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:''For other uses, see [[Greenhouse (disambiguation)]]''
[[Image:Laeken Greenhouses.jpg|thumb|250px|The [[Royal Greenhouses of Laeken]]. A masterpiece of 19th-century greenhouse architecture]]
[[image:Greenhouse.jpeg|thumb|250px|A greenhouse in [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]].]]
[[image:Botanischer Garten BS.Seerosen.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Nymphaea at the botanical Garden in Braunschweig, Germany]]
A '''greenhouse''' (also called a '''glasshouse''' or '''hothouse''') is a building where plants are cultivated.
== Explanation ==
{{main|solar greenhouse (technical)}}
A greenhouse is a structure with a glass or plastic roof and frequently glass or plastic walls; it heats up because incoming solar radiation from the sun warms plants, soil, and other things inside the building. Air warmed by the heat from hot interior surfaces is retained in the building by the roof and wall. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings.
The glass used for a greenhouse works as a selective transmission medium for different spectral frequencies, and its effect is to trap energy within the greenhouse, which heats both the plants and the ground inside it. This warms the air near the ground, and this air is prevented from rising and flowing away. This can be demonstrated by opening a small window near the roof of a greenhouse: the temperature drops considerably. This principle is the basis of the [[autovent]] automatic cooling system. Greenhouses thus work by trapping electromagnetic radiation and preventing [[convection]]. Miniature greenhouses are known as a [[cold frame]].
== Uses ==
Greenhouse effects are often used for growing [[floriculture|flowers]], [[vegetable]]s, [[fruit]]s, and [[tobacco]] plants. [[Bumblebee]]s are the [[pollinator]]s of choice for most greenhouse [[pollination]], although other types of [[bee]]s have been used, as well as artificial pollination.
[[image:Tobac grnhouse8980.JPG|thumb|200px|left|Mowing young tobacco in greenhouse of half million plants ([[Hemingway, South Carolina]])]]
Besides tobacco, many vegetables and flowers are grown in greenhouses in late winter and early spring, then transplanted outside as the weather warms. Started plants are usually available for [[gardener]]s in [[farmers' market]]s at transplanting time.
The closed environment of a greenhouse has its own unique requirements, compared with outdoor production. [[Pest (animal)|Pest]]s and [[disease]]s, and extremes of heat and humidity, have to be controlled, and [[irrigation]] is necessary to provide water. Significant inputs of heat and light may be required, particularly with winter production of warm-weather vegetables. Special greenhouse varieties of certain crops, like tomatoes, are generally used for commercial production.
Greenhouses are increasingly important in the food supply of high latitude countries. The largest greenhouse complex in the world is in Willcox, Arizona, USA where 262 acres of tomatoes and cucumbers are entirely grown under glass.
Greenhouses protect crops from too much heat or cold, shield plants from dust storms and blizzards, and help to keep out pests. Light and temperature control allows greenhouses to turn unarable land into [[arable]] land. Greenhouses can feed starving nations where crops can't survive in the harsh deserts and arctic wastes. [[Hydroponics]] can be used in greenhouses as well to make the most use of the interior space.
Biologist [[John Todd (biologist)|John Todd]] invented a greenhouse that turns sewage into water, through the [[Phytoremediation|natural processes of bacteria, plants, and animals]].
Backyard hobby greenhouse use has increased dramatically in the United States in the past decade. Companies such as Rion, Solexx and Juliana have introduced entire lines of backyard
greenhouses for use by the hobby gardener. Major retail establishments as well as small niche players sell hobby greenhouses primarily over the internet. Backyard hobby greenhouse use is
still more popular in Europe and England, however.
==History==
[[Image:Weilburg-Orangerie-1.png|thumb|right|250px|19th Century Orangerie in Weilburg, Germany]]
[[Image:Kew.gardens.palm.house.london.arp.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Victorian conservatory, Kew Gardens]]
[[Image:RHSGlasshouse.JPG|thumb|right|250px|A modern glasshouse in [[Wisley Garden|RHS Wisley]]]]
The idea of growing plants in environmentally controlled areas has existed since [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] times. Doctors for the Roman emperor [[Tiberius]] prescribed him a [[cucumber]] daily. <!--Why?--> The Roman gardeners used artificial methods (similar to the greenhouse system) of growing to have it available for his table every day of the year. Cucumbers were planted in wheeled carts which were put in the sun daily, then taken inside to keep them warm at night. The cucumbers were stored under frames or in cucumber houses glazed with either oiled cloth known as "specularia" or with sheets of [[mica]]. (Pliny the Elder and Columella)<!--What is intended here?-->.
The first modern greenhouses were built in [[Italy]] in the [[1600s|sixteenth century]] to house the exotic plants that explorers brought back from the tropics. They were originally called ''giardini botanici'' (botanical gardens). The concept of greenhouses soon spread to the [[Netherlands]] and then [[England]], along with the plants. Some of these early attempts required enormous amounts of work to close up at night or to winterize. There were serious problems with providing adequate and balanced heat in these early greenhouses.
Jules Charles, a French botanist, is often credited with building the first practical modern greenhouse in [[Leiden]], Holland to grow medicinal tropical plants.
Originally on the estates of the rich, with the growth of the science of [[botany]] greenhouses spread to the universities. The British some times called their greenhouses ''conservatories'', since they conserved the plants. The French called their first greenhouses ''orangeries'', since they were used to protect orange trees from freezing. As pineapples became popular ''pineries'', or [[Pineapple_Pit|pineapple pits]], were built. Experimentation with the design of greenhouses continued during the Seventeenth Century in Europe as technology produced better glass and construction techniques improved. The greenhouse at the [[Palace of Versailles]] was an example of their size and elaborateness; it was more than 500 feet long, 42 feet wide, and 45 feet high.
In the nineteenth Century the largest greenhouses were built. The conservatory at [[Kew Gardens ]]in England is a prime example of the Victorian greenhouse. Although intended for both horticultural and non-horticultural exhibition these included London's [[The Crystal Palace|Crystal Palace]], the [[Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations|New York Crystal Palace]] and [[Munich]]’s [[Glaspalast]]. Joseph Paxton, who had experimented with glass and iron in the creation of large greenhouses as the head gardener at [[Chatsworth]], in [[Derbyshire]], working for the [[Duke of Devonshire]], designed and built the first, London's [[The Crystal Palace|Crystal Palace]]. A major architectural achievement in monumental greenhouse building were the [[Royal Greenhouses of Laeken]] (1874-1895) for [[King Leopold II of Belgium]].
In Japan, the first greenhouse was built in 1880 by [[Samuel Cocking]], a British merchant who exported herbs.
In the Twentieth Century the [[geodesic dome]] was added to the many types of greenhouses.
==References==
* Woods, May (1988)''Glass houses: history of greenhouses, orangeries and conservatories'' Aurum Press, London, ISBN 0-906053-85-4 ;
* Cunningham, Anne S. (2000) ''Crystal palaces : garden conservatories of the United States'' Princeton Architectural Press, New York, ISBN 1-56898-242-9 ;
* Vleeschouwer, Olivier de (2001) ''Greenhouses and conservatories'' Flammarion, Paris, ISBN 2-08-010585-X ;
* Lemmon, Kenneth (1963) ''The covered garden'' Dufour, Philadelphia;
* Muijzenberg, Erwin W B van den (1980) ''A history of greenhouses'' Institute for Agricultural Engineering, Wageningen, Netherlands;
*[http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~qm9t-kndu/enoshima.htm Enoshima Jinja Shrine Botanical Garden]
== See also ==
* [[Conservatory (greenhouse)]]
* [[Solar greenhouse (technical)]]
* [[Olcott Park Greenhouse]]
* [[Greenhouse effect]]
* [[Lord & Burnham]] (greenhouse manufacturers)
* [[Royal Greenhouses of Laeken]] in Belgium
==External links==
*[http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/hortcult/greenhou/building.htm Planning and Building a Greenhouse]
*[http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/greenhouse_veg North Carolina State University Greenhouse Food Production website]
*[http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/ghtomato.html Organic Greenhouse Tomato Production]
{{Commons|Greenhouse}}
[[Category:Agricultural buildings]]
[[Category:Greenhouses]]
[[Category:Gardening]]
[[Image:Laeken Greenhouses.jpg|thumb|250px|The [[Royal Greenhouses of Laeken]]. A masterpiece of 19th-century greenhouse architecture]]
[[image:Greenhouse.jpeg|thumb|250px|A greenhouse in [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]].]]
[[image:Botanischer Garten BS.Seerosen.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Nymphaea at the botanical Garden in Braunschweig, Germany]]
A '''greenhouse''' (also called a '''glasshouse''' or '''hothouse''') is a building where plants are cultivated.
== Explanation ==
{{main|solar greenhouse (technical)}}
A greenhouse is a structure with a glass or plastic roof and frequently glass or plastic walls; it heats up because incoming solar radiation from the sun warms plants, soil, and other things inside the building. Air warmed by the heat from hot interior surfaces is retained in the building by the roof and wall. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings.
The glass used for a greenhouse works as a selective transmission medium for different spectral frequencies, and its effect is to trap energy within the greenhouse, which heats both the plants and the ground inside it. This warms the air near the ground, and this air is prevented from rising and flowing away. This can be demonstrated by opening a small window near the roof of a greenhouse: the temperature drops considerably. This principle is the basis of the [[autovent]] automatic cooling system. Greenhouses thus work by trapping electromagnetic radiation and preventing [[convection]]. Miniature greenhouses are known as a [[cold frame]].
== Uses ==
Greenhouse effects are often used for growing [[floriculture|flowers]], [[vegetable]]s, [[fruit]]s, and [[tobacco]] plants. [[Bumblebee]]s are the [[pollinator]]s of choice for most greenhouse [[pollination]], although other types of [[bee]]s have been used, as well as artificial pollination.
[[image:Tobac grnhouse8980.JPG|thumb|200px|left|Mowing young tobacco in greenhouse of half million plants ([[Hemingway, South Carolina]])]]
Besides tobacco, many vegetables and flowers are grown in greenhouses in late winter and early spring, then transplanted outside as the weather warms. Started plants are usually available for [[gardener]]s in [[farmers' market]]s at transplanting time.
The closed environment of a greenhouse has its own unique requirements, compared with outdoor production. [[Pest (animal)|Pest]]s and [[disease]]s, and extremes of heat and humidity, have to be controlled, and [[irrigation]] is necessary to provide water. Significant inputs of heat and light may be required, particularly with winter production of warm-weather vegetables. Special greenhouse varieties of certain crops, like tomatoes, are generally used for commercial production.
Greenhouses are increasingly important in the food supply of high latitude countries. The largest greenhouse complex in the world is in Willcox, Arizona, USA where 262 acres of tomatoes and cucumbers are entirely grown under glass.
Greenhouses protect crops from too much heat or cold, shield plants from dust storms and blizzards, and help to keep out pests. Light and temperature control allows greenhouses to turn unarable land into [[arable]] land. Greenhouses can feed starving nations where crops can't survive in the harsh deserts and arctic wastes. [[Hydroponics]] can be used in greenhouses as well to make the most use of the interior space.
Biologist [[John Todd (biologist)|John Todd]] invented a greenhouse that turns sewage into water, through the [[Phytoremediation|natural processes of bacteria, plants, and animals]].
Backyard hobby greenhouse use has increased dramatically in the United States in the past decade. Companies such as Rion, Solexx and Juliana have introduced entire lines of backyard
greenhouses for use by the hobby gardener. Major retail establishments as well as small niche players sell hobby greenhouses primarily over the internet. Backyard hobby greenhouse use is
still more popular in Europe and England, however.
==History==
[[Image:Weilburg-Orangerie-1.png|thumb|right|250px|19th Century Orangerie in Weilburg, Germany]]
[[Image:Kew.gardens.palm.house.london.arp.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Victorian conservatory, Kew Gardens]]
[[Image:RHSGlasshouse.JPG|thumb|right|250px|A modern glasshouse in [[Wisley Garden|RHS Wisley]]]]
The idea of growing plants in environmentally controlled areas has existed since [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] times. Doctors for the Roman emperor [[Tiberius]] prescribed him a [[cucumber]] daily. <!--Why?--> The Roman gardeners used artificial methods (similar to the greenhouse system) of growing to have it available for his table every day of the year. Cucumbers were planted in wheeled carts which were put in the sun daily, then taken inside to keep them warm at night. The cucumbers were stored under frames or in cucumber houses glazed with either oiled cloth known as "specularia" or with sheets of [[mica]]. (Pliny the Elder and Columella)<!--What is intended here?-->.
The first modern greenhouses were built in [[Italy]] in the [[1600s|sixteenth century]] to house the exotic plants that explorers brought back from the tropics. They were originally called ''giardini botanici'' (botanical gardens). The concept of greenhouses soon spread to the [[Netherlands]] and then [[England]], along with the plants. Some of these early attempts required enormous amounts of work to close up at night or to winterize. There were serious problems with providing adequate and balanced heat in these early greenhouses.
Jules Charles, a French botanist, is often credited with building the first practical modern greenhouse in [[Leiden]], Holland to grow medicinal tropical plants.
Originally on the estates of the rich, with the growth of the science of [[botany]] greenhouses spread to the universities. The British some times called their greenhouses ''conservatories'', since they conserved the plants. The French called their first greenhouses ''orangeries'', since they were used to protect orange trees from freezing. As pineapples became popular ''pineries'', or [[Pineapple_Pit|pineapple pits]], were built. Experimentation with the design of greenhouses continued during the Seventeenth Century in Europe as technology produced better glass and construction techniques improved. The greenhouse at the [[Palace of Versailles]] was an example of their size and elaborateness; it was more than 500 feet long, 42 feet wide, and 45 feet high.
In the nineteenth Century the largest greenhouses were built. The conservatory at [[Kew Gardens ]]in England is a prime example of the Victorian greenhouse. Although intended for both horticultural and non-horticultural exhibition these included London's [[The Crystal Palace|Crystal Palace]], the [[Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations|New York Crystal Palace]] and [[Munich]]’s [[Glaspalast]]. Joseph Paxton, who had experimented with glass and iron in the creation of large greenhouses as the head gardener at [[Chatsworth]], in [[Derbyshire]], working for the [[Duke of Devonshire]], designed and built the first, London's [[The Crystal Palace|Crystal Palace]]. A major architectural achievement in monumental greenhouse building were the [[Royal Greenhouses of Laeken]] (1874-1895) for [[King Leopold II of Belgium]].
In Japan, the first greenhouse was built in 1880 by [[Samuel Cocking]], a British merchant who exported herbs.
In the Twentieth Century the [[geodesic dome]] was added to the many types of greenhouses.
==References==
* Woods, May (1988)''Glass houses: history of greenhouses, orangeries and conservatories'' Aurum Press, London, ISBN 0-906053-85-4 ;
* Cunningham, Anne S. (2000) ''Crystal palaces : garden conservatories of the United States'' Princeton Architectural Press, New York, ISBN 1-56898-242-9 ;
* Vleeschouwer, Olivier de (2001) ''Greenhouses and conservatories'' Flammarion, Paris, ISBN 2-08-010585-X ;
* Lemmon, Kenneth (1963) ''The covered garden'' Dufour, Philadelphia;
* Muijzenberg, Erwin W B van den (1980) ''A history of greenhouses'' Institute for Agricultural Engineering, Wageningen, Netherlands;
*[http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~qm9t-kndu/enoshima.htm Enoshima Jinja Shrine Botanical Garden]
== See also ==
* [[Conservatory (greenhouse)]]
* [[Solar greenhouse (technical)]]
* [[Olcott Park Greenhouse]]
* [[Greenhouse effect]]
* [[Lord & Burnham]] (greenhouse manufacturers)
* [[Royal Greenhouses of Laeken]] in Belgium
==External links==
*[http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/hortcult/greenhou/building.htm Planning and Building a Greenhouse]
*[http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/greenhouse_veg North Carolina State University Greenhouse Food Production website]
*[http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/ghtomato.html Organic Greenhouse Tomato Production]
{{Commons|Greenhouse}}
[[Category:Agricultural buildings]]
[[Category:Greenhouses]]
[[Category:Gardening]]
