Building a greenhouse for tomatoes
Self-made structures on the land will provide protection from wind or rain to bushes of tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage and other crops that grow better under cover. Do-it-yourself frames save time on maintenance and money for buying ready-made systems. A greenhouse for tomatoes is used during the cultivation of seedlings and bushes of different varieties.
Building a greenhouse for tomatoes
Greenhouse characteristics
Shelters help from sudden changes in temperature - especially in regions where the ground freezes at night during the warm season.
If the purchased version of such a system is expensive, then a self-made construction is a profitable solution for large and small plots of land.
A greenhouse for tomatoes can be built in a form convenient for the gardener: you do not have to install unnecessary structures or select systems for the size of the land plot.
The design of a greenhouse for a tomato is built taking into account certain characteristics:
- temperature regime - the greenhouse is a protected and warm shelter in which the temperature is constant;
- the soil in the greenhouse must have time to warm up;
- reliable structures are used that will not suffer from strong winds, rain or a large amount of snow;
- for cold regions, additional lighting and heating are installed in the greenhouse.
In most cases, the greenhouse is a box with a sturdy metal frame. A box with a strapping is made of brick or wood, if there is such an opportunity, the frame is made of reinforced concrete parts. The optimal height of the greenhouse is 1 m (you can make the greenhouse higher, but in this case you will need additional heating).
For additional heating, a homemade design will need biofuel. For better stability and heat preservation, the bottom of the structure is made of concrete (main foundation). A brick or other durable building material is selected for the foundation. There are no doors in the greenhouse, only removable blocks or walls (so as not to release excess heat). They use a greenhouse for seedlings (closer to summer, seedlings are planted in open ground) or for growing garden crops in winter.
Tatiana Orlova (Candidate of Agricultural Sciences):
There are 2 terms that characterize protected ground shelters: greenhouse and greenhouse. These are two different designs. A greenhouse is a structure in which work is carried out outside, i.e. you cannot enter the greenhouse. This is a box (recessed or overhead), covered on top with a frame with film or glass. To work in a greenhouse, the frame is removed or opened. A greenhouse is a room of different sizes from small 2 x 2 m, to industrial, with an area of 400 - 500 square meters. Only seedlings and small crops can be grown in the greenhouse: radishes, lettuce, onions per feather, etc.
Which design to choose
A hand-made greenhouse lasts for several years - it maintains an optimal constant temperature.The greenhouse should be convenient for the gardener: if you make the greenhouse too low or narrow, fertilizing the soil and removing damaged parts of the plant will fail. A plastic film shelter is selected under the tomatoes. This is a cheap material that lasts no more than 2-3 years. It is easy to buy and put on the frame.
The second type of material for sheltering tomatoes is glass. Such material helps in creating the correct microclimate inside the structure and it lets in natural light, which is useful for growing seedlings. They use polycarbonate for perennial shelters: reliable and strong polycarbonate is suitable for the construction of large multi-layer structures.
Tatiana Orlova (Candidate of Agricultural Sciences):
Glass is more durable, but it almost does not transmit ultraviolet radiation, while PVC film transmits up to 80%. Sugars, vitamins and aromatic substances in tomatoes are produced under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. Have you noticed that southern fruits, where there is more sun, are the sweetest, most fragrant and delicious? And remember the taste of tomato fruits that come from industrial glass greenhouses. They are like that, not because the variety is greenhouse, but because they are grown under glass.
A variety of homemade designs
The basis of any greenhouse is a frame. The size of the frame determines the role of the greenhouse: if temporary shelter is needed, simple, small structures are used that cover the tomato bush.
For long-term use, tall systems are being built in which a person can monitor the condition of the bushes. Popular models of homemade systems: houses, arched, triangular. There are several types of greenhouses, depending on their service life - these are temporary or permanent systems.
Tatiana Orlova (Candidate of Agricultural Sciences):
It is correct to name such options for greenhouses: single-slope, gable, arched, block.
Complete set of frame greenhouse for tomatoes
Greenhouses for tomatoes from frames are the best option. The reliable system allows you to plant seedlings in the winter and germinate them before the arrival of heat. A frame system is suitable for mature shrubs that need extra warmth.
Removable frames allow you to adjust the temperature inside
In operation, the frame system is simple - it is easy to clean and ventilate. If necessary, individual parts of the structure are replaced. Not only the temperature is regulated inside the greenhouse, but also the humidity of the air, which affects the growth rate of seedlings and the spread of fungal diseases dangerous for tomatoes.
What is needed
To protect tomato bushes, simple materials are used that do not require large costs. Installation work takes no more than 1-2 days, which simplifies the process of covering seedlings or weakened bushes.
Greenhouse materials:
- boards (wooden beams);
- bricks (for building a foundation);
- self-tapping screws;
- frames of the same size.
Before harvesting materials, you need to figure out the size of the greenhouse. Tomato bushes need free space, otherwise they will not be able to harvest a good harvest. Before installation work, the main characteristics of the frame structure are taken into account: frames of the same length and width are selected in order to combine and correct the structure if there is not enough space for the bushes. You cannot make such a greenhouse too high (more than 2 m), otherwise it will be difficult to regulate the humidity and the amount of heat inside the shelter.
Installation work
After preparing the materials, a greenhouse is assembled. At the first stage of installation work, the dimensions of the boards and beams are adjusted to the dimensions of the future greenhouse. For additional protection, wooden parts are coated with mastic. Then the foundation is lined - bricks are installed and attached to each other. Bars are placed on top of the bricks. With the help of self-tapping screws, the beams and the bases of the frames are connected.An important condition for correct installation work: there must be a small gap between the boards and the beams (less than the size of the frame) in order for the structure to be more reliable.
Outside the structure, vertical boards are attached to additional boards (the upper part of the horizontal board should coincide with the ends of the base). Further, the boards attached to the base line up in the form of a house. This shape of the greenhouse will allow water (inside and outside the structure) to drain and not stagnate. The last stage of installation work is fixing the frames. In the entire system, one frame remains, which must be opened: it will provide ventilation of the greenhouse and access to the bushes.
Metal greenhouse
To make a reliable greenhouse with your own hands for seedlings and tomato bushes, metal parts will come in handy. A corner or metal rods soldered to each other are used as a frame. Steel pipes that remain after construction will come in handy - they also serve as a solid foundation. They make 2 types of metal greenhouses: collapsible and one-piece.
To cover the structure with a metal base, polycarbonate or a thick film is used. The choice of material depends on the ambient temperature. The robust design protects crops from extreme temperature fluctuations, bad weather and frequent rains, but it is expensive (replacement of individual parts will be expensive).
Wooden greenhouse
It's not very difficult to make a greenhouse
Wooden trellises are used as shelter for tomatoes. It is a removable and simple structure that does not take long to build. A wooden greenhouse has no foundation - unlike frame systems, it does not have a foundation made of bricks or metal inserts. To make a simple greenhouse with your own hands, a series of wooden gratings are used, fixed to each other.
This type of construction can be combined with other removable greenhouses. While the seedlings are growing, a wooden trellis protects them from low ambient temperatures. If the temperature drops sharply, such a structure is suitable for temporary shelter. In terms of reliability, wooden greenhouses are inferior to frame systems.
Arched greenhouse
An arcuate seedling system is used if a cold spring is produced. This is a low structure, which consists of several parts - for the convenience of caring for tomato bushes. Parts of the tomato protection system can be replaced during operation (as they wear out or due to breakdowns).
To make an arched greenhouse with your own hands you will need:
- arcs (long thin pipes);
- film (polyethylene or translucent tarpaulin).
It is a structure stretched over a frame for a shelter that protects healthy bushes. The first step is to stretch the arcs (make a solid base), and install a film on top, which is attached to the sides. Polyethylene can be fixed from all sides using ordinary bricks. With the help of this design, it is possible to monitor the state of seedlings or adult bushes.
An arc structure is used with a distance between the parts of at least 0.5 m in cases where weak seedlings need to be insulated. It provides the correct indoor climate. For adult bushes, the arches are closer. To give the arcs the desired shape, slats are used. With the help of the supports, you can adjust the height and width of the shelter.
Conclusion
Homemade greenhouses for tomatoes can be permanent or temporary: the size of the system, the total length and strength of the base depend on the purpose of the system. The foundation is only necessary if a permanent greenhouse is being erected (it is not less than 1 m in height). Any greenhouse should be convenient for the gardener and growing tomato bushes.
Tatiana Orlova (Candidate of Agricultural Sciences):
It must be remembered that the smaller the greenhouse (the smaller its internal volume), the worse it “keeps” heat. It quickly warms up in the sun during the day, but also quickly cools down at night.
