Types and Styles of Greenhouse Plans

Many a gardener dreams of having their own greenhouse.

A greenhouse allows you to extend the growing season past when you would normally have to harvest everything from your garden as well as to get a significant head start on the growing season, starting your seedlings while there is still snow on the ground. It allows you to control the growing conditions for your plants, so you can make sure that your plants are healthy and providing you with an optimal yield.

If you're interested in building your own greenhouse, the best way to get started is to start looking at some greenhouse plans.

There are a lot of different kinds of greenhouses and greenhouse plans out there and you will have to decide on which best fits your needs depending on how much space you have available and the kind of climate you live in. Keep reading for a little information on some of the types of greenhouses you may want to think about.

You can categorize most greenhouses into one of three basic categories:
1. Free standing greenhouse plans
2. Lean to greenhouse plans
3. Window mount greenhouse plans

Each greenhouse plan has their own pros and cons.
• As you would expect from the name, a free standing greenhouse is a separate structure.
• It may be in any shape or size, but since it is free standing, it will receive more sun exposure than other types of greenhouses.
• While these may be the most desirable from the standpoint of a gardener, it is not always feasible to build a freestanding greenhouse in one's yard due to space constraints.

However, there are other types to choose from, with the lean-to being perhaps the most popular. This is a greenhouse which is attached to an existing building. A window mounted greenhouse is exactly what it sounds like: a miniature greenhouse which can be mounted in a window; it's a good choice for apartment dwellers and other would be gardeners who don't have any outdoor space available.

As for materials, these will generally be the same regardless of the style of greenhouse plans that you use.

You will need glass, plastic film or fiberglass, since these materials will allow sunlight through. Plastic film is the least costly, but also does not let in as much light as fiberglass or glass and is also the least durable option. Fiberglass is the most expensive but also the most durable option; glass is a good choice, but you will need to watch the temperature inside of your greenhouse since glass greenhouses tend to get hot inside.

There are a lot of different shapes that you could choose to build your greenhouse in;
• There are greenhouse plans for virtually every possibility.
• The choice will ultimately come down to your budget, the amount of space you have available and the kind of plants you want to grow.