Greenhouses offer gardeners a controlled environment to grow plants all year long. Although greenhouses can be expensive and time-consuming to maintain, the benefits of building a greenhouse often outweigh the costs for serious gardeners.
If you’re on the fence about whether or not to build a greenhouse, here are five benefits of greenhouse gardening that may help you make your decision.
1. Grow Plants Year-Round
One of the biggest benefits of having a greenhouse is that you can extend your growing season by starting plants early in the spring and continuing to harvest well into the fall and winter months.
A well-designed greenhouse will capture the sun’s heat and distribute it evenly throughout the structure so that your plants stay warm even on the coldest days. This means you can grow warm-weather crops like tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers even in cool climates. It also means you can keep tender plants alive during harsh winters.
2. Protect Your Plants from Pests
Greenhouses provide a physical barrier between your plants and common garden pests like aphids, whiteflies, and even deer. By keeping pests out, you can avoid using harmful pesticides that can damage your plants or contaminate your soil.
3. Control the Climate
Another big benefit of having a greenhouse is that you can control the climate inside to create the perfect growing conditions for your plants—even if the weather outside isn’t cooperating. For example, if it’s too hot or humid outside for certain plants, you can adjust the vents and fans in your greenhouse to maintain a comfortable temperature inside. Or if it’s a particularly rainy season and your plants are at risk for fungal diseases, you can open the vents to circulate air and prevent mold and mildew from taking over.
4. Save Water
Because greenhouses create such a controlled environment, they can actually help reduce water consumption. Most greenhouses have some type of irrigation system in place so that you can water your plants without getting them wet (which can promote fungal diseases). And because the air inside is circulated, evaporated water is constantly being redistributed back onto your plants, further reducing water needs.
5. Gardening Can Be Good for Your Health recent study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that horticulture therapy (which is basically using gardening as a form of therapy) can improve mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, stress, ADHD, and more. So not only does growing food in a greenhouse provide you with fresh fruits and vegetables all year long, but it could also help improve your overall mental health and wellbeing! Conclusion: If you love gardening but hate dealing with pests, uncertain weather patterns, or short growing seasons, building a greenhouse might be right for you! Greenhouses offer gardeners many benefits, including extended growing seasons, protection from pests and diseases, climate control, reduced water consumption, and improved mental health!
