Options for greenhouses from scrap materials - we do it ourselves. Do-it-yourself greenhouse. Drawings, photos, step-by-step instructions How to make a wooden greenhouse

Vegetables from your own garden are much healthier and tastier than purchased ones, as every summer resident will confirm. But although theoretically such products should also be cheap, in practice maintaining a greenhouse costs a pretty penny. Therefore, if you are planning to start growing cucumbers, tomatoes and herbs just for yourself, it is worth considering options for greenhouses made from scrap materials. And we will tell you how to build them with your own hands.

Greenhouse from scrap materials: what can be used for construction

A thrifty owner never gets rid of what else may be needed. Therefore, a lot of things are inevitably collected at the dacha that can be put to use and set up a greenhouse on the site. Of course, only a summer greenhouse without heating and a capital foundation can be almost free, but even this will help you get the first harvest several months earlier than when grown outdoors. open ground.

A greenhouse made from old windows can have impressive dimensions

Before building a greenhouse, you should decide what you plan to save: time, money or your own efforts. For example, a greenhouse made from old windows will cost almost free, but you will have to work hard to clean the wooden frames old paint. A greenhouse made of PVC pipes is installed very easily and quickly, but you will need to buy the pipes and fittings themselves; it is unlikely that you have enough leftovers lying around at your dacha for a full-fledged greenhouse. On the other hand, if appearance

is not particularly important, you can try to “dance from the stove” and combine several materials at once that were left after construction and repairs.

Material options for inexpensive frames

The frame of the greenhouse must be strong enough to support its own weight and the weight of the skin. In addition, it is desirable that it not be destroyed by elevated temperature and humidity, but this problem is easily solved with special impregnations or protective paints.

  1. So, to build a greenhouse you can use: You can cut thin branches of willow or hazel in a nearby forest or planting along the road. It is best to harvest in late February-early March, before the trees begin to sap. When choosing, you should give preference to long flexible branches with a uniform length; young trees have many of these. The only preparation of the material is to clean the branches from bark and, possibly, thorns. Impregnation with agents against bugs and rot is desirable, but not required. Without protective equipment, the greenhouse will be more environmentally friendly and cheaper, and a damaged branch will be easy to replace if necessary. A frame made of branches can be installed alone in just a day, but it can last up to 3 years. The willow frame is only suitable for low-rise greenhouses and regions without strong winds . Otherwise, due to the high flexibility of the frame and the windage of the skin, the greenhouse may be blown away by a strong gust of wind.

    Birch branches - a flexible base for a high arched greenhouse

  2. Pallets or pallets for transportation are a good source of boards. If desired, you can build walls from solid pallets, but you can also disassemble the pallets into components. The boards will be used for fastening wooden frame greenhouses, and for the base you will need to buy beams. If you do not plan to make the greenhouse high, you can get by with just boards and additionally strengthen the frame with metal mesh. Keep in mind that this option is suitable for warm regions and places where strong winds rarely blow.

    Using this principle, you can build not only such a small greenhouse, but also a full-fledged greenhouse

  3. Chain-link mesh or reinforcing mesh are excellent materials for sheathing support.. When between the frame elements there remains long distance, the film or non-woven membrane may sag. To prevent this from happening, first stretch the mesh and only after it cover the greenhouse with the selected material. The mesh will perfectly strengthen the frame of the building and prevent the cladding from flapping in the wind. You can attach the mesh to the frame with wire or plastic cable ties (they are inexpensive and sold in every hardware store). Just remember to make sure that the sharp tips of the mesh do not tear the skin. If you cannot position the material so that the cut edges rest on the ground, you should protect them. The fine mesh mesh can be framed with a thin water pipe by cutting the pipe on one side and hiding the ends in it. In a large-mesh one, it is easier to insulate each tail separately, for example, by placing a piece of heat-shrink tubing on it.

    If you have a large amount of unnecessary wire, you can build a mesh yourself

  4. A metal profile for drywall will also come in handy. If after repairs you still have scraps of durable galvanized profile, it can be used to strengthen the frame of the greenhouse. If this material is not enough to construct load-bearing elements, it will serve perfectly as a spacer between wooden pillars or to support the base of a gable roof.

    It is easy to build a greenhouse roof from a plasterboard profile even without special fasteners

  5. Polyethylene water pipes or rubber hoses are excellent protection for the frame. The load-bearing capacity of this material is only enough for a small greenhouse, but if there are thin reinforcing bars or at least branches inside, you can build a good arched greenhouse. For the bottom trim, you will definitely need to build a box, since soft pipes simply stuck into the ground will not hold. The finished frame looks neat and aesthetically pleasing, is resistant to moisture and high temperatures. But frost can cause rubber to crack, so this option is better suited for collapsible summer greenhouses.

    In a small greenhouse, pipe clips can be used to secure the sheathing.

  6. PVC pipes are a reliable and durable basis. Craftsmen even make stairs and chairs from PVC water pipes, and it will be much easier to build a greenhouse frame from them. This material is completely impervious to moisture, high and low temperatures, and is not particularly afraid of animal claws and mechanical stress. To connect the pipes to each other, you do not need self-tapping screws; they are fastened due to the temperature melting of the ends of the pipes and fittings. But making a tall greenhouse with a large number of cross connections can be too expensive. To save money, you should build arches from leftovers, and fasten them at the top with the same pipe or wooden plank using plastic ties. The ends of the pipes will need to be inserted deeply into the ground or into prepared holes in the wooden frame. To strengthen the frame, the first and last arch can be made from thicker pipes.

    If you make an arched greenhouse from PVC pipes, fewer fittings will be required

  7. Glass fittings are a replacement for metal rods. You may have unused fragments left after pouring the foundation, laying glass blocks or creating monolithic walls. These trimmings can be connected to each other and used to strengthen the spans of the arched greenhouse, or placed in strips over the sheathing material so that strong winds do not tear it away from the greenhouse frame. Glass reinforcement is resistant to mechanical, chemical and atmospheric influences, does not rust, and bends easily. Therefore, when it is necessary to replace the covering film, the reinforcement can be temporarily removed and then reused. If you have 5-6 long rods at home or a bay of glass reinforcement, you can use them to make the frame of an arched greenhouse without additional materials. Only the height of the greenhouse is limited - a maximum of 2 m; for higher greenhouses it is necessary to make support pillars under the highest point of each arch.

    The strength of glass reinforcement allows you to build high arches that an adult can easily pass through

  8. Metal fittings are a durable but expensive option. Buying it specifically for a greenhouse will be too expensive. But if after construction you have scraps left, it’s worth making a kind of foundation out of such reinforcement. Stick the rods around the perimeter of the greenhouse at equal distances from each other so that a third or a quarter of the length sticks out above the ground. It will be possible to tie vine branches or plastic pipes to them so that the frame is more reliable and moisture-sensitive materials do not come into contact with the ground.

    The reinforcement frame of the greenhouse looks very neat

  9. Old logs with defects can still be useful. Perhaps, during the construction of a summer house or bathhouse, you rejected logs with cracks or pockets of rot and never found a use for them. Wood of this quality is excellent for the foundation of a greenhouse, since the load on it is very small. You just need to build a rectangle of logs and bury it 7–10 cm into the ground, and a reliable foundation for the future greenhouse is ready. A wooden, metal or even plastic frame can easily be attached to the logs and they are compatible with all types of cladding, so this foundation is suitable for any non-permanent greenhouse.

    In order for the square of logs to keep its shape well, a recess should be cut in the top ones as in the photo

  10. Bags of earth - a well-forgotten old thing. At the peak of the passion for environmentally friendly construction in America, the method of creating earthen walls was revived. The essence of the method is that plastic bags (woven, like for sugar or flour) are filled with slightly damp soil and stacked on top of each other. The volume of earth in the bags decreases from the bottom row to the top, so the wall gradually becomes thinner. The foundation is a series of the same bags, but filled with fine or medium-sized crushed stone. In an earthen greenhouse you can install windows and doors; the easiest way is to install wooden boxes under them at the stage of folding the walls. After the earth has dried, the walls will need to be plastered with cement or clay mortar. And it is best to make the roof light and transparent, for example, from polycarbonate and wooden beams. In terms of thermal insulation, such a structure is comparable to a thermos greenhouse buried in the ground. The cost of a greenhouse is the cost of bags and a roof, and its durability is estimated in tens and even hundreds of years. The only drawback of an earthen greenhouse is high labor costs; you will have to assemble a team of assistants and dig up a lot of soil.

    Bags make interesting structures with curvilinear shapes

  11. Straw blocks are another option for an eco-friendly greenhouse. If you have the opportunity to take straw briquettes to the field for free or buy straw briquettes cheaply, they will be an excellent basis for a warm and safe greenhouse. It is best to prefer rye straw, since rodents and insects are almost not interested in it. The blocks are simply installed on top of each other without fastenings, but for better adhesion they can be pierced with reinforcement rods. The roof and, if possible, one of the walls of the greenhouse should be made transparent so that the plants do not suffer from lack of light. If you want such a greenhouse to last for more than one season, you should lay the blocks on a foundation or frame made of wooden beams with protective impregnation.

    Straw walls of a greenhouse are an excellent heat insulator

Whatever material you decide to use, try to make the frame smooth, especially if it will be sheathed with film material. Otherwise, knots and nicks will easily tear the film or non-woven membrane.

Greenhouse sheathing: what you can find in the pantry

The greenhouse lining should provide good access to direct sunlight to the plants. It is especially important not to filter out one part of the spectrum, because the absence of red is bad for growth, and without blue, fruit does not appear. It is because of this that only transparent or white material is used as cladding for greenhouses, but not colored.

Despite the variety of shades of cellular polycarbonate, greenhouses are sheathed only in white and light gray

To cover the greenhouse, you may need leftover building materials, unnecessary fragments of old decoration, and even the contents of a pantry that no one has looked into for a long time.

  1. Window frames with glass - standard and unreasonable forgotten option . The process of replacing old windows with metal-plastic or energy-efficient wooden ones is still ongoing. Therefore, even if you don’t have any lying around, unnecessary windows may well end up with neighbors or near a house where reconstruction is being carried out. As a rule, the owners of these useful materials do not require any payment for them, so at worst you will spend money on gasoline. If the aesthetics of the design is important to you, you will have to remove the glass, clean the frames from old paint, saturate them with protective agents and re-decorate them. It is also important to select windows of approximately equal sizes so that finished design looked harmonious. But when only functionality is important, you just need to scrape off the pieces of paint that are ready to fall off with a small metal spatula, and apply impregnation to the bare areas of the wood. The size of the transoms is also not too important; they can be combined as desired. But glass greenhouses are distinguished by the best environmental friendliness and light transmission. Unfortunately, glass can be broken by hail or large amounts of snow, so it is better to make only walls from it, and choose another option for the roof or further strengthen it.

    Window units with vents are best placed at the ends

  2. Plastic bottles - free and durable material . In nature, a bottle takes more than 300 years to decompose, so plastic containers will last for decades as a greenhouse lining. The weak point of the greenhouse can be the frame and string on which the bottles were assembled. Bottle plastic is completely resistant to moisture, frost, putrefactive bacteria and fungi, so the greenhouse will not need to be dismantled for the winter. Bottles for wall cladding are used in two versions: columns from containers with a cut bottom and sheets of sewn or glued plastic, which were cut from the middle parts of the containers. Empty bottles create the effect of a thermos, perfectly retain heat in the room and do not let light frosts in. The temperature inside the greenhouse is so stable that tomatoes and cucumbers can often be harvested in early December. But if they are not laid tightly, wind can penetrate between the posts and they will need to be additionally glued. A greenhouse made from plates turns out to be more airtight, but it is more difficult to make and more material will be needed. You will have to cut straight parts of the bottles, align them with an iron and sew them together on long winter evenings, so that in the spring the prepared transparent sheets can be immediately mounted on the frame. Using plastic containers you save not only on cladding material, but also on the skeleton of the greenhouse. Since the bottles are very light, thinner beams can be used to construct the frame than for polycarbonate cladding. You should prepare for setting up a greenhouse from plastic containers in advance, because it will take almost a year to collect the required 600–700 bottles.

    Various use cases plastic bottles for greenhouse cladding

  3. Agrofibre or non-woven membrane is a good choice for a greenhouse. This material is often purchased for furnishing lazy beds, but even on the frame of a high three-meter greenhouse it shows itself no worse. Agrofibre protects crops from low temperatures (down to -5 o C), perfectly allows moisture to pass through (unlike film and polycarbonate), provides air exchange (windows for ventilation are simply not needed), and is easy to repair (the patch is glued for 1.5 minutes). Do efficient greenhouse even a beginner in gardening can do it from agrofibre. After all, the low weight and excellent permeability of the material completely compensate for errors in the calculations of the frame (it can be very light), lack of ventilation and other possible errors. The only drawback of agrofibre is that it is afraid of claws, so if cats or dogs walk around the area, the sheathing will have to be protected with a fine-mesh metal mesh.

    The width of the agrofibre allows you to cover a small greenhouse without joints

  4. Film is the most popular option, it is chosen by 70% of beginners and at least 50% of experienced summer residents. Manufacturers offer many types of specialized film for greenhouses, which can allow rain to pass through, does not tear due to additional reinforcement, and can remain on the frame in winter. But if you are trying to save money, you can easily use the leftover film from the closet or buy a cheap one. It will last no more than a season, but it will provide the plants with the necessary microclimate and will not require a very reliable frame.

    For reliability, the film is always fixed through a gasket (bar, rubber strip, plastic molding, etc.)

  5. Cellular polycarbonate is the second most popular cladding material. Beginning summer residents shouldn’t buy it specifically, but if after building a canopy at the front door, carport or gazebo you have scraps left over, you can put them to use. If there are few residues, use polycarbonate for the roof of the greenhouse, since it is this that bears shock loads from hail and mechanical loads from snow. It is polycarbonate that can be used to protect the roof of old windows to prevent glass from breaking. This material is compatible with frames made of metal, wood, and PVC pipes.

    Polycarbonate cladding is suitable for both arched and pitched greenhouses

In accordance with the selected material, select a convenient method for sealing joints. For example, the film is additionally glued with tape, the polycarbonate is assembled with special fasteners or sealed with adhesive tape made of foamed polymer, and the non-woven membrane is simply overlapped and fastened along the entire length of the joint. If you ignore this stage of work, drafts will begin to circulate in the greenhouse and tender plants will die.

Sheathing fasteners made from improvised means

When finishing the greenhouse roll materials(film, non-woven membrane) they must not only be attached to the frame with a construction stapler, but also the fixation must be further strengthened. A net or slats on the outside of the greenhouse will prevent the wind from ruffling the material in the spans between the ribs of the frame.

A clip for attaching film from the neck of a plastic bottle is an excellent example. useful device from scrap materials

Useful as a fastener:

  • plastic net for cucumbers: resistant to atmospheric loads, cheap, but suitable only for small greenhouses;
  • fishing net made of durable synthetic threads: durable and reliable, can last for several years, but is destroyed over time due to ultraviolet radiation;
  • linen cord: inexpensive, weather-resistant, and when properly tensioned, provides good protection for sheathing made of rolled materials;
  • wooden planks: require impregnation and sanding, do not always look aesthetically pleasing, but do not require costs;
  • clips for PVC pipes: easy to install and hold securely, they help secure the pipe and the wooden strip together, but are only suitable for structures with a pipe frame.

Now it’s time to look into the pantry/utility/shed and select from old stocks the materials that will be useful for arranging the greenhouse.

Photo gallery: greenhouses made from leftovers

After construction, triangular scraps of polycarbonate remained - make a hemispherical greenhouse If you carefully combine a painted drywall profile and old glass, you will get a very beautiful greenhouse
Various plants require different growing conditions, so the greenhouses on your site should not be the same A hemispherical greenhouse made from PVC pipes and regular film is very stable The remains of wooden lining are an excellent option for cladding the bottom of a wooden greenhouse When there is a brick left after construction, you can use it to build a side for a greenhouse You can make an analogue of an industrial polycarbonate greenhouse with your own hands

Getting ready for construction work

First, you need to determine which greenhouse design option will suit you best.

Perhaps a non-standard greenhouse design will be more convenient for you than a conventional house with gable roof

When choosing, take into account the size and shape of the area allocated for the greenhouse, the quantity and type of available building materials, the number of beds, etc. When free space remains only near the house itself, it is worth saving on materials and organizing a wall-mounted greenhouse. And for those who prefer not to spend a lot of time on garden work A small round greenhouse is quite suitable.

According to this drawing, it is supposed to build a greenhouse out of wood, but if you remove the extra braces, you can use it to assemble a metal or pipe frame

Among gardeners and gardeners, the most popular are medium-sized greenhouses in the form of a house with straight walls and a gable roof. To build the 3x4 m option shown in the drawing, you will need about 150 m of beams, boards or metal pipes. They will need to be cut into fragments of 1.5 m each (vertical posts) - 30 pieces and 1 m each (horizontal lintels) - 110 pieces. The remains will be useful for braces and the frame of the door leaf.

To cover the walls you need 35.5 m2 of film or membrane, this is almost 24 linear meters from a roll 1.5 m high. This roll width is optimal because it allows you to close the walls with a minimum number of joints. To finish the roof you need 24 m 2 of material, which corresponds to 16 linear meters from a 1.5 m roll of film or 4 sheets of cellular polycarbonate measuring 1.2x5 m. For gables (triangles at the front and back) you need another 8 m 2 of material, that is, 5.5 m of linear film 1.5 m wide or 2 sheets of polycarbonate size 1.3x3 m.

How to make a cheap greenhouse from leftovers with your own hands

We will consider step-by-step construction using the example of the given drawing, but we will implement the project using thick branches and ordinary packaging film. Branches left over after cleaning the garden or cut from the nearest forest are the cheapest and most environmentally friendly material for the frame. So that you do not doubt the strength of the structure, choose branches at least 5 cm thick (in cross-section) without visible defects. The trunks of young acacia trees, which accumulate after clearing forest belts along roads or forests, are excellent for this purpose. You can negotiate with a forester who will tell you what material you can take for your purposes.

Thanks to this manual holder, winding the film onto the frame is greatly simplified

Packaging film at first seems unsuitable for our purposes, but it is no less durable and transmits light no worse than specialized materials for greenhouses. It will have to be wound in several layers and thanks to this it turns out to be stronger than ordinary thin film, less prone to windage and sagging in the spans between the ribs of the frame. Working with the material is as simple as possible; you don’t even need to call an assistant to cover the greenhouse. At the same time, stretch film provides excellent protection from low temperatures, so the plants in the greenhouse will bear fruit even with light frosts. The brand of material does not matter; you can buy any packaging film in a store or order it online. You need 2 large rolls.

Since the greenhouse lining will be very light, the frame can also be made lighter by reducing the number of vertical posts and struts. In this economical option, you will need 6 columns of 2.5 m, 3 of 3 m and 2 of 6 m for horizontal connections.

Covering the perimeter with boards will significantly increase the life of the film.

To prevent the film below from suffering from mechanical damage, chicken beaks and cat claws, it is better to trim the frame with boards. It is advisable to impregnate them with a protective agent, since they will constantly be in contact with wet soil. About 40 m of boards will be required.

Consumables you will need:

  • butterfly hinges for hanging doors and windows (the easiest to install);
  • door handle;
  • a latch or latch for fixing the door and vents in a closed state;
  • wood screws (the simplest stainless steel with black coating, 76–90 mm long);
  • spare jigsaw files;
  • long reinforced staples for a construction stapler;
  • thin rubber hose or drip tube - about 40 m;
  • stationery or packing tape;
  • metal corners for attaching vertical posts (you can cut wooden ones, or make additional braces from boards).

The length of the screw should be almost twice the diameter of the cross-section of the part being fastened.

Required tools:

  • jigsaw for cutting beams;
  • a screwdriver for fastening wood (if you have a construction gun, you can use it and fasten the frame with nails);
  • construction stapler for fastening sheathing.

Let's get to work.

  1. Prepare required amount thick branches, free them from branches and cut them to size. If desired, you can completely remove the bark, sand the posts and impregnate them with protective agents. The bottom can also be dipped in used engine oil or creosote.

    It will be great if you can choose even stems of uniform thickness

  2. Dig 9 holes around the perimeter of the greenhouse, pour some gravel inside and place vertical posts in the holes, thoroughly compacting the soil. In the front part of the greenhouse there should be 4 posts at the end so that two of them are fenced off doorway. Secure horizontal jumpers from branches along the top of the posts and at a height of 1 m from the ground level. Cover the lower part of the frame with boards.

    Sheathing with boards gives the frame additional rigidity

  3. Connect the highest posts with a branch to form a ridge. Make a roof frame from six long branches, resting one end of the branch on a vertical post and the other on the ridge.

    With a height of central posts of 3 m and side posts of 2 m, it turns out optimal inclination gable roof

  4. If you haven't taken the time to clean and sand the posts, wrap the frame with tape. If this is not done, the stretch film will tear during the process of wrapping the greenhouse and will serve very little later.

    When wrapping, do not pull the tape too tightly so that the jagged edges on the branch become invisible.

  5. Wrap the frame with film in a circle, trying to make an even layer over the entire area of ​​the walls. There is no need to leave a hole under the door; it will be cut out in the next step.

    You will need to wind at least three layers of film

  6. Cover the roof of the greenhouse with a thicker film and carefully seal the joint with tape. Along the outer contour of the building, place a fixing strip on top of the film. It should be secured with nails, since the self-tapping screw will slightly crush the material when screwing it in, and this can subsequently lead to rupture. But if the roof film is reinforced, you don’t have to worry about such consequences.

    The film must hang just below the slopes so that it can be secured with a bar

  7. Fix the film on the frame elements using construction staples. To ensure that the fastening is strong and the film does not tear, use a thin rubber tube as a gasket.

    Attach the staples along the width of the tape at a distance of 20 cm from each other

  8. Cut a hole in the film for the door and window (at the opposite end) and additionally strengthen the film at the cut-out location, treating the improvised threshold especially carefully. Knock down a rectangle of door and window panels from the remaining branches and cover it with film using the described technology. Butterfly loops can be attached to the frame directly through the film.

    Kant door frame should be insulated with foam tape

    The greenhouse is ready for the first tests. Leave it closed overnight and check the temperature difference between inside and outside the next day. If it is less than 10 o C, then you should look for the remaining cracks and additionally strengthen all the joints of the materials.

If you fence off the beds with boards and fill the path with crushed stone, your boots will remain clean after working in the greenhouse

This greenhouse will not require additional finishing. You can start arranging the beds and building a path for easy access to all the plants.

As you can see, a home greenhouse is not always very expensive. Perhaps a greenhouse made from leftovers will not become the main decoration of your dacha, but it can definitely please you with excellent home-grown vegetables when the season has not yet begun or has already ended.

  1. PC greenhouse
  2. What happens in the greenhouse?
  3. How to build a greenhouse?
  4. Frames and structures
  5. Video: mini-greenhouse from a barrel

A greenhouse is a predecessor and simplified seasonal analogue of a greenhouse. The design of greenhouses varies greatly, from those that do not require anything other than a covering film, to structures about which you can’t really tell by looking whether they are still a greenhouse or a greenhouse. Having made a greenhouse with your own hands, you can first supply your family with early/late vegetables and herbs and at the same time master the intricacies of greenhouse farming, without risking losing a lot of initial investments due to mistakes due to inexperience. And if things work out, then build a real all-season greenhouse and get plant delicacies on the table all year round; It is possible to establish a profitable business.

PC greenhouse

Currently, light-transmitting greenhouse coverings are made almost exclusively from polycarbonate (PC). This material was developed for this purpose and only later did its advantages become apparent in the construction of gazebos, canopies, porch covers, swimming pools, etc. However, To build a homemade polycarbonate greenhouse you need to take into account the following circumstances:

  • PC is sold only in solid sheets from 2x6 to 2x12 m; it is not cut into pieces.
  • Cost per 1 sq. m of the cheapest PC structure 2R with a thickness of 4 mm is less than that of glass, and is comparable to the cost of agrofilm, see below for more information.
  • Without quite expensive complete accessories (standard fasteners with thermal compensators, edging profiles, aluminum tape, filter tape for the ends), a PC will last no more than 3-4 years outdoors.
  • PC installation is most often carried out with pre-stressing due to bending of the sheets. This gives the structure greater strength, but requires a reinforced (and, accordingly, more expensive) frame of a special design; see e.g. about the construction of greenhouses.

Based on this, it is recommended to make a greenhouse under polycarbonate either with scraps remaining, for example, from a gazebo, or using a solid flat sheet in a fairly rigid frame, see below. It’s better to design your first greenhouse with film, especially since there are options for which you won’t need anything other than it.

What happens in the greenhouse?

A greenhouse with the plants in it and the soil in which they are planted is a fairly delicate biosystem. Its main difference from natural ones is the forced change of biorhythms for the sake of faster development/ripening and greater productivity of greenhouse crops. From a biological point of view, a greenhouse is not a greenhouse at all; in that biorhythms are close to natural, only intensified. Therefore, this section outlines the basic information necessary to properly make a greenhouse.

Plants

The biorhythm of plants in a greenhouse generally corresponds to the natural one, see Fig. on the right, but with some differences that speed up their “maturing”, see below.

In the light:

  1. Vegetative parts - leaves, green stems - absorb carbon dioxide and water from the soil with minerals dissolved in it;
  2. Metabolic oxygen is released. Respiratory oxygen is absorbed as always, but much more metabolic oxygen is released;
  3. As a result of photosynthesis, dissolved organic, so-called, are formed. plastic, substances necessary for the growth and development of a plant;
  4. Plastic substances partially enter storage (tubers, bulbs, rhizomes, non-chlorophyll parts of stems) and generative (flowers, ripening fruits) organs, and are partially deposited in the so-called. depot - special cells or cellular structures of the vegetative parts.

At night or in the dark:

  1. Vegetative parts and roots absorb oxygen for respiration and release carbon dioxide;
  2. Green leaves, in addition, release excess water in the form of water vapor through stomata or, less commonly, in the form of droplets through water stomata - hydathodes;
  3. The depots of plastic substances are emptied, using up the daily supply;
  4. Plastic substances also reach the roots, ensuring their growth. The roots grow mainly at night.

Conclusion #1: during the day, when it is warm enough outside to ensure at least minimal plant life, the greenhouse needs to be ventilated. Plants consume little oxygen for respiration, but there should still be enough oxygen for the night, otherwise rot and disease will occur. It is advisable to ventilate before noon, when the sun is warm, so that the nighttime excess CO2 and H2O will immediately disappear.

Greenhouse effect

The covering of greenhouses is made of materials that transmit visible light well, but reflect, directly or diffusely (scatteredly), thermal (infrared, IR) rays as best as possible. So the greenhouse effect in greenhouses is different from what everyone hears in the earth’s atmosphere, see Fig.

During the day:

  • Some visible light is used by plants for photosynthesis;
  • The other share is absorbed by molecules of greenhouse gases - carbon dioxide and water vapor - transferring them to a higher energy level;
  • Another part of the light is absorbed by the soil, which immediately re-radiates it into IR, warming the air and the structure of the greenhouse;
  • Part of the IR from the soil is reflected from the coating (on the left in the figure, for simplicity, only 1 branch is shown) and ultimately also heats the soil, the air and the structure. IR practically does not interact with greenhouse gas molecules;
  • The soil temperature is sufficient for root activity, but may be lower than that outside, directly heated by the Sun.

Note: CO2 molecules, which are heavier than air, are concentrated mainly in the lower part of the greenhouse, and H2O, which are lighter, are concentrated under the roof.

At night:

The structure and drawings of a Russian greenhouse are shown in Fig. There were usually 3-4 greenhouse pits, which ensured year-round use: while 1 pit was warming up after refilling, the rest were producing products. An indispensable condition for the successful operation of a Russian greenhouse is the lining of the entire complex of pits with a clay castle with a drainage ditch, otherwise the biofuel will sour.

Note: Instead of log sheds, it is now possible to install concrete lintels for windows and doors, trellis posts for grapes, etc. Instead of glass, insert PC into the frames; this will allow you to raise the northern edge 35-40 cm above the ground and grow tomatoes. And instead of silver-plated mirrors, use any flat panels covered with aluminum foil for baking. The soil above the biofuel is poured No. 1.

Pos. 3 – film tunnel on a collapsible frame. For beginning farmers, this is certainly the best greenhouse:

  • Simple and cheap, requires virtually no construction/carpentry work; see below about "Snowdrop".
  • Retains enough fresh air overnight for plants to breathe.
  • A large volume of air in the shelter gives a strong greenhouse effect, which makes it possible to build cold greenhouse tunnels, ready for action immediately after the snow melts.
  • Allows you to grow fairly tall crops, up to long-fruited cucumbers.
  • It is easily transferred to another place, and the possibilities of land turnover are limited only by the available sown area.

About "Snowdrop"

The film-tunnel type greenhouse of industrial production “Snowdrop” is probably the most popular in the Russian Federation and the CIS, and for good reason: purchasing components at retail for a home-made analogue can be more expensive than purchasing a ready-made kit. Just in case, in Fig. A diagram of its design and installation is shown.

Greenhouse "Snowdrop"

Please note that:

  1. The advantages of “Snowdrop” appear only when covered with agro-film;
  2. Ate to bend arcs from water pipes the standard length is 6 m, the span will be 1.9 m, and the height under the ridge will be 0.8 m;
  3. The arches can be connected to the ridge beam by tying them crosswise with flexible wire or wrapping them with agro-scotch tape.

Pos. 4 – cassette greenhouse or box greenhouse. It is done exclusively for seedlings in soil or in bulk, because completely depletes the soil in 1-3 months. Another drawback - poor use of light - can be eliminated with an agrofibre coating. But in 1 sq. m cassette, you can grow seedlings for 12 or even 20 acres.

Pos. 5 – greenhouse-house or butterfly. These are made either removable with established land turnover (see above), or for intensively breathing crops: tomatoes, eggplants, vegetable (sweet) peppers, because film without a frame quickly deteriorates from frequent lifting and refilling.

Note: Vegetable peppers from the nightshade family are not related to real peppers from the capsicum family. So named because of some similarity in the shape of the fruit.

Bulk greenhouses, pos. 6 and 7, are most often built stationary on a durable frame. The coating is appropriately durable, agrofibre or PC. Soil drainage is required; visible in pos. 6. In addition to the butterfly, other design options are possible, see below.

About greenhouses for cucumbers

Recently, in private farms, ordinary garden cucumbers with recumbent vines are increasingly being replaced by long-fruited greenhouse cucumbers: they require less land, they are high-yielding and never taste bitter right down to the “butt.” However, the cultivation of long-fruited cucumbers in open ground in most of the territory of the Russian Federation without shelter is impossible; they are heat-loving and do not tolerate frost, so they are cultivated in greenhouses.

The greenhouse for cucumbers must, firstly, be high enough: the “long-fruited” vines grow more than 1.5 m in height before they can be planted horizontally, see fig. Secondly, greenhouse cucumbers do not like to “steam”; this causes powdery mildew and other cucumber ailments to develop on them. Therefore, the roof of the cucumber greenhouse must be flat so that the cool night-time steam cushion from under it evaporates through the cracks. In addition, under flat roof attach horizontal rods; cords hang down from them, to which the cucumbers cling with their mustaches.

As a result, the greenhouse for cucumbers turns out to be approximately the same as in Fig. top right. However, less labor-intensive options of the tunnel type on pointed arches are also possible, see below.

About the orientation of the greenhouse

Ridges of soil greenhouses run along a north-south line. Tunnels, cassettes and butterflies are oriented in the same way. As for pits and lean-to structures (see below), they are oriented with the slope to the south or south-southeast, because Plants work most actively in the morning, using the night's excess CO2.

Frames and structures

Materials

Wood rots quite quickly in a greenhouse, so the wood for building a greenhouse must be treated with environmentally friendly, i.e. purchased with a certificate, water-repellent compounds - water repellents. Popular for sheds, outbuildings, gazebos, garden benches And country furniture free use is not suitable: additives added to motor oil should not end up in food.

Note: in the manufacture of a greenhouse frame from scrap materials wooden structures you need to disassemble and impregnate the parts separately. At the same time, you’ll go through the process of replacing unusable fasteners to make it stronger.

It is better to make stationary greenhouses on a frame made of plastic pipes, they will ensure strength, durability and environmental friendliness. We'll come back to them later, but for now let's see what we can do in a hurry.

Anything from

They give a ready-made, and quite good, translucent coating window frames. The greenhouse is small, so you can get by with 1-2-3 windows. However, unlike a greenhouse, it does not have high transparent walls, so it is better to make a greenhouse from old window frames with a single slope oriented to the south, on the left and in the center in Fig. The second circumstance is that no matter what frames you have at your disposal, the transparent roof must be made folding (lifting upward), and not hinged or folding, as on the right in Fig. Through any vertical gap, all the warm air will instantly evaporate and the plants will be hit with cold, and the horizontal one can be adjusted with supports according to the weather and local conditions.

Note: optimal slope of the roof slope of a lean-to greenhouse from the vertical (90 degrees) –?, where? – geographical latitude of the place; and (90 degrees)–? – angular altitude of the Sun at noon of the spring/autumn equinox. See below about a greenhouse with a heat accumulator.

A successful simple greenhouse; more precisely, its frame made from industrial wood waste is shown in Fig. Its highlight is visible in Fig. the slope of the ridge beam to the south is approximately 10 degrees. This gives, firstly, best use Sveta. Secondly, the entrance should be made from the north side in the form of a vertical slot in the canopy with fasteners or Velcro. Then, by slightly opening the slit, we get effective ventilation, and there is no need to raise/lower the film on the sides. The struts are also installed correctly, from the west, and the eastern slope is flatter.

Very good material greenhouse coverings – polyethylene terephthalate, PET. As you know, bottles and other containers are made from it. You will need relatively few bottles for a greenhouse, so it is better to use them whole, stringing them into “kebabs” on “skewers” ​​made of a steel rod. How to do this (the technology is simple) is described in the article on greenhouses.

As for the design, the best greenhouse made from plastic bottles is a clamshell or book-shaped greenhouse, see fig. left. Shields made from PET bottles are excellent light concentrators and reflect IR well; You only need to cover the openings with film at night and in anticipation of frost. And during the day the plants will be warm enough, plus free gas exchange is ensured.

For a long time on the frame

A durable greenhouse is usually built on a frame made of plastic pipes. This frame is strong and lightweight; it is carried without covering by 1-2 people assembled, if the greenhouse is mobile. The frame is placed on the ground by placing the ends of the pipes on pins driven into the ground; driving depth - from 40 cm. The formwork under the bulk soil is attached to the pipes with clamps.

Pipes for the frame are PVC or propylene water pipes. The first ones are cheaper and last in the frame for up to 10 years. However, arcs from PVC pipes can only be bent semi-circular or, to increase the height by reducing the span, parabolic, pos. 1 in Fig.

PVC is quite plastic and not particularly durable, and the ridge of the roof is most loaded. If the PVC pipes are connected at a kink here, the fastening will not last long.

The most durable, long-lasting, and gives more choice of construction options, the frame is made from polypropylene pipes. From them you can assemble pointed arches, pos. 2 in Fig. And their use, in turn, provides the following advantages:

  • With a simple tap right angle and using self-tapping screws (item 1 in the figure below), the arches can be made collapsible into corners and long parts that require little space for winter storage.

  • From 3 m sections (halves of a standard 6-m pipe) an arch is obtained with a span of more than 1.7 m and a height of under 2 m, pos. 2. That is, you can enter the greenhouse like you would into a greenhouse.
  • The pointed arch ensures high use of light because... there is no flat strip of roof covering giving a large tangential (lateral) reflection. But on the slopes of the arch there is always a wide strip, which gives optimal refraction at any position of the Sun.
  • The high elasticity of PP makes pointed arches pre-stressed, i.e. increased strength. This makes it possible to use prestressed PC for the coating, as for greenhouses.
  • A ridge beam made from the same pipe is secured from the inside with clamps, tying with wire or agro-adhesive tape, also pos. 2.
  • In general, the frame is very durable and resistant to loads from precipitation: there is nowhere for snow piles and rain flows to linger.
  • The high altitude not only makes it easier to care for plants, but also allows you to grow long-fruited cucumbers simply on stamens in combination with other crops, pos. 3, or low-growing valuable varieties of the same cucumbers, for example. gherkins, pos. 4.

About PC coatings

In some regions, depending on local prices, polycarbonate coating may be cheaper than agrofiber for a greenhouse of the same area. In such a case, in Fig. – installation of a sub-fence/wall-mounted greenhouse under a PC for tomatoes:

There is 1 whole sheet for the roof; no special fasteners are required. The height and width are given taking into account PC waste for processing and fastening. Where higher, tall varieties are planted, for example. pink, regular in the middle, and small but very tasty (and expensive on the market) cherry tomatoes at the bottom. The height and width are given approximately for the latitude of St. Petersburg based on summer. To the south, the height can be taken equal to the width, and vice versa.

However, PC is more suitable for covering “long-lasting” greenhouses on a steel frame with flaps. In this class, the usual butterflies, pose. 1 on next Fig., are gradually being replaced by greenhouse-bread bins, pos. 2. A greenhouse-breadbox is better than a butterfly not only and not so much in its greater ease of care. In it, in any position of the valves under the arch, a cushion of warm greenhouse gases is retained for quite a long time, which greatly reduces the likelihood of plants getting cold when ventilated.

Planning a purchase or self-production greenhouse-breadbox, you need to know about its weak points. The first is a hinge with fixation of the sashes. This is a technologically quite complex unit that requires precise manufacturing of parts while maintaining the resistance of the entire hinge to contamination. The second is the joint of the sashes. A gap of 2-3 mm is enough for the warm pillow not to stick, so the gap at the joint should be of a minimum width and sealed.

Bread bins, as you know, come not only with flaps. At pos. Figure 3 shows a greenhouse-breadbox in the form of a chest. He holds the pillow under the arch in the same way, but for home craftsmen his design is preferable, because does not require special manufacturing care. Therefore, on to the next. rice. drawings are given a simple greenhouse breadbox-chest.

Breadbox for the North

According to the scheme of another type of household bread bin, a greenhouse with a heat accumulator for a particularly harsh climate can be built. It is suitable only for potted and container culture, but in places with soddy-podzolic or tundra-gley soils, anything else is impossible. Unlike a heat-accumulating greenhouse with lighting in the dark, here the air circulation is semi-closed, for which the heat accumulator itself (ruble stone, broken brick) is placed in a cage made of steel rods, raised above the floor of the greenhouse, see fig. During the day, the lid is opened slightly, the flow of fresh air provides ventilation. The plants do not get cold, because... cold air immediately mixes with warm air heated by the Sun through the lid. The battery gains heat and releases it at night when the lid is closed.

The inclination of the cover from the vertical is equal to the angular height of the Sun at noon of the equinox, pos. And where? – geographical latitude of the place. There is no need to make a heat storage device from seemingly quite suitable solid hollow red brick. As can be seen in pos. B, there will be no horizontal air circulation in such a storage tank, it will warm up unevenly and at night the cold part will take the heat for itself, but the plants will not get it.

The traditional design of a mini-greenhouse replicates that of a mini-greenhouse. But a modern mini-greenhouse is already different: it is either a light spatial frame, covered with PET or EVA, for flowers or a small number of seedlings, or an individual umbrella greenhouse for elite garden specimens, see fig.

Both designs can be easily reproduced at home: a three-dimensional frame can be made from scraps metal-plastic pipe, fastened with agro- or ordinary tape, and an umbrella - from any rigid rod and fiberglass rod ends or pieces of elastic steel wire, for example. bicycle spokes In any case, it is better to dissolve PET bottles into sheets.

Easier than steamed turnips...

...which can also be grown in a greenhouse. Finally, we will give options for greenhouses, as they say, out of nothing and for nothing. In Fig. on the right is a mini-greenhouse made from a barrel. How to make it, see the video.

Video: mini-greenhouse from a barrel

The other is a fully-fledged tunnel greenhouse with all its advantages... with only the cost of film, plus a little bit of cord. Do you think it's impossible? Watch the following video:

Video: cheap DIY greenhouse

In this article we will talk about what it is greenhouse, what types of it are there and, most importantly, how to build it with your own hands. What materials can it be made from, how to do it correctly, where to mount it and how to heat it? This is exactly what follows.

Greenhouse at the dacha: how to choose a location?


When choosing a location for a greenhouse, many factors should be taken into account. The main one is the light mode. Thus, greenhouses intended for summer cottages should be placed in areas well lit by the sun. Light is necessary for fruit crops, especially in winter period. If you neglect lighting, then growing light-loving crops in winter will become impossible. If you do not have a well-lit area at your dacha, then greenhouses can be equipped with additional sources of artificial lighting, although this will entail additional energy costs.

That is, the cost of the fruits of cultivated crops will increase.

It should be mentioned that in the spring and summer, other concerns may arise, since the sun will constantly illuminate the greenhouse, and because of this, the temperature in it will only increase, which will lead to withering of the plants. And again there are extra costs for ventilating the greenhouse in order to maintain the optimal temperature. Therefore, once you have decided to make a greenhouse with your own hands, you must first decide on the installation location. In particular, you also need to take into account the direction of the prevailing winds, because this factor is especially important when installing a permanent winter greenhouse. Did you know? The first prototypes of modern greenhouses appeared back in the days

Ancient Rome

. Gardeners planted plants in small carts, which were rolled out into the sunlight during the day and put away in a warm room at night.

  • Types of greenhouses in the country
  • When you decide to get your own greenhouse, don’t forget to answer the following questions:
  • Why do you need a greenhouse and what are you going to grow in it?
  • Will it be used in winter or only during the warm season?
  • Will you be installing heating devices in a greenhouse you made yourself?

Did you answer? Now let's look at the types of greenhouses that are offered modern market, so that you can choose a design that best suits all requirements.

What types of greenhouses are there by design?


The simplest and most economical in terms of design is a recessed greenhouse. Perhaps the only drawback of such a structure is that when installed on clay and loamy soils, it will be necessary to equip drainage and drainage systems. To create such a greenhouse in the garden with your own hands, you first need to dig a trench of any size. It should run in the direction from east to west. The walls of the trench should be strengthened with spacers made of slabs or boards cut on both sides (make the side exposed to direct sunlight a little higher). It is necessary to sow seeds or plant seedlings on the sides of the depression, and lay fresh manure in the strip in the middle. When it begins to decompose, additional substances for plant nutrition and heat will be released. Upon completion of all work, the walls from the outer sides must be covered with earth until

top level and cover with polyethylene film or glass. The simple design of a recessed greenhouse forces you to choose a dry place that is well lit and protected from the winds. Take into account the shadows cast by nearby buildings and trees.

A ground greenhouse looks like an ordinary film covering the soil in which seeds are sown or seedlings are planted. To ensure optimal


It should be mentioned that in the spring and summer, other concerns may arise, since the sun will constantly illuminate the greenhouse, and because of this, the temperature in it will only increase, which will lead to withering of the plants. And again there are extra costs for ventilating the greenhouse in order to maintain the optimal temperature. temperature regime

, you need to pull the film as close as possible to the seedlings, but at the same time so as not to interfere with their free growth.

There are several types of ground-based greenhouses, which differ only in the method of installation, height and operational characteristics. Let's consider the main ones:
Of the lamellar polymer group materials, polyethylene film is the most widely used, mostly due to its low cost. In addition, it is easy to install and allows the required amount of light to pass through. Also, such material can be easily removed from any part of the frame if you need to ventilate the greenhouse or harden off seedlings. The main disadvantage is its fragility, which is explained by the weak strength of the material.

Other advantages of polyethylene film include:

  • elasticity;
  • frost resistance;
  • high moisture resistance;
  • good possibility of penetration of oxygen and carbon dioxide;
  • transmission of the entire spectrum of sunlight;
  • good light scattering ability.

Polyvinyl chloride film is endowed with all the advantages of polyethylene film, moreover, it has a longer service life, and the only drawbacks can be identified as low permeability of ultraviolet rays (about 20%). But, alas, this film did not gain popularity. Polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride materials reinforced with fiberglass last up to 8 years and have a light transmittance of 75%.
Most common hard polymer material - cellular polycarbonate. It can perhaps be called the golden mean, because it has all the advantages of glass and plastic film and is almost completely devoid of their disadvantages. In terms of price, cellular polycarbonate is more expensive than film, but cheaper and lighter than glass. At the same time, it is much stronger, therefore more durable.

Advantages of cellular polycarbonate:

  • high throughput sunlight up to 86%, which over time can drop to a maximum of 82%;
  • excellent light scattering ability, which prevents sunburn on plants;
  • operational life is 20 years;
  • high impact resistance of the material;
  • excellent thermal insulation qualities;
  • good resistance to bad climatic conditions, maintaining all properties at extreme temperatures from -40°C to +120°C;
  • simplified installation process due to low weight;
  • good flexibility (it can be used to make different designs for the roof).


There are three types of polycarbonate covering material: budget, standard and premium. Budget class sheets have a lower density, they are thinner and they contain a larger amount of second-class raw materials. They are cheaper, but have a shorter service life. Standard sheets have a thickness of 25 mm. On one side, they are covered with a protective material that protects polycarbonate from the harmful effects of the environment. It is this polycarbonate that has all the advantages that were described above. It is manufactured in accordance with international quality standards.

Premium class polycarbonate has a thickness from 4 to 30 mm and, unlike the standard class, the protective material lies on both sides.

  • But installing premium polycarbonate will require you to have certain knowledge and skills:
  • stiffeners must be mounted vertically to avoid condensation accumulation;
  • you cannot bend polycarbonate to a radius smaller than that specified by the manufacturer;
  • the ends of the panels must be sealed before installation;
  • this material can only be cut with a saw with small teeth or a construction knife;
  • fasten the polycarbonate with self-tapping screws with thermal washers;
  • the design of a do-it-yourself greenhouse does not involve the installation of polycarbonate material at temperatures below +10°C;

It should be mentioned that in the spring and summer, other concerns may arise, since the sun will constantly illuminate the greenhouse, and because of this, the temperature in it will only increase, which will lead to withering of the plants. And again there are extra costs for ventilating the greenhouse in order to maintain the optimal temperature. Installation of polycarbonate should only be carried out with an overlap. It is strictly forbidden to mount it end-to-end.The Crystal Palace was built in London inXIV

century. For a long period of time, many festivals and various events were held in this large greenhouse, including the Queen’s receptions.

How to make a greenhouse with your own hands: step-by-step instructions and necessary tools

In order for the results of the grown crop to meet your expectations, you need to think about where to put the greenhouse, what material to use during installation and what plan to follow when constructing the structure. All these issues must be resolved before construction work begins.

How to make a greenhouse from arcs?

After the arcs and covering material have been selected, you can begin making a greenhouse with your own hands.

  1. Frame assembly:
  2. Attach the arcs with staples to a base of slats or bars, or bury them in the ground.
  3. The distance between the arcs should not exceed one meter (optimally 80 cm). Otherwise, the stability of the frame will be at risk. The top of the greenhouse must be “tied” with reinforcement to give the structure strength. Can also be used PVC pipes

the right size. Important!

If you cover the frame with inexpensive plastic film, then on the sides you can press it to the ground with improvised materials. More expensive types of covering material will need to be attached with special staples to the ground or to the base of the arches.

How to make a greenhouse out of wood?

Greenhouses made of wood, which are made by amateur gardeners with their own hands, are the most convenient in mastering the first steps of growing plants. They are made collapsible for ease of reuse next year. Making a wooden greenhouse with minimal financial costs is much easier than it might seem at first glance.


Even an inexperienced gardener can make a small arched portable greenhouse with his own hands. The small size limits the full care of vegetable crops if you are inside it, so you have to remove half the cover for watering, weeding and other work. Greenhouse film becomes unusable very quickly, so it is better to work a little more and construct a greenhouse in the form of a box. Such a greenhouse can also have transparent walls, not just the roof. To do this, you need to collect several wooden frames and fasten them together. For ease of access, it is better to make the roof hinged and equipped with a latch so that it does not open due to strong wind gusts.

the right size. In order for such a greenhouse to last longer, install it on an improvised brick foundation. If you use bars, they will need to be impregnated with a special compound that will prevent rotting.

Stationary greenhouses for summer cottages, which are built with your own hands, require the laying of a capital foundation. It can be built from old bricks with cement mortar, which is a more budget-friendly option. You can also use ready-made concrete blocks or fill with mortar and place the formwork. The next stage is tying the structure. Lay upward along the perimeter of the foundation wooden beam

the right size. with a cross section of 10x15 cm. The beams can be fastened in any way: “dovetail”, “half-wood”, with an anchor, or by mechanical linings.


A wooden sheathing is attached to the tied beams, which consists of vertical posts and horizontal bars in increments of one meter maximum. If you organize a film covering, you can stretch it over the frame, securing it to the outer planks, or create modules from old window frames with film instead of glass, which are connected into one continuous structure.

It should be mentioned that in the spring and summer, other concerns may arise, since the sun will constantly illuminate the greenhouse, and because of this, the temperature in it will only increase, which will lead to withering of the plants. And again there are extra costs for ventilating the greenhouse in order to maintain the optimal temperature. The roof can be of any kind, but it must have a slope, even a minimal one, which will ensure the drainage of precipitation. Inside the greenhouse, you can dig a shallow trench the length of the entire structure, which is filled with fertilizers and then covered with a thick layer of soil. A thick layer of soil will protect the deep roots of the plant from burns (a height of 30 cm will be optimal).

In northern countries, greenhouses are often attached to houses. This makes it convenient to care for plants and heat the house at the same time.

How to make a greenhouse from old windows?

  • In order to make a small greenhouse from old window frames with your own hands, you will need the following materials:
  • window frames in the quantity you need;
  • several long boards, not thick logs or bars;
  • old brick or concrete for the foundation;

fastening elements for connecting frames to each other.

the right size. When the material for creating a greenhouse is selected, you should more accurately determine its size. There is no such thing as the optimal length of a greenhouse, since it will depend on the size of those same window frames and their number.


You should not design a greenhouse that is too large, because it will not be as convenient in terms of operation. Before you start assembling the structure, make sure that all frames are the same size.

the right size. Adjust the boards and beams to the required requirements and coat them with bitumen mastic or used machine oil. Lay bricks along the entire perimeter of the future building and place bars on them. From the inside, attach the boards vertically to the beam with self-tapping screws. The distance between them must be made slightly smaller than the width of the frames. On top, along the outside, attach new boards so that the top edge of the first completely coincides with the vertical ends.

We construct a metal greenhouse


A greenhouse frame made from a profile pipe is the most durable and reliable structure of all known types of shelters for growing early vegetable, berry and flower crops. To construct a mini or large summer cottage greenhouse from a metal profile, you need to take a fairly powerful pipe. A profile of 40x20 mm is ideal. To connect the frame horizontally, a pipe with a cross section of 20x20 mm will be sufficient. Before purchasing covering materials, to create a future frame, it is necessary to plan a drawing of the future greenhouse. This will help you with more accurate quantity calculations. necessary materials This will also significantly reduce the time and loss of metal during cutting.

Next, we will take a closer look at how to make a metal mini greenhouse with your own hands with the simplest gable roof. First of all, decide what the foundation of your future greenhouse will look like structurally. Here you can choose from several options, starting with wooden railway sleepers and ending with screw piles. In this example, we will consider a small monolithic foundation , 30-40 cm deep. Before filling the dug trench, lay anchors along the entire perimeter for future fastening of the pipe. Once these parts have set, weld to them profile pipe
40x20 mm, which will serve as a reliable basis for attaching all future frame frames of your metal greenhouse. To avoid any distortions during frame assembly, assembly must be carried out on a flat and hard surface. If there is one, then you should mark the outline of the future frame on it and cut a profile pipe along it. To simplify the assembly process, it is not necessary to cut the profile into separate parts; it is better to make small precise cuts with a grinder, and then gradually bend the pipe. Thus, you should get a frame of the desired shape. Accurately calculate the angles of the cuts so that the pipe cuts fit tightly and accurately when bending. After this, carefully weld all joints.

The structures that should be approached with the utmost responsibility are end frames. One of them will be installed
They need to be connected to each other by sections of a 20x20 mm square profile. Install frame elements from the end frame. To ensure that it does not deviate from the vertical position, it must be fixed with two angle braces, welding them to the horizontal foundation pipe. Weld the horizontal connecting elements of the profile 10 cm below the inflection point of the frame. This is necessary so that you can attach the polycarbonate in width and length as conveniently as possible.

Thank you for your opinion!

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Every novice gardener has to face the question of how to make a greenhouse on their own plot. This design allows you to easily start growing natural, fresh vegetables and greenery even at sub-zero night temperatures. In addition, the greenhouse is able to protect delicate plants from heavy precipitation, wind and direct sunlight.

If you choose the right one construction material and optimal design, you can get an indispensable garden assistant.

Greenhouse, greenhouse and their differences

In natural usage, greenhouse and greenhouse are often used as synonyms. However, this is not entirely true. The greenhouse is a large-sized structure equipped with main communications, namely heating, an artificial irrigation system, and ultraviolet lighting.

The design of the greenhouse allows you to grow various crops throughout the year. Many greenhouses are built on a foundation, and the height of the structure allows a person to easily carry out work at full height.


If you look at the photo of a greenhouse and a greenhouse, it will immediately become clear that the first one does not have any communications, its size is small. The main purpose of a greenhouse is to protect plants from aggressive natural conditions in early spring and cold autumn.

Structural features and type of assembly make it possible to divide all greenhouses into several classes: portable, permanent (possibly installed on a foundation).

When it comes to choosing between a greenhouse and a greenhouse, it is worth keeping in mind that installing a greenhouse is considered an expensive undertaking, in which professional farmers rather than amateur gardeners invest their efforts and resources.

If organized on garden plot greenhouse standard size, then it will be quite enough to provide the average family with a harvest. A greenhouse can be a good alternative to a greenhouse structure.

It will not be difficult to prepare seedlings in winter in cups on the windowsill, and plant them in a greenhouse in the spring. An early harvest will please any family.

Types of greenhouses

Not only the design, shape and material used for covering allow us to talk about the types of greenhouses. Their location and main purpose also make it possible to distinguish several types.


Seedling greenhouses have a small height, due to which they are able to retain heat well during frosts. In such greenhouses you can grow seedlings right away, without going through the stage of using cups where the seeds are planted.

In addition, in a greenhouse, plants receive a kind of hardening, subsequently having greater endurance compared to home ones. A seedling greenhouse can accept and grow any type of vegetables, herbs and even flowers. It makes a good greenhouse for a summer residence.

Home greenhouses are built on balconies or window sills and do an excellent job of growing a full-fledged crop. True, it is necessary to select varieties of vegetables and herbs that are adapted to grow indoors (cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, etc.). By thinking through a multi-tiered design, you can save a lot of space.

Mobile greenhouses have an advantage over stationary ones, since they can be moved around the site as needed (for example, to free up space, or to expose the structure to the sun's rays). At the end of the season, the greenhouse can be easily removed from the area, saving space.

Small greenhouses make it possible to work with a small number of seedlings. The structure can be disassembled, thereby changing the size of the bed.

Care

All parts of dismantled structures must be cleaned of dirt and dust at the end of the season. To do this, you can use a solution of potassium permanganate or mustard. After this, they are thoroughly dried and stored in a dry room protected from precipitation.

In the case of stationary structures (with a foundation, glass or polycarbonate), seasonal maintenance should be carried out more thoroughly.

To prevent the proliferation of pests, the walls of the greenhouse are treated with a solution of potassium permanganate, the old soil is removed by 10-15 cm, after which new soil is added, and ash, sand, humus, and sometimes wood are added to it. Then it is carefully dug up and treated with a sulfur bomb.

The greenhouse, ready for the new season, is left open until the onset of frost or until the first snowfall. IN winter time It is advisable to close the greenhouse tightly to protect it from snow and gusts of wind.


It will be useful to leave some snow in the greenhouse. In spring, melt water can have a beneficial effect on soil quality. In case of heavy snowfalls, the greenhouse must be cleaned with a shovel or broom; in case of moderate precipitation, it can be left alone.

Greenhouse material

Unlike a greenhouse, greenhouses are easy to manufacture. To install a greenhouse yourself will require ingenuity, certain construction skills, and financial costs. But you can even make a greenhouse with your own hands if you use available and, accordingly, inexpensive materials.

The covering of most greenhouses is polyethylene film (sometimes reinforced). The material is easy to find in any hardware store and its price is low. Non-woven lutrasil or spunbond is also suitable.

Due to their high cost, cellular polycarbonate and glass are not often used. If you make a greenhouse from window frames, then the issue with the covering material is already resolved, provided that the glass is intact.

The basis of the greenhouse is a frame, which can have different shapes: in the form of an arc, a triangle, like a miniature greenhouse. The material for the frame can be polypropylene pipes, metal or fiberglass reinforcement, glued wooden blocks, window frames and balcony doors.

By properly organizing a greenhouse on your site, you will no longer need to waste your energy on replanting plants after the next frost.

Receive long years a fresh harvest before anyone else will not be difficult if the design is of high quality and reliable.

Greenhouse photo

Those who believe that only a specialist can make a greenhouse with their own hands at the dacha for growing various crops are wrong. This task is within the capabilities of any site owner, regardless of his experience in construction. Such a structure has a number of advantages, in contrast to a large greenhouse: it is not only more compact, but also does not create great difficulties during the installation process, and also does not require the construction of a foundation.

The entire technology for making a greenhouse with your own hands can be described in the form of the following actions: choosing a location, preparing the soil and erecting a frame. At the same time, so that the greenhouse design is built according to all rules and has served for more than one season, you need to get an idea of ​​certain nuances regarding assembling a greenhouse with your own hands, in which you can grow not only berries, but also vegetables, seedlings and flowers.

Choosing a location for a greenhouse

To make a greenhouse at your dacha, you don’t have to invite a specialist. The work of assembling the frame will take you only a couple of hours. However, when thinking about how to make a greenhouse, you first need to decide where exactly this structure will be installed. To do everything right, you need take into account the following conditions:

Preparing the soil for future precipitation

Having decided on the place where the greenhouse will be located, you can start preparing the soil for it. This work can also be done with your own hands. Owner summer cottage can choose one from several types of soil mixture:

The process of organizing heating for a greenhouse

In order for favorable conditions for the growth and development of crops to be created in the greenhouse, it is necessary take care of heating. This problem can be solved in two ways.

Using the electrical cable

With this option, the cable is placed over a layer of sand. To install this heating system, it is necessary to ensure constant monitoring of soil moisture. It is advisable to place the greenhouse at a slight distance from the source of electricity. Then you won’t have to spend money on buying a long cable so that it will be enough to reach the greenhouse located at the other end of the garden.

Application of biofuels

This option is suitable for small greenhouses; they can be heated using horse manure. To set up such a heating system, you will have to perform the following steps: the bottom of the greenhouse must be filled with a cushion of dry leaves or straw, on which a layer of manure is then laid. Next on it pour a fertile layer. The main effect will be provided by manure, which, due to decomposition, will release the necessary amount of heat sufficient for the normal development of plants in the greenhouse.

Construction of a wooden greenhouse

To make it easier to understand how to build a greenhouse, an example will be given below using a structure with the following dimensions: 300 x 105 x 60 cm. A wooden board with a cross-section of 25 x 150 mm will be used as the material for the frame. Before you start making such a greenhouse at the dacha, you will have to prepare necessary tools and materials:

At the first stage, it is necessary to assemble the side walls, which according to the diagram should have the following dimensions – 300 x 60 cm. To solve this problem, the boards must be placed close to each other on a horizontal surface. The lumber used should have a length of 3 m. An indent of 3 cm must be made from the edge, and then another board, but already 140 cm long, must be nailed to the marked place at a right angle. Four nails of 70 mm each are used as fasteners.

After completing this work, you should get a structure in which the board extends beyond the boundaries of the frame by 20 cm on one edge, and by 60 cm on the other. Then the same indent of 3 cm is also made from the second edge, after which the operation is repeated. On the manufactured shield, the middle is marked, where the third board will subsequently be nailed.

After this, they begin to create the next shield, which will have the same dimensions. When both shields are ready, they are installed vertically so that the parts of the protruding boards are 20 cm below. The walls themselves should be spaced 105 cm apart from each other.

Then you will have to make additional two side walls, using 8 boards of 105 cm for them. As a result, four boards should be used for each wall. In general, the process of preparing them is the same as in the case of large boards, but there is one important point here: the boards that will be placed at right angles should protrude by 3 cm.

Having finished working with the walls, they move on to making rafters. To make them, you will need 6 boards 55 cm long. First, they need to be prepared, for which one side is sawed at an angle of 60 degrees, and the other - 30 degrees. There should be three boards on one side, which will be fastened at the top.

Additionally, a three-meter board will have to be nailed between the rafters, which will later be assigned the role of the roof ridge.

When all the main structural elements are ready, proceed to assembly. Once this work is completed, you can start painting the frame. After waiting for the paint to dry, proceed to attaching the plastic film. To fix it on the surface, you can use thin slats, attaching them to the frame with nails.

At this point, all the work on making a greenhouse with your own hands is completed and it can be used for planting garden crops.

Among all the structures that are present on a summer cottage, you can often find greenhouses, which are used by summer residents to grow seedlings of various crops. But with the right approach, any summer resident can make a greenhouse that can be used throughout the year. Thus, he will have the opportunity to get more harvests. Moreover, in order to realize such a plan, there is no need to create portable structures.

Similar results can be achieved using stationary greenhouses large sizes. Due to the presence of convenient covers and removable frames, the maintenance of such structures will be significantly simplified.

Today there are many options for such greenhouses, which may differ in both shape and material used for manufacturing. But even before the construction of such greenhouses begins, it is necessary to take into account a number of important points regarding the care and placement of such structures:

  • for the greenhouse it is necessary to choose a place so that it can be oriented along the length from east to west;
  • The greenhouse slope should be placed at an angle of 30 degrees, and the posts should be located at a distance of no more than 1 m from each other; it is recommended to arrange the entrance on the south side;
  • the racks acting as a support for the greenhouse ridge should be located in increments of 2.5 m;
  • greenhouses can be provided with a biofuel-based heating system;
  • in the process of making greenhouses, you will have to take care of the presence of a shady canopy so that garden crops do not burn from the scorching rays of the sun;
  • to create better lighting in the greenhouse, lamps can be provided in its design;
  • Regardless of the size, the greenhouse must have a ventilation system.

Today, the choice of greenhouse designs for a summer cottage is quite large. This allows any gardener to decide which option suits him best in terms of its characteristics.

Among them there is the simplest option - frameless greenhouse, in which you can grow vegetables. After sowing the seeds, the ground is covered with a film, and the edges are fixed with stones so that the space under the film is ventilated. As the seedlings grow, the film is lifted, and during the next watering the edges are folded over to the back for more convenient irrigation.

In addition, every gardener can make a lean-to greenhouse with his own hands. Work begins with digging a pit, which should have a depth of 70 cm and a width of 150 cm. The length of such a structure usually corresponds to the width of the frame or a multiple of it.

On the north side, it is necessary to perform the strapping using boards for it.

Such a greenhouse can be used in conjunction with a heating system, the fuel for which can be ordinary manure.

Much more difficult to make compact gable greenhouse. Many crops can be grown in such a greenhouse. The most common option for making such a greenhouse is in the form of a tunnel, for which the optimal height is considered to be 40-60 cm. Film is used as a covering for the frame, and ventilation is ensured by raising the film on the sides.

Despite the fact that in general such a greenhouse resembles a lean-to greenhouse, it has some differences in design. The standard manufacturing option includes a hinged lid, which simplifies the care of plants. Also, the design may contain other additional elements that make the use of such a greenhouse more convenient - lifting domes, removable frames etc.

If the owner of a summer cottage decides to make a stationary greenhouse with his own hands, then he can choose a material such as polycarbonate as a covering. This solution is advantageous in that polycarbonate provides increased reliability and structural strength. In addition to everything, this creates more favorable conditions for the growth and development of garden crops.

Conclusion

A greenhouse in the country provides many advantages to the owner. The main one is that in such a design it is possible to create the most favorable conditions for growing various garden crops. Moreover, any owner can make a greenhouse with his own hands. Due to the fact that for the manufacture of such a greenhouse it is necessary to available materials, and she herself consists of simple elements, you can cope with this task yourself and without the involvement of specialists.