Greenhouse Requirements

• Greenhouse supplies are important for successful growth. Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images

  Growing plants in a greenhouse is a way to have flowers and vegetables available throughout the whole year. Gardening in a greenhouse provides inexpensive, organically grown vegetables right at home. Greenhouses create a warm, humid environment for plants, which allows gardeners to control the conditions in any growing season.

Basic Greenhouse Supplies

• There are a few basic supplies every greenhouse needs, including staging, a watering system and ventilation. Greenhouse staging consists of the tables and platforms in which plants are housed. Staging is filled with growing material, and watering systems can be hooked up to the staging to make them more efficient. A watering system helps to keep the growth material moist without requiring regular attention. Ventilation is important for keeping the temperature of the greenhouse constant, especially during the hot part of the summer. Ventilation can be as simple as a system of shades and windows that open.

Heating and Insulation

• Greenhouses, especially those that will be in use during the winter, need some form of insulation and heating to keep the temperature high enough to grow plants. Greenhouses can be heated with the use of a central heating system, space heaters and grow lamps, which provide both the light plants need to grow properly and heat. Insulation can take the form of bubble wrap applied to walls and windows. Lining the north wall with a silver sheet of insulation reflects more sunlight back into the greenhouse during winter's short days, making it especially useful.

Gardening Tools

• Gardening tools are a must for a greenhouse, including shovels and trowels for planting and harvesting plants, clearing the greenhouse rows of any unwanted plants and checking the greenhouse for pests. Pesticides may also be necessary if insects become a problem; whiteflies are a big hazard for many greenhouses. Cleaning supplies, such as a garden disinfectant and a mop or cleaning rags, will be necessary for regular cleaning of the greenhouse walls, windows and floor to remove problems like algae and mold growth.