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Plums and Damsons
Find out more about plums and damsons
fruits
09:58, 17th Aug 2010
Review of The Treehouse Diaries
A review of the book The TreeHouse Diaries by Nick Weston
books
11:17, 26th Jul 2010
Storing Herbs by Freezing
Find out how to freeze herbs to retain their flavour for months
preserving
16:10, 4th Jun 2010
Make Your Own Leafmould
Find out how to make your own leafmould to improve your soil
grow your own
15:28, 4th Jun 2010
Greenhouse Thermometer
Use a suitable max min thermometer to track temperatures in a greenhouse
greenhouse
11:22, 3rd Jun 2010
Greenhouse from Plastic Bottles
Build a greenhouse from old plastic bottles
greenhouse
10:19, 3rd Jun 2010
Make Tomato Passata
Preserve tomatoes by making delicious tomato passata
preserving
12:00, 25th May 2010
Growing Outdoor Tomato Varieties
Tomato plants which will survive outdoors in the UK
fruits
11:56, 25th May 2010
Greenhouse Ventilation
Understand the importance of venilation in a greenhouse
Greenhouse Ventilation
greenhouse | grow your ownExcellent Ventilation is essential if your Greenhouse crops are to thrive. Ventilation controls the temperature and humidity of the air in the greenhouse, both of which are essential factors. Excessive humidity can lead to mildew and other fungi proliferating, and excessive heat can quickly dry out and kill your crops.
Greenhouse ventilators are generally positioned in the roof and sometimes in the sides of the greenhouse. In the ideal world around 20% of the total floor area should be dedicated to ventilation, so in an 8 x 6 foot small domestic greenhouse, there should really be around 9 square foot of ventilation. Unfortunately it is rare that a greenhouse supplied as standard will provide any where near that much ventilation.
Through the seasons the ventilators should be used differently. During the spring just the greenhouse roof ventilators should be used. This is will lead to a slow flow of air as the hottest air escapes through the roof. As temperatures hot up during late spring and summer side ventilators (or the door) should be opened. This will result in a large increase in air flow as cool air enters the greenhouse from the side and hot air escapes through the roof. Even during the cold of winter and early spring ventilation is vital during those still, cold, and damp days when the air is stagnant and not moving. A little roof ventilation, ideally with some heat, is important.
If you intend to grow a self-sufficient crop of fruits and vegetables in your greenhouse, then it is even more important to ensure that ventilation is taken care off. Therefore it is well worth investing in an extractor fan (fitted into one of the panes of glass in the roof) which will completely replace the air in the greenhouse every few minutes on the hottest days. Using a thermostatic controller enables the extractor fan to be run automatically, and it can also be powered with environmentally friendly solar panels.
NEW - Click here to visit our Greenhouse Directory with details of suppliers of greenhouses and related accessories.
Article Published: 12:29, 9th Jul 2008
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