A Comprehensive Guide to Greenhouse Foundation — Important Thing You Should Know
Spring is the best season for you to set up a hobby greenhouse. If you hope to have a great horticultural harvest this year, pay attention to spring greenhouse construction.
In addition to setting up a greenhouse and buying gardening appliances, it is important to choose the right foundation for your greenhouse. The foundation of the greenhouse is related to its strength of the greenhouse. Many materials can be used as the greenhouse foundation.
What are the characteristics of your greenhouse? Which material is suitable as the foundation of your greenhouse?
Why install a greenhouse foundation
Greenhouse foundation is a necessary thing. If you want to set up a greenhouse on grass or soil, you need special materials to directly isolate the greenhouse from the soil or grass.
Please discourage any idea of setting up a greenhouse directly on grass or soil, as the greenhouse will quickly slide or collapse, and the grass and soil will be damaged.
Also, in winter and early spring, grass and soil conditions are unstable. A greenhouse of any material set directly on grass or soil can cause problems and even make a decades-long investment fail.
A greenhouse foundation blocks cold air from seeping into the greenhouse so that heat exchange does not take place.
The Greenhouse foundation also stops insects and other pests from getting inside the greenhouse and harming the plants.
Principles for choosing a greenhouse foundation
Stable
No matter which material you choose, the essential feature is solidity. Your greenhouse foundation must be able to be secured to the ground before you can begin your greenhouse setup. If the greenhouse foundation is not stable enough, it may move. A moving greenhouse foundation can cause a greenhouse investment to fail.
Level
It is also important to keep your greenhouse foundation level. Your foundation should not only be fixed to the ground but also level with the ground. If you don’t pay attention to this, you will find your greenhouse on a tilt when you set it up. If you plant low-potted plants in a tilted greenhouse, those plants could slip off.
Suitable greenhouse foundation materials
Concrete foundation
Concrete is the most common type of greenhouse foundation material. Many home backyard greenhouses and farm greenhouses use concrete as a greenhouse foundation.
Advantages
Easy to set up. The concrete foundation can be easily set up in many locations.
Easy to maintain. It can be maintained using only a broom. Occasionally a cleaner is needed to remove stubborn stains.
Protects greenhouses. Concrete foundations prevent rodents from burrowing through the greenhouse.
Disadvantages
Waterlogging. Water accumulation harms concrete foundations. However, you can solve this problem with drainage holes.
Expensive. Concrete foundations can be a huge expense in the early stages of greenhouse construction. But in the long run, it is worth the investment.
The process is more complicated. Most concrete foundations are permanent structures. You may need a government permit to have a greenhouse set on a concrete foundation. You need to check with the authorities about this.
Wooden greenhouse foundations
Wooden greenhouse foundations are considered to be the most ornamental type of greenhouse foundation. This type of greenhouse base is commonly found in places such as botanical gardens, large gardens, and home backyards.
The best wood should be pressure-tested wood or natural wood such as cedar and redwood.
Advantages
Drainage is easier. There are gaps between the boards, which is more conducive to drainage.
Better looking. Wooden foundations are beautiful and are often used as backyard greenhouse foundations.
Adjustable. You can adjust the wooden foundation according to the actual use requirements.
Disadvantages
Prone to mold and mildew. Natural wood is prone to mold and mildew in long-term use. This is more likely to happen in areas that are wet and rainy throughout the year.
Expensive. Quality preserved wood is more expensive, which can result in more expense.
Contaminates the soil. Relatively inexpensive wood is usually pressure treated, but this type of wood has chemicals added to it. These chemicals can leach into the soil and affect plants.
Plate or brick greenhouse foundation
Plates or bricks are creative greenhouse base materials. Without affecting the normal use of the greenhouse, you can use slabs or bricks as the foundation of the greenhouse to make the whole greenhouse building more beautiful.
Advantages
Sustainable. When properly installed and used, a greenhouse foundation made of flat panels or bricks can last for years.
Easy to maintain. You can maintain a slab or brick greenhouse foundation with just a broom and simple tools such as cleaning agents.
Disadvantages
Expensive. Greenhouse foundations made of slabs or bricks are more expensive than concrete foundations.
More restrictions. If you choose such a greenhouse foundation, it also means that you will only have the option of planting bags or pots for planting.
Soil greenhouse foundation
Soil is the cheapest greenhouse foundation material. The prerequisite for using soil as a greenhouse foundation material is that you need to make sure that the base is flat and level. If you are not sure about this, you can ask a professional gardener to help.
Advantages
Good drainage. Using soil as a greenhouse base will help with drainage inside the greenhouse.
Low cost. Use soil for the greenhouse foundation and concrete for the legs to be durable and inexpensive.
Disadvantages
Flooding and mud. Soil greenhouse foundations can be more challenging in spring and summer. If too much water accumulates, flooding and mud can occur, which can cause the greenhouse to weigh down and tilt.
Pests. Soil is a favorite environment for insects and other pests. They will burrow in the soil. If you plan to use the soil as a greenhouse foundation, pest infestation is a factor you must consider.
