Goal-oriented planning for optimal output of your greenhouse

The new garden season is about to begin, and a lot of people are making new plans for their garden, and the wish for a greenhouse grows.

Here are 5 aspects to consider when planning your greenhouse placement.

1.

Think about the purpose of your greenhouse. Do you want to create a kitchen garden and grow the first vegetables early on? Do you wish to fulfil your dream of an orangery and overwinter your potted plants without damage?

Or do you want both? If yes, you must, as a minimum, have a 13 m2 greenhouse, so there is enough room for everything.

2.

When you have decided, how you wish to use your greenhouse, you must consider the best placement in your garden.

There are many ways to place and position your greenhouse. It depends on the size of your garden, the cardinal points, and already established elements in your garden, like other buildings, trees, walls, paths and so on. It is a good idea to avoid big trees near your greenhouse, as fallen branches can damage your greenhouse during a storm.  

If you want your greenhouse to be a part of your kitchen garden, place your greenhouse near the part of your garden, where your kitchen garden is located. If the greenhouse is to be used as a conservatory, place it close to your house.

Are your looking for a temporary solution, the greenhouse makes for a good transition between a flower and kitchen garden.

3. 

In order to create an overview of your garden and the size and placement of your greenhouse, draw your garden on squared paper in the scale of 1:100. The squares provide a spacious orientation. You can choose different greenhouse sizes from the Juliana collection. Draw the size of the desired greenhouse on a separated sheet of squared paper in the same scale and cut it out. Now you can move the greenhouse around in your garden to figure out where it fits best and where it will receive the most sunlight. This way, you can also try different greenhouse sizes and shapes and can see how they fit into your garden.

If you are unsure, if the chosen size is sufficient, make an actual outline of the greenhouse size in your garden, using a garden hose or rope, and place everything you want in your greenhouse inside the outline. This way, you will easily find out, if there is enough room or not.

4.

Another important aspect to consider is the type of flooring you want in your greenhouse. I always recommend not to mix too many different materials. That means, if you already have a terrace with natural stones, try to use the same stones for your greenhouse. If you have a wooden terrace, but at the same time a paved garden path, use those stones for the flooring. Gravel, bricks, or recycled quarry tiles are also good options for the flooring, it all depends on your taste, creativity, or budget. Is your greenhouse solely used for cultivation, all you need is a few stepping stones between your beds.

5.

Depending on how you use your greenhouse, it might also be relevant to think about electricity or water near your greenhouse, to connect extra light or a fan heater, if necessary, and to make the watering as easy as possible. For your watering go for either an automatic irrigation system or the traditional garden hose.

When your greenhouse has been delivered, assemble it first and then decide on the interior. Take one step at a time and continue without any stress. This way, your decisions will be easier, and you will be able to enjoy your greenhouse for a long time. It is not always possible to plan the entire process, because it all depends on multiple factors.

Sun and light are the most important factors. For everything else you can find solutions. For example, space requirements are easily solved with shelves. Juliana offers many useful attachments to best utilise every corner of your greenhouse.

I wish you a great greenhouse season.