Controlling the Temperature in Your Greenhouse

Perhaps one of the most important parts of properly maintaining or using a greenhouse is controlling the temperature. While you can always leave things alone in your greenhouse, this can easily lead your greenhouse to being stuck as either a sauna or a freezer. Controlling the temperature in your greenhouse isn't that difficult a task as long as you use a few simple methods.

• Put in some thermometers. While you can always try to guestimate how hot or cold your greenhouse is, that isn't exactly accurate. The truth of the matter is that you need to know what the temperature is to see if there really needs to be any additional steps taken. The best way that you can do that is by installing some thermometers in your greenhouse. You need to install a minimum of two thermometers, one at each end of the greenhouse so that you can get an idea of what temperature range you are faced with.
• Check for ventilation. If you are finding that your greenhouse is becoming too warm or even staying cold for too long, you may have a problem with the ventilation. Look to ensure that your greenhouse has proper ventilation, often by having a sky light that opens up. Depending on the style of greenhouse you have, you may also want to look into whether or not you have any soffits and insulation as well.
• Install some fans. Another way to help improve air circulation and ventilation is by installing a couple of fans into your greenhouse. These don't necessarily need to be large or even really powerful, but rather something that will simply help move the air. You don't want anything too strong or you can end up damaging the plants that you are trying to grow. Ideally a couple of oscillating fans will work, though you may want to consider installing a ceiling fan as well.
• Use a thermostat and evaporative cooler. If you don't want to install some fans, you may want to think about installing an evaporative cooler. Not only will this help keep your greenhouse nice and cool, but it will also help keep the air in your greenhouse nice and moist. To really get the most out of this particular method, you should also install a thermostat, and keep the cooler tied to that as well.

While there are plenty of other methods you can use for controlling the temperature in your greenhouse, these methods are typically the easiest to use. That being said, if you have the funds available you can easily have a professional design and install your greenhouse, thus ensuring that your greenhouse is properly insulated and heat controlled.