With your climate control systems, the first thing you should think about is the size of your greenhouse. Fans, heaters, and dehumidifiers come in various sizes to meet the needs of various spaces. When you purchase any of these, pay attention to the packaging to see if they cover the space of your greenhouse. This is not the time to put money toward something cheaper if it will not meet your needs.
The other thing to think about is how automated you want your greenhouse. Again, there are vent systems that have thermostats and humidistats. They will open when things need to be cooler and dryer and shut when heat and moisture are needed. If you want a higher- technology greenhouse, you can install drip irrigation systems and find fans and heaters to go along with your vents. These will be automated, which will let you just focus on your plants. It’s an ideal solution if you don’t have a lot of time to be out in your greenhouse.
Being in the middle would be an option. You don’t want to run a cold frame, but you also don’t want to sink a lot of money into all the bells and whistles. You’ll still likely have all the tools for climate control, but you are relying on yourself to monitor conditions.
There is no wrong answer; it depends on your availability for gardening and your budget. Automated greenhouses are ideal for commercial purposes, but they have their uses in hobby greenhouses, too. Even if you were considering having a bit more technology, it might be a great idea to wait. You should have some time to get used to manual operations, which will prove helpful if something with an automated system fails.
YOU ARE ALMOST THERE
So everything should be set and ready to go, mostly. While it can just feel like extra work, it is better to have all that we discussed in place before you grow. Many greenhouse gardeners think about this after having a couple of growing seasons plagued by trial and error. They’ll wonder
why they aren’t getting a plentiful crop or why their plants keep getting fungi and diseases, but that usually comes from thinking a greenhouse is a “build and go” type of project. They forget that this environment is still like any other environment in the world, and things can get out of hand. Except it is going to get out of hand quicker in this tiny building.
Remember to plan carefully and really think through if you want to go high tech or if you prefer to keep things cost-effective and in your own hands. There are still a few more minor things to think about, so while you have your environment all set, it is time to make sure that your greenhouse becomes a complete functioning system.
