What Is the Function of a Greenhouse?
- A greenhouse has clear walls to trap heat from the sun (radiant heat) during the day and prevent it from escaping quickly at night. It is big enough to accommodate both plants and the person or people who tend the plants, as opposed to hot boxes, which are only large enough to accommodate plants. Greenhouses may be attached to another structure to benefit from the heat bank of the walls of the home. Freestanding greenhouses have more walls available for the ventilation that is necessary during hot weather.
- Trapping heat from the sun in the winter means a prolonged growing season. Gardeners also use this advantage to start seedlings earlier in the year than outdoor temperatures would allow, or to grow plants such as tropicals that cannot tolerate freezes. Climate controls can be added to greenhouses to enhance their growing benefits.
- Greenhouses are sealed from the weather and must have an interior watering system for the plants. In the summer, some greenhouses are open to the sky to allow rain. Some pets or beneficial creatures, such as fish, insects and reptiles, are often housed in greenhouses along with plants to shelter them from exterior weather.