Garden Tips & Resources

There are many choices when it  comes to building the foundation of your greenhouse.

Many people, when they purchase a ready made greenshouse, will just plonk it down on an even piece of ground. That may be on gravel, or dirt or even grass. Your greenhouse may come complete with a roof and walls, as well as a floor.

When you commence building your own greenhouse, you’ll probably want to prepare the ground underneath it in some way. This could be as simple as smoothing the earth and laying down railroad ties spaced an inch apart. An alternative step up could be creating a simple platform of eight-foot 2 x 4’s or 1 x 6’s nailed to 4 x 4’s spaced out about every 18 inches under the slats. That way you have a solid base and drainage.

These designs, however, leave you with the large job of controlling weeds, controlling mildew, maybe replacing floor boards and other issues that can occur with wooden floors.

The next thing to do is lay your cement foundation, which is similar to a foundation under a house. It does require more effort than other possibilities, has a few drawbacks, however, it is easier than it sounds.

Creating a cement foundation requires laying out an area, smoothing it and building a temporary ‘container’ around the area you intend to pour. You’ll want to make it fairly smooth and level – not an easy thing to do unless you have a fair amount of experience pouring cement.

You could be left with a foundation which would be hard to move if you change your mind about where you want to place it.

You will have options with a cement foundation regarding heating, and it will last a lot longer. You could lay carpet or tile on top with heating tubes or wires underneath, for example. It is very easy to care for, and very strong. Cement floors also can absorb and reflect a lot of heat, which can be handy in a greenhouse.

It may take you a couple of weekends to build a good cement foundation. The materials, tools and construction plans are available at a hardware store or can be ordered online and delivered.

Beyond following the directions for mixing cement, creating the frame and properly forming the surface, the key is temperature and humidity. It’s important that you carry out the project when you expect moderate to warm temperatures, relatively low humidity and no rain.

Planning ahead is vitally important, whichever option you choose. Make sure the floor is sturdy enough to support the benches, tables, pots and the people that will be inside.The foundation is the building block, so it’s important to make sure it’s done properley.

My next article will cover what is green about a greenhouse.

If you are interested in climate change, check out my web site at http://www.enesolarpanels.com/climate-change.html

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