Is it easy to set up a garden greenhouse? All the good words you need to know to make your task obvious

Every construction initiative in an urban area requires authorization from the municipal or communal authorities. No point in undertaking without documents that give you the green light to install a garden greenhouse. The law is intransigent and under pain of putting you back a considerable fine, you must obtain any kind of permit before installation. A few words about this glass construction which houses exotic or delicate plants such as your vegetable garden seedlings.

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Why install a garden greenhouse and can you skip it?

Being a part-time gardener, it is inevitable to ask yourself the question one day: should you install a garden greenhouse? There are several good reasons.

Flexibility: a greenhouse will make it possible to cultivate a greater variety of edible and decorative plants, and to experiment with crops previously considered too delicate.

Stability: A greenhouse provides a predictable environment that protects vulnerable plants from extreme weather.

Self-sufficiency: A greenhouse will provide the ability to save and easily germinate your own seeds, to avoid paying for commercial starters.

And like it or not, the global climate crisis is in full swing. With record snowfalls, “never before” temperature trends and all-too-frequent droughts, the only thing you can count on, in terms of weather, is unpredictability.

Even though we have drawn up the gardening calendar for the month of March, the weather is not forgiving and does not rush to generously disperse the rays of the sun. Any good gardener knows that essential garden preparation begins long before that.

The Ice Saints are unleashed and no seedling taken out will survive. It even happens to move plants indoors and take a break from preparations for the upcoming season. At worst, valuable seedlings may be lost and one will have to start over.

Luckily for those who live in cooler climates, there is a way to get ahead of the garden without having to worry about the weather.

Get a greenhouse that will start the seeds and protect the plants from frost, snow and low temperatures. Although you might think of a typical greenhouse as a massive structure, there are plenty of options for setting up a smaller garden greenhouse for home gardeners, including a DIY option. You can assess your garden as an area and choose your own: cheap, simple to assemble and available according to your wants and needs.

You don't need to be a professional to successfully install a garden greenhouse. While assembling and installing this freestanding construction is one of those tasks that can seem daunting, with the proper preparation and a logical approach, not to mention a helping hand, you'll find this project surprisingly simple and satisfying.

Before starting to build the greenhouse, a flat location should be chosen in a sunny place sheltered from the wind. It is best to place your greenhouse with the entrance away from the prevailing wind to reduce strong gusts blowing through the structure and damaging the glazing. The greenhouse will also need a solid concrete or slab foundation – bare ground or grass is not stable enough.

The choice of material from which your greenhouse will be built depends on the square meters you have available, the location (sunny or shady), the species of plants you plan to plant.

You don't want your greenhouse glass to break in the first gust or the roof to crumble under the weight of soft, heavy snow.

Children like to run around in the garden and play hide and seek and you must protect them from injury. So you have to choose from three types of glazing.

Your plants don't deserve dirty windows, so to easily clean them indoors at least once a year, you need to ensure convenient access.

Since the temperature in the greenhouse is crucial for the development of your plants, good ventilation must be ensured. It will maintain the air circulation within the norms. Otherwise, you risk diseases on the plants because the level of humidity will be excessive.

Most greenhouse frames have adjustable air vents. If this is not your case, you can install automatic thermostatically controlled air vents that do not require a power supply. Louvered windows are another option that provides adjustable, draft-free ventilation.

First, check that all necessary parts are present and correct. Then place them on the floor near where you are working. In any case, they must be far enough away so that they do not bother you and are not dispersed during work by an unconscious gesture. To avoid getting confused in their wide variety, put them in separate containers so you can easily identify and get your hands on the right parts quickly instead of sorting through them all each time.

The type and number of tools you will need will depend on the individual greenhouse and the instructions will always specify which ones you will need most often: spanner set or adjustable wrench, screwdriver (ratchet or cordless) and bits, tape measure, spirit level, gloves and goggles for safety.

Since there are different greenhouse models, you should only follow the instructions specific to yours. However, most advise assembling the sides and ends by laying them on the floor away from the base and connecting the fasteners so they are hand tight. Then, after installing the roof and reinforcing the struts, you transport the structure and adjust it to the base and foundation. Obviously, you'll need a shoulder bump at this point.

Once the frame is in place, all fixings can be fully tightened, constantly checking that all angles are correct and surfaces are level. Unless everything is lined up, fitting the door and glazing correctly without breakage will be problematic.

If all items are aligned and level, the door can be fitted and should open and close smoothly. Once all the roof vents are added, it's time for glazing, starting at the roof and moving up the sides. Whether the glazing is glass or polycarbonate, you will again need to follow the instructions provided which are specific to the make and model.

Some greenhouses require, for example, the window frame to be degreased and then a silicone seal added, while others are equipped with a rubber seal. There are such that use clips to secure the glazing in place and models that have a bar cap.

Now is the time to step back a bit and contemplate your handiwork. Then, enter and examine the space to get the idea of ​​customization. The interior can be equipped with shelves and many other accessories to make your greenhouse a flourishing environment that satisfies your horticultural ambitions.

Sun doses should not exceed plant needs. For this reason, providing shade for your greenhouse during the summer months should prevent overheating and scorched plants. There are three main options:

Do not try to put the greenhouse under a large tree, because a branch could fall and break the glazing.

During the cold seasons and to grow certain plants, you could heat your greenhouse. Several options are available to you:

You can choose between heating pipes, a fan heater or even a heating cable laid under the ground in a bed of gravel.

Lack of irrigation will, of course, be fatal for your plants. To avoid finding them altered after a hot day, install a capillary mat, which retains water and releases it according to the needs of the plant. Another alternative is to run a hose along the ground from an outside water tap. You can even add a timer for automatic watering – especially useful if you're away on a regular basis.

Apart from the solid concrete base, you will be facilitated if paths surround the greenhouse. A green carpet will always be soft and mud will hinder your movement and your work. Other simpler variations are slabs or cobblestones, gravel or coarse wood chips between retaining boards nailed to stakes driven into the ground.