So you think you want to buy a greenhouse? This very question is on a lot of peoples minds these days; mainly because growing your own food has become an appealing option to buying at the local store for health and safety reasons. However, you need to know a few things before you commit to a greenhouse to have a good experience.

The first question is; does size matter? When it comes to buying a green house the answer is yes. The size you buy will depend on several factors including the space you have available for a greenhouse; what you intend on growing in your greenhouse and whether you are using the greenhouse as a season extender or year-round grow house.

Lets talk about the space in the yard itself. If all you have is space that is covered by shade, this is not an optimal space for a green house. You can get away with combination of direct sunlight and shade as long as the direct sunlight hits your greenhouse at least 4 hours per day. The ideal location is one where the grow house sits in direct sunlight all day long, especially in the winter months and in the northern regions of the country.

Some people only want a greenhouse to start seeds for their garden in the spring or extend the life of their plants in the fall. If this is you then just about any greenhouse or cold frame will do the job since you wont need the heating or cooling required when using greenhouses in certain climates.

There is a difference between growing plants in the winter and just over wintering plants. If all you are doing is over wintering then you wont need as the top of the line insulated greenhouse to accomplish your goal, especially in milder regions of the country. You will need to provide some heat so you also dont want to buy or build cheap, poor insulated greenhouse. Totally not cost effective!

In colder climates you have to have a greenhouse that is well insulated or your results will be less than expected and your heating bills will be more than expected! Many people come away from greenhouse gardening disappointed because of the cost and results and this can almost always be traced back to purchasing a greenhouse that is not a good fit for your region. Just dont make that mistake.

When growing your own food it is important to have a well insulated greenhouse for several reasons. The first is for heating and cooling purposes. The better the insulation the less effort, otherwise known as cost, it takes to reach the desired temperatures. The other is yield. When the temperature can be maintained within a range it has been shown to bring a better yield and this is what growing your own food is all about!

The bottom line is greenhouses are designed for several functions and only you can determine for which function or functions you most want a green house for. Experience shows us that the biggest mistakes people make are not getting a well enough insulated greenhouse for their climate or they get a greenhouse that is ultimately too small for what they want to accomplish. Learn by others mistakes and dont make the same ones.