Optimal greenhouse. The choice should be based on several points

The high cost of polycarbonate as a covering for a greenhouse frame makes you wonder how you can save on this expense item. Quite often, beginning vegetable growers try to reduce initial costs by minimizing the size of their first greenhouse. At the same time, they overlook several factors leading to significant crop losses.

Greenhouse size options

How do the dimensions of a polycarbonate greenhouse affect its profitability, and what should be taken into account at the design stage?

When deciding what size your greenhouse should be, you need to proceed not so much from the size of the site, but from its purpose. Different plants require different conditions, which can only be provided with certain dimensions of closed soil.

However, for some reason, inexperienced gardeners forget about the purpose for which they are creating a greenhouse and build a structure with inappropriate dimensions in advance.

Greenhouse-house for seedlings

Dependence of size on the gardener’s goals

So, growing greens in racks requires a lot of light, the lack of which will have to be compensated artificially. Therefore, the frame of the greenhouse for green crops should not block sunlight, and the structure itself should be small - approximately 3x6 m. Its additional illumination on cloudy days will not cost a fortune, and the required volume of harvest can be achieved by proper organization space.

Large greenhouses are not needed for greenery

Tomatoes, especially tall ones, need a lot of space - some varieties may need a greenhouse 2.5 or even 3 m high. Of course, for the sake of several bushes it is not worth building such a structure, otherwise the heating bill will cover all the material benefits from the greenhouse. But, if you plan to get an enviable harvest from medium-sized plants, set the greenhouse height to at least 2 m.

The same rule applies to borage: to grow cucumbers in a full cycle, and not just seedlings, the greenhouse must provide comfortable conditions to care for them.

Therefore, for both small and medium-sized bushes, it is worth raising the roof of the building to 2–2.5 m precisely for ergonomic reasons.

Tall structures are suitable for growing cucumbers and tomatoes.

As for the ratio of the width and length of the greenhouse, you can get by with standard sizes, bred in practice by experienced vegetable growers: 3x6 m, 3x8 m or 4x8 m.

However, here too there are some nuances that should be taken into account depending on the shape and how ventilation and watering will be carried out in the greenhouse.

Dimensions of the greenhouse depending on the shape and technical equipment

Arched buildings, despite all their advantages, have a significant drawback - it is very difficult to build side windows in them, and the owner has to limit himself to only cross-ventilation organized through the entrance doors and end transoms.

It is difficult to properly ventilate a structure longer than 6 m in this way, so the optimal size of an arch-shaped polycarbonate greenhouse is: 3x4, 3x6 or 4x6.

A single-slope indoor vegetable garden placed near a blank wall should be made wide (4–5 m) - this way the sun will be able to better illuminate most of it, on which it will be possible to grow light-loving crops. The sizes of gable greenhouses usually vary widely, but owners of long structures often complain about some problems that arise during their maintenance:

• difficulties in organizing watering, in particular, manually or using a hose - manually watering 100-120 bushes every 2-3 days is, to put it mildly, tedious, and with a hose there is a constant risk of breaking the bush;
• slow decrease in temperature - in a polycarbonate greenhouse under the bright sun it instantly becomes hot, and to improve the microclimate it is necessary to regularly turn on powerful ventilation, which leads to an increase in the cost of the final product.

A completely different picture is observed in buildings whose dimensions do not exceed 4–5 m in length - provided that the greenhouse is correctly positioned relative to the wind rose, forced ventilation is only needed in complete calm.

Someone may object - what about large industrial greenhouses, the length of which exceeds tens of meters?

The average summer resident should not rely on capital structures, since they involve entire systems technological equipment, the installation and maintenance costs of which are included in estimates calculated for several years in advance.

The influence of the size of polycarbonate sheets on the dimensions of the greenhouse

In addition to the disagreement between goals and design, a fairly common mistake is to ignore parameters building material. If they are not taken into account, there will be too much residue when cutting polycarbonate, which means that money was wasted on them.

The easiest way is to cut the material for an arched greenhouse: given that the internal cavities of the polycarbonate should be directed downwards, the sheets are laid on the frame section by section, with short sides facing the soil. If their dimensions are not 2100x6000 mm, but 2100x12000 mm, the sheet is simply cut in half. It is clear that for waste-free production, the length of the greenhouse should be calculated as a multiple of the width of the sheet - 4, 6, 8 m, etc.

Dimensions of greenhouses depending on leaf length

The exact dimensions of the future structure can be determined by knowing how to calculate the length of the arc for the greenhouse.

To do this, you need to accept the following initial data:

• L=6 m (sheet length);
• l = 0.25 m (empirically determined height of the vertical section of the arch).

After this, it is possible to find out the specified length of the semicircle, from which the diameter of the circle is calculated, equal to the width of the greenhouse:

• C/2=6–2x0.25=5.5 m;
• C=5.5x2=11 m;
• D=C/π=11/3.14=3.5 m.

Thus, the width of the structure is almost always constant - 3.5 m. Its height is 2 m, and in order to raise the greenhouse higher, summer residents advise building a foundation from timber, brick or foam blocks.

Beds in an arched greenhouse 3.5 m wide can be arranged in two ways:

1. 3 beds and 2 aisles – place 2 beds 70 cm wide on the sides, 1 bed 100 cm wide in the center and separate them with aisles 55 cm wide;
2. 2 beds and 1 passage - the width of the beds in this case is 140 cm, and the width of the passage is 70 cm.

Both options are not very convenient: in the first, you get narrow passages in which there is no room to turn around with a cart; in the second, it will be difficult to cultivate the beds under the very wall of the greenhouse.

Therefore, most owners greenhouse farms It is recommended to choose a pitched form - in this case, neither the width of the polycarbonate nor its length affects the size of the greenhouse in any way.

Comfortable beds are created in a wide greenhouse

Conclusions - what are the optimal greenhouse sizes?

To summarize, the conclusions will be as follows:

• you cannot design the dimensions of an enclosed vegetable garden based purely on the area land plot– first of all, it is recommended to determine the goals of the construction and correlate the dimensions with them;
• The main drawback of a small greenhouse, on which novice vegetable growers pin their hopes, is the minimal return, which is why many, having invested a lot of effort and cash, leave the greenhouse business after the first season;
• greenhouses with a length exceeding 8 m and a height of 2.5 m always require the installation of additional ventilation and heating equipment, the cost of maintenance of which often becomes an unbearable financial burden for the family budget;
• when determining the parameters of the greenhouse, you must also take into account the wind rose, the thickness of the snow cover in winter, the planned material for the frame and foundation, and the material and technical capabilities regarding its equipment.

Similar calculations for professional level Engineering services are involved, and if taken seriously, it is better to calculate the object with their help.

Long and wide greenhouses should be equipped with drip irrigation and fans

If this is not possible for some reason, the greenhouse should be built according to the optimal, from the point of view of practitioners, dimensions:

• arched - 3x6 or 3x8;
• pitched - 4x6 or 4x8 (in m).

Maintenance of such structures is not burdensome even for beginner greenhouse growers; the harvest obtained from them is quite enough for an average family, and if desired and if there is a free plot of land, you can always install a second one, which is just as convenient and economical.

There are many options to choose from, since greenhouses are classified according to several factors: heating method, minimum temperature in it, frame material, type of covering, location, shape. Yes, and it is necessary to decide for what purposes the greenhouse will be used. What will grow in it and in what volumes?

So, when choosing a greenhouse, you need to take into account as much as possible the characteristics of the site, its location on the cardinal points, the placement of the greenhouse in relation to the house and the intensity of sunlight during the day.

Optimal sizes greenhouses: low wall height – 1.5 m, own height – 2.5 m, width – 3 m. These dimensions allow you to place two beds inside and care for plants, easily reaching the furthest ones. The length of the greenhouse depends on the preferences of gardeners and the size of the plot itself. As a rule, up to 6 m. It is recommended to partition off longer greenhouses for better organization of plant care.

It is important what is located or grows next to the greenhouse - shading must be avoided.

Greenhouse with or without heating

Greenhouses and greenhouses are divided into unheated and heated. Unheated ones can only be used with the onset of real spring. Their main advantage is their low price.

Heated greenhouses can be heated using biofuels - this requires large amounts of fresh manure and compost. The mixture flows, releases heat and warms the greenhouse space. This “underground stove” operates continuously and, in addition to heating, also provides fertilizer. But some crops (like tomatoes) do not benefit from such an amount of organic matter in the soil.

You can use water heating in the greenhouse by installing a stove outside and laying pipes inside along the walls. However, the arrangement of the pipeline system will require the investment of a considerable amount of funds, and a constant presence is required.

Another way is electricity. Summer residents have already adapted electric heaters and cables for heated floors for greenhouses, but for high-quality heating it is necessary to ensure good air circulation, which is very difficult in an enclosed space. In addition, constant heating of the greenhouse in the fall and winter will be too expensive, unless you grow products for sale in a retail chain.

Greenhouse frame – wood, plastic, metal?

The greenhouse frame can be made of wood, plastic and metal (steel or aluminum). Wooden is the cheapest. It is environmentally friendly, easy to process, but short-lived. In conditions of high humidity and temperature, it quickly begins to rot, and treatment with various protective agents often does not give the desired results.

Metal frames do not have this disadvantage; they are easy to install and have an increased margin of safety - but they are much more expensive. And non-galvanized steel frames are also susceptible to corrosion. Another disadvantage of metal is its high thermal conductivity. The galvanized frame is well protected from corrosion, but has low strength indicators: thin sheets of steel are used here, which are easily deformed. Experts pay attention to the square steel profile made of galvanized steel - this is almost best option for those who purchase a greenhouse for a long time. This profile has high performance strength and, thanks to galvanization, not subject to corrosion.

Plastic frames are still rare, their quality is high - however, so is their cost.

How to cover a greenhouse

The choice is film, glass and cellular polycarbonate. Polyethylene is inexpensive, transmits light well, and is easily attached to the frame. But it breaks easily, ultraviolet rays have a destructive effect on it, and it also suffers from frost. Reinforced film is more durable, but it does not last more than two or three seasons, and even then only with careful handling.

Glass is more durable and transmits much more light than film. But for the winter it needs to be dismantled - the glass roof can crack under the weight of snow. And another minus is education. large quantity condensation, cold drops of which can be destructive for greenhouse plants.

Cellular polycarbonate: lightweight, durable, will allow you to forget about the problem of replacing the greenhouse covering for a long time. Perhaps the only drawback is the high cost.

Optimal greenhouse shape

The shape of the greenhouse is gable, Dutch greenhouses (unlike traditional greenhouses, they do not have vertical walls, but inclined ones, the greenhouse seems to expand towards the bottom), arched, domed and polygonal, as well as tunnel shelters. The most beautiful are polygonal and domed greenhouses, but such structures are too expensive; they are more often used to construct greenhouses or winter gardens. Tunnel shelters are suitable for growing low plants, such as seedlings, radishes, and green crops.

The most popular are the arched, Dutch and gable greenhouses. They are comfortable, well lit and effectively ventilated. For growing short crops (peppers, low-growing varieties of tomatoes), you can choose an arched greenhouse, and for tall crops (cucumbers, tall varieties of tomatoes or flowers), a gable greenhouse is better suited.

Having your own greenhouse on the site allows you to successfully grow herbs, vegetables, mushrooms and even flowers. Self-grown crops are environmentally friendly and safe, which cannot be said about goods from a store or market. If the process is properly organized, the first harvest can be harvested in the first weeks of spring.

What is a greenhouse for?

The greenhouse will reliably protect seedlings from frost, cold winds and hail. An artificial warm and humid microclimate allows you to extend the harvest period. Moreover, a greenhouse gives the gardener the opportunity to grow exotic heat-loving plants for which the usual climate is not suitable. And large greenhouses are successfully used on farms.

Disadvantages of purchased models

Depending on the dimensions and selected materials, the cost of finished greenhouses varies greatly and can reach impressive amounts. Constructing them with the help of third-party specialists will also cost additional money. Meanwhile, self-installation of a greenhouse does not present any particular difficulties even for a novice amateur gardener, and savings can reach up to 20%. There are no restrictions on the dimensions and shape of the structure. When purchasing a ready-made structure, usually only the sizes of a standard greenhouse are available, which is not suitable for everyone. Some self-assembled structures are not inferior to factory ones, and in many ways are superior to them, since they are more thought out.

Coating material

When starting to build a greenhouse, the first thing you should do is decide on the location of the structure, as well as select materials for the covering. Most often used:

• polyethylene film;
• glass;
• polycarbonate

Glass and film have long faded into the background when arranging greenhouses. Low cost allows you to buy any size of film for greenhouses, but this is only an apparent advantage. The film is removed for the winter. Therefore, every season you have to buy it and re-stretch it. It is rare that it is possible to carefully remove and then re-stretch the film without damage. Moreover, it quickly becomes cloudy and dirty, and it is difficult to wash it.

Glass is difficult to install, breaks easily and requires additional sealing. Large hail is dangerous for glass.

Polycarbonate coating has the best performance characteristics.

Advantages of polycarbonate

Polycarbonate - modern material, suitable for a greenhouse, the size of which can vary from very small to large farm.

Its advantages:

• light weight;
• high degree of transparency, not inferior to glass;
• UV spectrum transmission;
• significant strength (withstands hail impacts);
• thermal conductivity is better than glass;
• allows you to make arched structures;
• fireproof because it does not support combustion;
• easy to clean with a hose.

Polycarbonate sheets consist of honeycomb-shaped cells, due to which the light incident on their faces is reflected in different directions, which contributes to more uniform illumination. In addition, the cellular structure gives additional strength to the sheet, which protects against hail or wind-blown rubble. When purchasing, after the required size of polycarbonate sheet for greenhouses is measured and cut, it is convenient to roll it up for further transportation.

And although polycarbonate is somewhat more expensive in price than other types of coatings, the absence of disadvantages and a number of advantages have ensured its popularity among farmers and summer residents.

When purchasing polycarbonate, you should pay attention to its thickness; the optimal value is 6-8 mm. Polycarbonate sheets have two standards: 2.1x6 m and 2.1x12 m. Also, a high-quality sheet will have an inner layer coated with moisture protection.

Greenhouse design

After the location is determined and materials are selected, the dimensions of the greenhouse are specified. It is advisable to prepare a mini-project with a drawing, which will indicate all the dimensions, methods of fastening, and roof structure. The roof comes in various shapes:

• flat;
• single-slope;
• gable;
• polygonal;
• arched.

The optimal one is in the form of an arch. Due to the fact that polycarbonate bends easily, it is easy to give it a bent shape. As glass is used less and less as a covering, the need for complex roof shapes is eliminated. When using polycarbonate, there is no need to tightly seal numerous seams, which are inevitable when using glass. The large size of the polycarbonate sheet contributes to a small number of joints. Nevertheless, they must be sealed, since otherwise heat will escape from the greenhouse through them, and the greenhouse effect will be lost.

It is recommended to select the dimensions of the greenhouse so as to fit within a whole number of polycarbonate sheets. Otherwise, a lot of material will be spent on scraps, and this is wasted money. If the sheet still needs to be cut, this can be done easily using a mounting knife.

Foundation

The construction of a greenhouse should begin with the construction of the foundation. Depending on the type of soil and the purpose of the greenhouse, one of the following types of foundation is selected:

• monolithic;
• tape;
• spot.

The most durable are monolithic or tape with high strength and reliability. However, polycarbonate greenhouses are fairly lightweight structures, and if winter use is not planned, then you can get by with an inexpensive point foundation. In addition, attaching the frame to such a foundation is much simpler.

Wooden frame

The next stage is the construction of the frame. When assembled, the length and height dimensions are determined by the foundation, the optimal height is about 2.5 m.

But, before starting installation work, you should decide on the material for the frame. Wooden beams are the most popular for the reason that they can be found for free. Other advantages of a wooden frame include ease of installation and environmental friendliness, since wood is a natural material. But there are also disadvantages: you should remember that the tree constantly requires care. Otherwise, in conditions of constant dampness, the slats will rot. Each season of operation of the greenhouse, the wooden frame must be re-painted or varnished.

Metal frame

These disadvantages have led to the fact that metal has recently become an increasingly popular material for frames. In this case, profiles or pipes are used. The second ones, although they are more expensive, are significantly superior to the profile in terms of strength characteristics. However, if you do not plan to use the greenhouse in winter, when a thick layer of snow is possible, you can limit yourself to the profile.

The design made of arcs is highly durable. You can purchase them ready-made or use a pipe bender. Cheap plastic bent pipes are also available for sale. different sizes, however, buying them is highly not recommended. Such structures are designed for a maximum of one season, after which such pipes bend and crack.

Depending on the size of the arched greenhouses, a different number of arches will be required. The frequency of their location is selected individually depending on their thickness and weight of the polycarbonate.

The disadvantage of metal is corrosion, so priming and subsequent painting of all surfaces of the steel frame is required. If you use galvanizing, there is no need for regular painting.

To prevent the greenhouse from being torn off by a strong gust of wind, it is necessary to provide additional weighting of the frame, as well as strengthen the places where the frame is attached to the foundation.

Covering installation

The polycarbonate sheets are fastened to the arches using metal brackets. for greenhouses and the frequency with which the arcs follow determine the number of staples, and the more there are, the stronger the structure will be. It is forbidden to drill through holes in polycarbonate, since this will damage the integrity of the surface and cause cracks to appear that can destroy the coating over time.

Since polycarbonate can only be bent in the transverse direction, to obtain an arch the sheets should be fastened across the greenhouse structure.

If you have not previously encountered polycarbonate roofing, then it is recommended to choose material from the most well-known manufacturers. The ends of the structure must be sealed with a special tape that can protect the material from water and dirt.

Heating a greenhouse in winter

If you plan to use the greenhouse in winter, then even at the construction stage you should think in advance about ways to heat it so that it is economically justified. With the right approach, the heating efficiency will be high, which means that energy costs will be covered by income from the sale of winter crops at traditionally high prices for this time of year.

Among the various winter heating methods, infrared heating can be distinguished due to its high efficiency. Radiant energy is beneficial in that it is not the air that is heated, but the plants and soil, which, in turn, give off heat and already warm the air. This allows you to significantly reduce the heat losses of the greenhouse, and therefore reduce heating costs.

Another advantage of infrared heaters is instant start and no need for lengthy preheating with a gradual increase in temperature. From the first minutes of operation, the emitters begin to heat up at full power. During installation, heaters should be placed at the top, directing the work surface towards the floor. In this case, the heat will quickly warm the soil and, therefore, the roots of the seedlings too.

Depending on the size of the greenhouse, heaters of varying power will be required. The larger the volume of the greenhouse, the more is needed to heat it.

beds

Having acquired a greenhouse and starting to plant seedlings, many gardeners are faced with the question of how to properly arrange the beds. A large distance between the beds will not allow rational use of space, but excessive crowding will also prevent plants from growing and bearing fruit due to mutual darkening and intertwining of roots, which threatens harvest loss. When planning the size of the beds in the greenhouse and the distance between them, you should calculate everything in advance.

Beds can be classified into two types: ground and those on shelves. The former are more widespread.

It is important to orient the beds correctly: the west-east direction will provide the most sunlight.

Depending on the size of the greenhouse, you can arrange two or three beds. At the same time, it is not recommended to exceed the maximum permissible width of the bed of 120 cm. Otherwise, the likelihood of it being trampled when caring for plants increases. It is recommended to make soil beds high, for which you can use straw, a wooden frame or brick.

For a greenhouse whose vertical dimensions exceed two meters, it is convenient to use a system of shelf beds. In this case, the location of the racks should be selected taking into account your height, otherwise caring for the plants will be too troublesome.

Conclusion

A well-designed and well-assembled greenhouse will provide you with a long service life. A well-thought-out heating system will allow you to get a harvest. If you follow the tips given in the article, building a greenhouse with your own hands will not be a difficult task. Moreover, useful experience will be gained. If you encounter difficulties with self-assembly of the greenhouse, photos, dimensions and instructions can be found in specialized literature.

Every summer resident knows that the most useful vegetables are those grown in open ground. But what to do if it is not always possible to grow a crop during the warm season. In this case, a greenhouse will come in handy. To properly grow plants, it is important to choose the optimal size of the greenhouse. It should not be too small, but not too big either. What are the preferred sizes of a polycarbonate greenhouse with your own hands? Are the dimensions of a 3x6 polycarbonate greenhouse convenient? More on this later.

What to consider?

If you decide to install a greenhouse on your garden plot, it is advisable to take care of this during the cold weather, so that when the season comes, everything will be ready for it. To do this, you need to decide on the location of the structure, as well as its optimal dimensions and material of manufacture. As for the latter, the most popular today except polyethylene film polycarbonate sheets are considered (see photo). The location for the greenhouse should be protected from strong winds and drafts, and also located on the sunny side of the clearing.

Large structures for growing vegetables in a personal plot are completely inappropriate. It is impossible for the greenhouse to occupy all the free space, because you still need to leave room for growing cucumbers and tomatoes in the open ground. Also, when determining the size of a polycarbonate greenhouse in the drawing, you should take into account the number of family members. There should be just enough plants to feed them all. Dimensions of 3 by 6 are often considered optimal (see photo), except in cases where vegetables are planned to be grown for sale.

Basic parameters

The dimensions of a polycarbonate greenhouse mean its length, width and height. You can, of course, buy a ready-made 3x6 greenhouse, but if you plan to build a structure for growing cucumbers and tomatoes with your own hands, you need to consider the following points. The length of the greenhouse can be chosen as desired, but it is best if it is a multiple of two, since this is the size of the polycarbonate sheet for greenhouses.

But width is the main indicator when choosing the optimal sizes. It should not be small, because in a narrow greenhouse it will be very difficult to move and care for plants. It’s good if it is 3 m deep. The width of the structure will also depend on how many beds will be planted. It is optimal if the distance between the beds is at least 0.5 m. Based on the above, the optimal dimensions of a polycarbonate greenhouse are 3 by 6 m (see photo). In such a greenhouse you can place up to 6 beds 6 meters long, which is quite enough for the average family.

Height when creating a design drawing is no less important. It must be borne in mind that when the plants reach their maximum height, there must be free space above them. Usually the distance from the ground to the ceiling is equal to human height, but not less than 1.8 m. The optimal height for a 3x6 greenhouse will be about 2.3 m.

Drawing up a drawing

To correctly determine the dimensions of a polycarbonate greenhouse in a drawing with your own hands, you must consider the following:

• foundation type;
• frame material dimensions;
• design shape;
• number of openings (windows and doors).

The foundation for a permanent structure is best made of concrete or brick, but for lighter structures, such as arched ones, it is enough to place rubble stone or crushed stone under the frame. The frame itself is usually constructed of metal, metal profiles, PVC pipes or wood. Metal profiles and wood are considered the least durable, but metal treated with anti-corrosion compounds is the best option (see photo).

The shape of the greenhouse can be anything: square, rectangular, arched, multifaceted, etc. At the same time, it is also important to decide on the shape of the roof, whether it will be single- or gable. To ensure good ventilation of the room, you need to take care of the windows. The larger the structure, the more there should be. This will provide not only good growth plants, but will also save them from many diseases. More detailed information on how to correctly calculate the optimal dimensions of a greenhouse and draw up a drawing can be found in the video presented.