When we talk about greenhouses, we are referring to an environment created especially for our plants, where they can find the characteristics of their natural habitat, the ideal ones to take root and grow healthy and robust over time: light, climate, temperature. If the environment in which we intend to build it is a cold environment, naturally we will have the opportunity, thanks to the greenhouse, to be able to grow plants suitable for warmer climates and vice versa, if we live in a warm place, we will be able to afford the luxury, thanks to a refrigerated greenhouse to have plants that grow at near-polar temperatures! Greenhouses can be in iron, masonry, aluminum, wood, polycarbonate. There are variable sizes, fixed or mobile, and obviously each model varies according to our needs, and those of our garden, as well as, of course, the budget we have available. Whatever material they are, the fixed ones usually have a masonry base to make them more solid and resistant, or in any case they are placed on supports screwed deep into the ground. Walls and roof, rigorously sloping, are naturally made of transparent material – glass or plastic – so that light and heat can filter inside them and above all it is possible to regulate the degree of humidity necessary for the balance of our cultivation. It is advisable to orient our greenhouse towards the south, assuming to adapt the dehumidification system of the same, perhaps even with a small fountain. It is also advisable for some of the walls of our greenhouse to be equipped with windows opening towards the outside for proper ventilation and for a correct circulation of currents. Whether we are ‘Sunday gardeners’ or passionate thumbs, we see the proposal of garden greenhouses on the market, so as to understand what best suits our needs.

Let’s start with the cheapest proposals, those all in plastic, which cost very little, they can also be found on the market even starting from 15 euros. In reality these are not real greenhouses, but small structures equipped with wheels, easily transportable, organized with two or three shelves on which to place the pots of flowers and plants and equipped with a transparent plastic sheet that covers them during the winter period. The naturally sloping roof, to allow the flow of rain, as well as leaves and debris to slide down, without weighing down the structure and burdening our plants. This type of greenhouse is equipped with openings through zippers, which allow the right air circulation and help us find the correct degree of humidity that favors the well-being of our plants. It moves easily, so it can be moved anywhere in the garden. Of course, the price varies according to the size of the structure and the quality and strength of the cover sheet. Also in plastic, always inexpensive, but designed for a completely different use, are the so-called ‘tunnel’ greenhouses. These are semicircular metal structures, which tend to create a real tunnel on the ground, covered with a transparent plastic sheet; this type of greenhouse is fixed directly in the ground. They are fixed structures, equipped with a lateral or upper opening, to be exploited where the temperature warms up and the climate is adequate for the well-being of our plants. Ideal for growing plants and aromatic herbs, these greenhouses are not very aesthetically appealing: it would therefore be better, if we also have a small back garden, to place it there, out of sight of our guests. On the market there are also models equipped with a special tank to house the soil for sowing: this expedient transforms our greenhouse from fixed to mobile. In one case or another, the price of the tunnel model starts at 20-25 euros and never exceeds 100 euros. You can buy them in gardening, bricolage and do-it-yourself shops, and also online, on the appropriate dedicated sites.

If our budget is higher, we have ample space available and we like the idea of ​​a fixed greenhouse, we can turn our attention to metal or wooden structures. They are beautiful, elegant, they decorate our garden and lovingly guard our plants. These are complex structures, real ‘houses’ for our beloved green with a masonry base. As it happened in ancient times, even for modern structures it is always advisable to use glass as a cover. In fact, glass, in addition to having low production, installation and maintenance costs, if chosen carefully, is able to withstand the most unpredictable atmospheric agents, as well as mechanical stresses induced by rain and wind. But above all, glass, an inert material par excellence, ideal for avoiding heat dispersion and multiplying the radiation of light. Of course we can also choose a synthetic, plastic roofing material, remembering that its reflective power is lower than that of glass. Both models are usually equipped with sliding panels. Greenhouses of this type, complex in assembly and maintenance, are on the market at quite high figures, the price can vary from 60 to 90 euros per square meter. But they are obviously guaranteed to last a long time.

Do not hesitate one more minute, before you come across a very important page of our portal, where we will try to deal with one of the main alternatives to winter gardens, certainly more affordable for a large group of users, especially from a commercial point of view. The reference, inevitably, to the so-called garden greenhouses.

Specifically, in an area such as the one we are dealing with, you cannot fail to consider variables such as the height of the greenhouse, but above all the material with which to make it, considering that the discriminant in question may or may not facilitate a crucial process, namely the transition of the sun’s rays inside the structure created with the greenhouse.