Building Your Greenhouse

With all the world wanting to go green, not because of envy, but as a lifestyle choice, you can contribute your bit by thinking up ways on how to build a greenhouse that is, well, green! Of course, when you decide to get a greenhouse of your own you are already making green choices and doing your environment and yourself a great favor. You might ask how. Apart from the obvious health benefits, having your own structure to grow crops of your choice with eco-friendly methods that do not alter soil chemistry by addition of chemicals such as pesticides, chemical fertilizers or fungicides, is a step in the right direction.

You don't have to be a Handyman or a Master carpender to build a greenhouse, all you need is the desire and determination to eat better.


Next time you go out and buy greens and veggies from the market, give a thought to how these might have got there. If you are in the middle of summer, your local supplier may have transported these food stuffs in refrigerated vans over long distances. Transporting vegetables over a distance itself can be generally classified as undesirable because the burning of fuel adds to the greenhouse gases in the environment. Transportation in refrigerated vans just compounds the sin, so to speak.

So, if you are a responsible and aware resident of this planet, you can help the environment by growing your own veggies, herbs and fruits in a greenhouse which you build yourself with recycled and eco-friendly materials. Use your ingenuity and imagination to think up new ways of using old material that is either recycled, waste or has been lying around your garage or workshop for ages.

If you have started wondering how to build a greenhouse that would stand out in some unique environment friendly way, there are many creative ideas floating around. There is a design in which the owner has creatively used rabbit fencing as a support to hold up the poly film glazing of the greenhouse. Another one is an educational project that uses plastic bottles to create a functional greenhouse. Some people have built their greenhouses entirely with discarded windows and doors.

It is not just the greenhouse structure that requires all your attention; you can get creative with the benches, shelving, pots and containers too. Of course, you would want a basic harmony on the whole, so look out for material that can fit into your scheme of things. Using cardboard boxes lined with plastic sheets works for starting seeds, preparing plants for transplantation and for growing herbs. Have you seen cylindrical planters made of bamboo stems with thick walls surrounding a hollow space? They are beautiful!

There is no dearth of information and resources on how to build a greenhouse, but if you can just stretch your imagination one extra inch, you could brand yourself an eco-warrior!

Greenhouse Clear Film 24 Foot x 65 Foot Roll