Greenhouses are a great way of growing a variety of plants and vegetables throughout the year. Also, they are excellent aesthetic additions to domestic backyards, especially for gardening enthusiasts and amateur botanists. Basically, greenhouses are glass enclosures within which steady temperatures can be maintained. The sun provides the heat required to keep the temperature at levels that help certain plants grow. Such structures are insulated so that the sun's energy can be gathered and stored for use during nights and non-sunny days or year periods.

Greenhouses are either attached to an existing building or built as stand-alone structures. In either cases, what matters in greenhouses is whether or not they are positioned in a manner that allows light to seep in from all directions. Greenhouses that are attached to a shed or house should be located towards the southern side of the building, since this side will receive the maximum sunshine throughout the year.

Some times, greenhouses do not receive enough sunlight ' especially in regions that tend to have longer nights than days during winter. In such greenhouses, it is not possible to grow certain plants without alternative heating sources such as electric or gas heaters. However, most greenhouses can support plant growth without such means. As long as the plants grow in soil, all that is usually required is a supplementary protective layer of translucent material on the interior of a greenhouse.

It is important to remember that in greenhouses, proper ventilation is as essential as heat. This is because the absence of adequate ventilation can lead to excessive heat build-up, resulting in plant disease and mildew formation. In other words, greenhouses should never be completely sealed. In greenhouses, plants can be attacked by a number of diseases, and it is best to cultivate only plants that have sufficient resistance to disease and pests. While maintaining enough ventilation, it is also important to prevent the entry of insects into greenhouses, and to monitor the soil, plants and seeds at all times.

One can grow a variety of plants and vegetables in greenhouses. Apart from many kinds of vegetables, it is possible to grow medicinal herbs and delicate plants like orchids in greenhouses. In the UK and the US, many greenhouse owners also use their units for the cultivation of organic vegetables. Whatever one chooses to grow in greenhouses, timing is a vital factor since planting has to be scheduled according to light conditions during of the year.