide which plants you would like to grow in it. You can literally grow anything you want, if you create the right ecosystem for it. So, if you want to have as much flexibility as possible invest in a decent lighting system.

Get the best and most adaptable you can afford. Look for ones that will supply a broad range spectrum ‘grow light’, so that your plants will not suffer in the winter and get normal tube lighting for yourself for when you need to see better.

About the Author: Owen Jones, the author of this article writes on a number of topics, but is now concerned with visual comfort lighting. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Outdoor Wall Lamps.