Getting a greenhouse started takes a lot more than just a structure with plants stored inside. Besides shielding them from the elements outside during the colder months, a good greenhouse should be outfitted to provide the best possible growing conditions all year long, whether it's summer or winter. This means having the right source of heat as well as having the right grow lights. Properly assembled, most greenhouses will have some measure of ambient heat as a result of the sun light hitting the structure. Unlike heat though, lighting can be more difficult to simulate. Left to their own devices, plants stored indoors will still grow, but their progress will be hindered by the lower light levels present in a confined environment. Using grow light arrays to simulate their optimum growing conditions it's possible to exceed even the best expectations of a specimen planted in an outdoor garden.

The idea behind using grow lights in place of sun light has to do with being able to control the amount, duration, intensity and wavelength of the light being provided to your plants. While there are many different options to choose from, by far the most efficient and effective are LED arrays. Unlike other light bulbs, these arrays produce a much higher intensity light which can be easily altered to produce a specific wavelength of light, such as the wavelength your specific plants respond most favorably to. To determine this you'll need to do some research into your species' native growing conditions as well as the time of day most conducive to their growth. Early morning hours tend to produce cooler hues of light, while afternoon and early evening light tends to be warmer.

By now, anyone with any interest in building, operating or utilizing a greenhouse has done at least a little investigation into the subject. What will no doubt be discovered is that the options available for greenhouse grow lights are widely varied. However, the selection available can be narrowed to three specific categories. These are incandescent, compact fluorescent and LED, and each form of grow light falls into one of these three types. As an example, halogen utilizes the same technology as most household bulbs. Though it may be much more intense light being produced, it is still produced using a thin piece of metal suspended by two conductive rods. By passing power through that filament of metal it burns, producing light. By contrast, LED lights use energized semi-conductors instead and rather than burning they produce energized photons in high intensity.

Whether yours is meant to be a hobby, a part time business venture or a subsistence garden available all year, your greenhouse is going to end up costing a good deal of money to operate and build. The heat alone will account for roughly one third of the expenses. A fairly sizable amount of the left over expense comes from lighting, both purchasing and operating. This has to do with the fact that many greenhouses leave their lights on for most of the day, utilizing low efficiency bulbs which burn out quickly. Using LED arrays is often much more expensive, at least up front, while the cost to power them is significantly lower than the cost of lighting your greenhouse using halogen lamps. With a little research and some smart investing, not only will you save money on the operating cost of your greenhouse but you'll also end up with much larger and more productive plants as well. Augment this year round growth with the right soil supplements, and there may well be no limit on how much or how long you'll be able to continue growing.