| you are looking to build your own greenhouse | | | | giving us the heat we want to grow our plants. |
| then you should know they have a long history | | | | Open your car door and get inside on a bright day |
| going back several hundred years. Back then they | | | | full of sunshine, especially in summer, and you |
| would most likely be known as conservatories. | | | | know all about how light can heat the inside of a |
| They were used to grow the specimens brought | | | | structure with glass walls. Greenhouses put this |
| back by people (mostly nobles at the time) | | | | principle to work. |
| making their grand European tours or from the | | | | Not only does sunlight coming through the glass or |
| new countries being discovered around the world. | | | | plastic provide a heat source, it provides the light |
| Growing food was also another benefit of the | | | | that green growing things need to grow and |
| early conservatories. In fact some were used | | | | reproduce. This is done through the process of |
| specifically to grow orange trees and called | | | | photosynthesis and as the name implies, it needs |
| orangeries. These conservatories allowed the | | | | "photo" or light to get this process going in order |
| growing of certain foods year round much like we | | | | to maintain life. |
| can today. In fact, greenhouses were used to | | | | Greenhouses are also the artificial structure that |
| grow food, as far as we know, all the way back | | | | allows us to control what gets at our plants. An |
| to a greenhouse built by Tiberius, the Roman | | | | outside garden may have to deal with hail, |
| emperor in 30AD. He had it built to grow | | | | freezing temperatures, too much rain, and |
| cucumbers and the light entered through sheets | | | | assorted pests such as deer. Not so within a |
| of thin mica as glass was not known in those | | | | conservatory where we can much more easily |
| days. | | | | control these factors. So when you build your |
| You will find greenhouses today don't use mica to | | | | own greenhouse, be sure you build it so these |
| allow sunlight within. In fact, most home | | | | things can't affect your plants. |
| greenhouses have walls and roofs made up of | | | | Beyond all these aspects of greenhouses, they |
| glass or plastic. These materials allow the light to | | | | can simply be incredibly beautiful additions to our |
| enter but keeps some frequencies from escaping | | | | landscaping whether bought as a kit, you have |
| back out. | | | | someone build it for you or you build your own |
| Infrared which we sense as heat is one of the | | | | greenhouse. Whether a stand alone architectural |
| wavelengths that does not escape back out of | | | | wonder or a lovely room-expanding addition to |
| the home greenhouse through the glass. It is this | | | | the home, a home greenhouse makes for envious |
| which we use to heat the air inside our structure | | | | gardeners wherever they are found. |