Do I need a greenhouse in Florida?

Why would you need a greenhouse in Florida? It’s hot as hell! In southern Florida you most likely won’t need a greenhouse but there are lots of uses for greenhouses in northern and central Florida. The answer to whether or not you need a greenhouse in Florida will depend on what, when and where you are growing. If you love growing tropical plants then a greenhouse is almost necessary if you’re in north Florida. Many vegetable gardeners in north and central Florida find them useful for starting seeds early.

Greenhouse uses

Greenhouses are used for warming things up. There's a few different ways that you can use this to your advantage when gardening. how are you going to do it though? Are you going to use your Greenhouse going to be a small house that a handful of plants live in during those few chilly months, a seed starting house Or as a get away where you grow a large variety of tropical species? There are people that have greenhouses that grow dozens and dozens of rare tropical plants and wouldn’t be able to do this without a greenhouse in their north Florida climate. In north and central Florida I don’t think it’s a bad idea to have a small greenhouse for vegetable gardening. There are some easy to construct small greenhouses that I will mention later.You can use these to start seedlings a little bit sooner than you normally would. To me, this sounds a lot easier than starting seedlings inside because you don't need a grow light and you don't have to harden off your plants. I find hardening off plants to be a real pain-in-the-ass.

How do greenhouses work?

Greenhouses are tiny ecosystems. Greenhouses are usually made of plastic,glass or poly-carbonate. They work by allowing the sun’s energy to pass through the clear surface but difficult to escape. This raises the temperature. Greenhouses are great for warming your plants but without air flow this is also a great climate for fungus and bacteria to grow and spread. A lack of airflow also raises the temperature. This can be handled by having windows, vents or fans on opposite sides of the greenhouse. Many cheaper plastic greenhouses will have simple windows that you can open. If you do choose to build a decent structure for your greenhouse though, You can install vents that automatically open when the greenhouse reaches a certain temperature. You can install exhaust fans to pull the hot air out and fans inside of the greenhouse that will circulate air. Lots of sun comes in during the day to keep these guys warm but when the sun goes down and the house loses its heat source, it can cool off quickly. You may need to heat your greenhouse depending on how cold it’s getting and whether or not your plant can handle that temperature. If you’ve got a smaller greenhouse of around 120 square feet this little heater looks like it will do the trick for you if you need to raise your temperature. There are also propane options for heating your greenhouse as well. Install a thermostat in your greenhouse and see where it's sitting. If it gets too hot in there during the day you need to find a way to either, provide shade, increase ventilation or increase airflow. If it's too cold warm it up.

What kinds of greenhouses are there?

There are two basic types of greenhouses:

• Attached
• Freestanding

Attached(also referred to as lean-to) are built off of existing structures, like your home, garage or shed. Freestanding greenhouses are just like they sound.They stand by themselves, not needing any other structure to support it. There are a bunch of different sizes and styles of free-standing greenhouses. You can have an amazing Oasis of tropical plants growing in yours with a pond and a bench, so you can sit and enjoy the atmosphere. Or You can have a smaller one that's large enough just for a few plants to stay in on those frosty and freezing nights we see around January. Any style of greenhouse can be built with either glass, plastic or polycarbonate. All are susceptible to weather damage like hail, heavy rains and other debris getting blown around by Mother Nature. Plastic is the cheapest option, but you will have to replace it more often. Polycarbonate built greenhouses are expected to last about 7 years or so until the sun erodes and yellows the panels. Glass will withstand the sun’s heat for longest time but may not withstand mother nature’s fury as well as polycarbonate panels can. A mini hoop house covered in plastic is probably the cheapest way to build a small Greenhouse. I can see this being a benefit for small vegetable gardeners who have a few container plants that they need to protect or for the home gardener that wants a little space to start seeds earlier in the season. If you want, you can go even cheaper and buy a tiny plastic structure on amazon that will do the job for warming up a really small number of plants on those rare freezing nights we have in central Florida. For every 6" pot you will want at least 1 square foot of space and if you are planning on having a large enough greenhouses that will have walking paths, make sure they are at least 19 inches wide.

Where should I put my greenhouse?

It’s best to have your greenhouse on the southern part of your property or on the south of your home or surrounding structures. The southern side will receive the most sunlight in general. This of course is going to depend on the surrounding area. Are there trees or other things blocking the sun from reaching your greenhouse? A good rule of thumb is that your greenhouse will need at least 6 hours of sun but 8 or more is ideal during the coldest parts of the season. However, Sometimes the afternoon sun can be intense even during the “winter” time. This is especially true if you plan on using this greenhouse in the summer. If at all possible, during the planning phase see if there is a spot that gets shaded during the afternoon and plan on putting your greenhouse there. If that’s not possible it’s a good idea to have a way in which you can attach shade cloth to the inside of your greenhouse. A north-south orientation will make sure that both sides of your greenhouse get equal amounts of sun. With an east-west orientation the the southern side will be sunnier and the northern side will be more shady.

What plants grow best in a Florida greenhouse?

If you live in north or central Florida you may find a greenhouse helpful for starting veggies earlier than you normally would be able to. You can also use a greenhouse to grow lots of tropical plants and other ornamentals that are killed by freeze. Some of these plants are:

• Bromeliads
• Calatheas
• Anthriums
• Poinsettias
• Mums
• Heliconias
• Citrus trees

[caption id="attachment_100" align="alignnone" width="900"] A.) Bromeliad B.) Heleconia C.) Calathea D.) Anthriums[/caption] This is just a mix of plants that food growers and ornamental growers may enjoy in a greenhouse and is by no means an all inclusive list. There are plenty of other plants that will benefit from a greenhouse. If you live in an area of Florida that gets regular frosts or freezes and you grow plants that will be killed or stunted by that, than those are good plants for a greenhouse.

Can I build a greenhouse?

Depending on where you live in Florida and the size of your greenhouse you will need to check with your local building department about permitting. Each county is different. There are tons of guides online about building cheap greenhouses. If you’re feeling handy but are on a budget I found this design to be helpful. There are much larger and more expensive greenhouses on Home Depot and Lowe's that would be more suitable to a tropical plant goer that wants an oasis that they can walk into. Unless you know what you’re doing I would work with whoever you bought it through to see if they can install that for you.

How much does a greenhouse cost?

The cost of a greenhouse will vary drastically depending on the design you go with. If you go with this simple plastic greenhouse on Amazon you can spend around 80 bucks. If you want to build your own hoop house style I would expect to spend between 100 to 200 bucks. However, if you want to build a larger structure with poly carbonate or glass panels the cost increases. the price varies but I've noticed the cheapest ones being around six hundred bucks but the cost can increase to several thousands.

Greenhouses in Florida

The answer to needing a greenhouse in Florida will come down to your gardening style and your location. If you want to grow tropical plants but live in Northern and central Florida you will definitely find a good use for a greenhouse. We experience regular frosts and freezes that tropical plants don’t like. These plants are things like Bromeliads, Calatheas, Anthriums, Poinsettias, Lillies, Mums, Heliconias and even Citrus trees. If you live in North Florida and Central Florida and love to vegetable garden you will find a greenhouse useful for starting seedlings earlier in the season than you normally would be able to. If you live in South Florida you most likely won't find a good use for a greenhouse. Southern Florida is pretty much a tropical environment Which doesn't experience hardly any Frost and definitely no freezes. They are range of greenhouses for all uses. whether you want to build a large greenhouse, a medium sized Greenhouse or just a small plastic structure to put over a few plants you can find the right one online. Plan the location of your Greenhouse so it is on the southern side of any surrounding structures. a greenhouse oriented north to south will receive more sun than one oriented east to west. If possible blocking the greenhouse from afternoon sun is a good idea. Pay attention to surrounding trees and see if you can work this into the plan. If not, attaching shade cloth to the inside is a good idea, Florida's afternoon sun can be quite intense.