Yes, you can put a greenhouse on decking. You only need some good practices to ensure an optimum environment for the plants. Mostly when we think of greenhouses, we often visualize them as ground buildings. After all, most plants get grown on the soil which is on the earth.
A greenhouse is a great way to cultivate different species of plants, including vegetables. It gives you a suitable environment and continual control of your growing conditions. When properly controlled, it’s a great strategy to breed disease and pest-free plants.
For most people, they have never seen a greenhouse on decking. However, having a greenhouse some meters from the ground is possible, as long as there’s a solid base. In fact, placing greenhouses on deckings can be the best way to grow pest-free and healthy green plants.
Putting your greenhouse on a deck has some underlying guidelines for the best experience. Let’s go over some good practices to put in place while constructing your greenhouse on a deck.
Good Practices While Constructing a Greenhouse on Decking
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Several factors come into play while planning to place your conservatory on a deck. Before trying out this idea, here are some good practices you should follow.
- Good Balance
The decking should be level before putting the glass house on it. This is essential to maintain the balance of the building.
- Space and Type of Greenhouse:
Depending on the available space, you can opt for a freestanding or elevated deck. An elevated deck is usually attached to a building. It uses footings embedded in concrete, making it solid and stable.
In contrast, the freestanding deck has the greenhouse upon a raised concrete foundation. Unlike the elevated deck, this type of deck isn’t attached to a building. It carries the greenhouse as it stays above the ground over the foundation.
- Good Weight Support
Before placing your greenhouse on a deck, you should consider the structure’s weight. Ensure the foundation is strong enough to carry the entire structure’s weight. Finding better alternatives is a good idea if the weight won’t hold.
- Wood Treatment
While building the deck, maintain good preservation methods. You don’t want your wood to get weakened or engulfed in mold. As a result, the wood should be pressure-treated before using it on the decking.
Also, humidity in the conservatory can allow condensation to get to the greenhouse floor. This affects the quality of the wood over time. To prevent this, you should consider using an insulation mat over the wooden deck of the greenhouse to prevent condensation from weakening the wood.
- Heat Conservation
The greenhouse is a concealed space for providing optimal growing conditions to plants in the conservatory. As a result, heat retention is essential for these conditions. One way heat can be lost in any greenhouse on decking is through its floors.
A practical method to prevent heat escape is foam board insulation. This should be placed over the boards in a greenhouse or beneath the boards. Therefore, it is important to properly seal the floors of the glasshouse to conserve heat.
- Sound Drainage System
From time to time, you’ll reduce excess water from the plants after watering. You don’t want surplus water flowing to the wooden decks as it can get destroyed over time. This means that you should consider having a sound drainage system in place. A good drainage system helps maintain the wooden deck without the risk of humid conditions.
Where is the Best Location for a Greenhouse?
The best location for a greenhouse depends on the environmental availability of the abiotic factors the plants need to thrive healthily.
It’s now easier than ever to get the materials for your own greenhouse. However, one substantial question many people ask is, “where is the best location for my greenhouse?”
A proper location for your greenhouse can significantly affect its utility. As a result, here are valuable tips to help you pick the best location for your greenhouse.
- Sun Exposure
This should be your main focus when deciding where to site your greenhouse. You need enough light for the plants, and the trees and buildings could shield light away from the plants.
Also, bird droppings could fall on the glass, and in bad weather, the branches from the trees can break, causing them to fall on the greenhouse and damage the glass.
However, tall trees and walls can serve as a windbreak. Ensure the trees and walls are at a reasonable distance from the greenhouse.
- Levelled Ground
Be conscious of the ground’s balance before setting up your greenhouse in that location. Although it may be possible to place the greenhouse on a slope, this isn’t ideal as it would complicate things. In addition, avoid putting your conservatory at a slope’s base as the cold settles here, and it isn’t suitable for the winter.
- Accessibility
You would be visiting your greenhouse regularly and wouldn’t want it somewhere far from you. Whether you need to water, damp down or just pick a few things, you’d want it close to your reach. Therefore, it’s a good idea to site it somewhere easily accessible.
- Microclimate
Areas with mountains can affect wind patterns. Damp areas with bad drainage are not an ideal place when siting your greenhouse. Fogs and clouds can gather at specific times and affect the greenhouse. As a result, always factor in environmental considerations before siting your greenhouse.
- Orientation
This depends on your use of the greenhouse. If you’ll be using your greenhouse in spring and summer, it’s ideal to line up the ridge from north to south. This gives the greenhouse an equal amount of sunlight and reduces overheating during the hot weather.
However, if you cultivate throughout the year, lining the ridge from east to west helps maximize light during the winter.
- Ventilation
While shielding the greenhouse from the wind, it’s still vital to provide good ventilation to plants in the enclosed space. Leave about one meter of space around to enable a good inflow of air around the structure.
Below is an helpful video content showing how a simple Greenhouse on deck looks like.
Type of Greenhouse Best for a Deck
Different materials are suitable for building a greenhouse. However, you might want to be more specific when constructing a greenhouse on a deck. For greenhouses on deckings, lightweight materials are generally used.
You can decide to build a permanent or movable greenhouse on your deck. Depending on which type of greenhouse, the materials are different. For example, a permanent greenhouse on deck uses more solid materials in its build. This is crucial as the greenhouse needs to be strong enough to withstand external environmental factors like rain and wind.
A portable greenhouse uses lighter materials in its construction. However, this doesn’t mean it can be easily affected by rain, wind, or snow. It is still solid enough to resist external influences.
Conclusion
Putting a greenhouse on decking may not be popular, but it’s an effective way to cultivate your plants. While placing the greenhouse on wooden decking, ensure the decking is solid before placing the structure on it.
You should consider the above guidelines when building your greenhouse on a deck. Furthermore, ensure you carry out regular maintenance practices on conservatory. This helps keep your greenhouse in good shape and prevents pests from infesting the structure.
