How to Heat a Greenhouse - Practical Solutions

Heating a greenhouse. Yes, but how? If you have the space, the time and above all the desire to build a greenhouse and you don’t know what the fundamental steps are to heat it, we present below some concise and clear suggestions to follow in order to keep the temperature of your greenhouse at the desired level .

Let’s start by saying that having a greenhouse and not heating it is not a very smart move: a heated greenhouse allows you to increase the number of varieties you can grow, making your garden perfectly operational even during the winter months.

Below we provide you with some valuable advice for heating a greenhouse, valid whether you enjoy growing vegetables or are passionate about ornamental plants and flowers.

The natural solutions for heating a greenhouse

The first suggestions we give you are oriented towards natural heating, for which the installation of special equipment is not required.

If your greenhouse is modest in size, and is intended for ornamental plants such as gardenias, azaleas, geraniums or carnations, it will be sufficient for you to point it towards the south; in this way it will be the natural heat coming from the sun to heat it, with a huge advantage: it is completely free energy!

Always remaining on cost-free solutions , another good idea is to build the greenhouse close to a wall of your house: in winter, the heat from the heated house will pass through the wall, just enough to keep the temperature of the greenhouse above above zero degrees, thus avoiding unpleasant frosts.

Man keep the temperature in the greenhouse

The suggestions we have given you to increase the heat inside the greenhouse must be completed by some tricks, useful for keeping the temperature for a long time without rapid dispersions. To be sure that you have not made a mistake, and that the measurements you have taken are suitable for the purpose you have set for yourself, remember to mount two thermometers: one maximum and one minimum.

An economical and effective method of thermally insulating your greenhouse is to coat the inside with a layer of bubble wrap. Be careful: we recommend the one with large bubbles, because in this way a greater amount of light will filter inside.

Place some black trays filled with water in the greenhouse: the water serves to absorb the heat, which will then be released as humidity during the night.

The most drastic solutions to heat the greenhouse

It is not always possible to build your own greenhouse by orienting and mounting it where we would like. If the conditions are not favorable and the heat of the sun in winter is not sufficient to maintain the minimum temperature around 4-5 degrees, you will necessarily have to consider an ad hoc heating system.

A good idea could be to equip yourself with a paraffin heater : for medium-small sized greenhouses you can find them on the market at very low prices, and you could get away with spending around 50 Euros. The advantage of the heater is that it does not require any connection to your electricity network: therefore forget the problem of having nearby electrical sockets available: with a full tank of less than 5 liters you should be able to heat the greenhouse for up to 7 days.

If you want a slightly more important investment, you could set up a heating system called a “greenhouse effect”: what you will need to buy is an electric fan heater.

It is important that the fan heater is then connected to a timer, which will make it turn on automatically at night and in the coldest hours of the day.

Among the various models on the market, focus on the oscillating fan heaters ; as for power, it all depends on the size of your greenhouse. If you are far-sighted and want to save in the long term, finally choose a model that belongs to a high energy efficiency class, such as an A+++.

The integrated photovoltaic system

Don’t want to use electricity or paraffin and prefer a renewable source ?

A good solution is made up of photovoltaic panels: an integrated system, which uses the glass cover and the frame of the greenhouse itself requires a less expensive investment than you might think: with around 300 euros and a 150W power panel you will in fact be able to heat a small greenhouse of 15m2.

Which greenhouse to buy

The objective of the greenhouse is to choose the best tool to allow the sun’s rays to pass through the plastic or glass window of the structure. Result: the interior heats up, well beyond the external temperatures, and the living plants find the ideal condition to thrive.

There are different types of greenhouses on the market; different sizes and materials to meet the most diverse needs.

Aluminum greenhouses have a good built-in system for water drainage, while the roof vent ensures optimal ventilation on hot days. The roof panels are secured with metal clips, ensuring durability and long term use.

The plastic greenhouse is the cheapest solution, because it is lighter and easier to assemble. Ideal if you are a beginner with a greenhouse and want to experiment with its use.

Steel frame PE greenhouses are ideal if you grow a little bit of everything; flowers and vegetable plants. They are equipped with roll-up windows and guarantee good ventilation.

There are no more or less right solutions, but only those that best suit your needs at the moment and, of course, the space you have available in the garden or vegetable garden. Good choice and, as always, good cultivation to all!