Hobby Greenhouses 
Planning and Planting a Greenhouse 
The approach to our subject, ‘Planning and 
Planting a Greenhouse,’ depends upon which is 
the constant or determining factor—the plants or 
the place. One factor fixes the other by its very 
nature and good results will follow only when 
balance is achieved. If one has already settled on 
the type of plant material to be grown, a green- 
house should then be built to satisfy the needs of 
that kind of plant. For instance, a grower or 
Orchids would be foolish to neglect the matter 
of humidity when planning his greenhouse. 
On the other hand, an existing greenhouse 
may be the motivating power and the plant ma- 
terial should then be chosen with the available 
equipment in mind. A greenhouse with heated 
benches opens the way for the rooting of cuttings. 
One in which the heating facilities are meager, 
limits the owner to cool greenhouse crops. It is 
my creed that it is better to take full advantage 
of the particular features at hand than to try to 
surmount the di....culties of growing plants which 
abhor existing conditions. In this | am sure | 
differ from many other growers who feel that 
growing a miffy plant is a challenge to be met 
and conquered. 
Let us now suppose that you belong to the first 
of these groups and have an insatiable desire to 
root cuttings of Azaleas and Rhododendrons, 
grow annuals for your yard from seed, and keep 
a few choice foliage and flowering plants to be 
transferred to your home when suitable. Let us 
suppose that you are also interested in having 
two or three gardenia plants to furnish your own 
corsage material. | would immediately quash this 
last idea unless you have had lots of experience 
growing Gardenias, for they are one of the most 
difficult and exasperating crops to raise. 
So you might plant a small greenhouse to meet 
your other needs. | say small because a 7x16 foot 
house fully utilized will be all with which the 
average hobbyist can cope. A 14x20 foot house 
might not discourage an enthusiast but any larger 
structure is apt to dampen one’s ardor after the 
second or third season. In the interest of econ- 
omy, too, it is unwise to heat more space than 
is actually required to grow what you need. 
Careful planning for year-round utilization often 
obviates the necessity for more area. 
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let us enumerate briefly some factors to con- 
sider when choosing the site for the greenhouse: 
(1) exposure—preferably the ridge should run 
north and south; avoid cold winds and heavy 
shadows; (2) proximity to (a) garden area, (b) 
work area, (c) home entrance, (d) serevice area, 
(e) water supply, and (f) heat source. 
During construction, emphasis should be placed 
on rigidity without heavy shadows; painting for 
preservation of all metal or wood parts; insula- 
tion of any solid portions above ground; and, 
tight sealing of joints whether wood to wood, 
glass to wood or metal, or metal or wood to 
cement. In connection with the sealing of a green- 
house it might be wise to mention that the 
hobbyist would do well to follow the lead of 
the commercial greenhouse operator who always 
uses an elastic putty for glazing. Glass is much 
less apt to have air leakage around it when regu- 
lar greenhouse putty is used and is also less apt 
to be torn from its moorings during a wind storm. 
We are taking for granted that the dimensions 
of this hypothetical greenhouse allow good inside 
arrangemen. Benches wider than 24 to 30 inches, 
if approachable from one side only, make work 
difficult. A house too wide for two benches, but 
not wide enough for three benches wastes space. 
Aisles need be only 18 inches to two feet wide. 
Remmeber they must be heated even though they 
grow no plants. Work room as well as tool, fer- 
tilizer and pot storage is preferably appended to 
the greenhouse but is not in it. Fertilizers must 
be kept dry and tools are better off in a shed 
where they can be cleaned and oiled easily. Pot 
washing can be accomplished more conveniently 
away from the greenhouse, either in the work 
room, or out of doors, depending on the weather. 
Then, too, some of the time the greenhouse tem- 
perature is not pleasant for the worker. 
All of this effort to keep dirt and clutter out of 
the greenhouse accomplishes more than mere 
enatness since it helps avoid mold and disease. 
Even dropped cigarette butts can bring fungus 
into an otherwise sterile house. One grower | 
know even prohibits workers from sitting on 
benches because their clothes may carry disease 
from one bench to another. A new greenhouse 
has few insect pests and plant diseases, but each 
year they multiply. 
