Garden fencing, tunnels and greenhouses

Garden fencing , foil tunnels and greenhouses will be useful in almost every garden. They allow us to protect our plants against frosts, winds, rain and hail. This extends the possible cultivation period from early spring to late autumn. We can continue cultivation in heated greenhouses even in winter. Under the covers, the soil and air warm up faster. Thanks to this, without the need for additional heating, we can grow thermophilic plants or accelerate seed germination and plant growth. Seehow to use garden frames , tunnels and greenhouses!

Wooden garden frames will help in the production of seedlings

Each of the three types of covers has a slightly different application and it would be best to have all three in the garden. As a rule, however, we cannot afford it due to the lack of space and limited financial resources. In what situations, then, the most usefulfor us will be a garden inspection , when a foil tunnel, and when a garden greenhouse?

Garden panels

Place the low garden fenceon level ground. It is worth choosing a place where it will not interfere with other activities in the garden. It should stand away from trees so that the canopy does not cast a shadow on it.

Garden frames are also inexpensive and quite easy to make yourselfThanks to the frames, it is possible to grow plants all year round. They are useful mainly in early spring for hardening plants transferred from the greenhouse to the ground, for the production of seedlings of plants with a long growing season (e.g.tomatoes) or to speed up the yield (e.g. in cauliflowers or cucumbers).

What does an inspection frame look like?It is something like a miniature greenhouse. Usually it is a wooden box, although sometimes it can be concrete or plastic, covered with frame windows. The inspection frame can be permanently attached to the ground or portable.
The wooden garden inspection frameis easy to make. Wood has the advantage that it holds heat well. It is also a material of natural origin and therefore fits well with other elements of the garden. In order to make the frame more durable, the wood must be treated with an impregnation agent and painted. From the topthe garden frame is covered with a windowwith a glass pane, although it can also be covered with foil. The windows, in addition to opening them completely, must also be slightly tilted so that it is possible to ventilate when it is too warm, and when the tempered plants gradually get used to the conditions outside. Then we open the windows on warm, sunny days, and close at night, when it gets colder.Inspection windows may fall to one side, then it should be the south side. Sometimes you can also meetgable garden frames , the so-called Belgian. "

Gable glass pane

In order forto be useful in the garden , it should have dimensions of not less than 0.6 x 1.2 m. grow plants in pots or taller vegetables.
cold garden frames , i.e. unheated. But the frames can also be heated without the use of any heating devices. It is enough to use horse manure as the lowest layer of the substrate, as it decomposes, it will generate a lot of heat and warm the soil during seed germination. Put dry leaves or straw chaff on the manure layer. Tamp it all down well and top it with a layer of fertile soil and sow the seeds into it.This method of heating is very useful for the spring production of vegetable seedlings or annual flowers. Another way of heating the inspection frame can be, for example, a hot water installation.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the article, due to the small size of the frames, it is easy to find a place for them on the plot and they can be moved. But the small size also brings limitations. The inspection will not fit too many plants, and when they grow taller, the seedlings will have to be finally transplanted into the ground. If we need more space under covers, for example, to grow plants under them throughout the season, a tunnel or a greenhouse will be useful.

The plots are very commonfoil tunnelsI think, the main reasons for this are lower costs of building a tunnel than a greenhouse and a fairly simple structure. We can make a small low tunnel ourselves. Ready-made foil tunnels of various sizes are also available for sale.Their price depends on the size - length, width and height. There is a range of different sizes and shapes of tunnels, so everyone will find something suitable for their garden.

Garden tunnelsare much lighter than greenhouses, mainly due to to cover their surface with polyethylene foil. This allows for their easy disassembly and transfer of the tunnel to another place. This is a huge advantage of tunnels. Well, under covers, extending the cultivation period, we exploit the soil much more intensively. As a result, the soil has to be replaced quite often. We can avoid this by moving the tunnel to another place where the soil is in better condition.

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Note!When choosing a location for a tunnel or a greenhouse, remember that in accordance with the ROD regulations - the greenhouse and the foil tunnel should be located at a distance of not less than 1 m from the boundaries of adjacent plots , the border of the garden and communication routes in the garden.

Garden tunnelscan also be aired by opening their doors and unwinding the foil covering their surface.Of course, greenhouses also have doors and tilt windows, but this usually gives less ventilation than in the case of a tunnel. When it gets warm enough, the tunnel can be removed completely, leaving the plants unprotected. Thanks to this, we can use cheap low tunnels that are removed when the plants grow up. This greatly reduces the cost of cultivation. "

Garden greenhouse

Garden greenhouses

Garden greenhousesare permanent structures that cannot be moved (if anything - it is quite difficult). Building a greenhouse requires more effort and financial resources. On the other hand, however, they are more durable than tunnels, which allows the installation of various devices, such as seedling tables, shelves, suspended containers or a sprinkler system. Although similar devices can also be installed in more solid tunnels, these structures are rather temporary.
Another feature that distinguishesgarden greenhousesfrom tunnels is the possibility of obtaining high temperatures under these covers. The temperature in the tunnel is unlikely to exceed 40 ° C, as a further increase in temperature is inhibited by an increase in air humidity. The tunnel also gets colder during the night.

As you can see,whether to choose a tunnel or a greenhousedepends primarily on our needs and requirements of the plants that we decide to grow, as well as on financial possibilities. While greenhouses are more expensive, they don't always turn out to be better. In many cases, a cheap, low foil tunnel may be more practical.