After finishing my little greenhouse, that was built on a empty space without any special concerns about orientation, Im planning to built a proper one in a near future that can provide all the conditions to my loved plants. After some research this is what I've found:
There are basically three schools of thought with respect to greenhouse orientation:
1) capture the morning sun;
2) capture the winter sun; and,
3) orient plant growth instead of the building. Morning sunshine is important to stimulate growth, to remove condensation from leaves, and to get your plants off to a good start each day. This is typically the interest of greenhouse gardeners who focus their efforts on summer vegetables. If this is your interest, my suggestion is to orient your greenhouse
in a North and South direction. Such an orientation
promotes full capture of the morning sun and allows the sun's rays to penetrate between your plants as it travels up and over the width of your greenhouse. This orientation assumes that your plantings are in rows oriented perpendicular to the length of the structure.
For those with an interest in
fall, winter and spring greenhouse gardening, an orientation of the greenhouse in an
East to West manner will make more sense.
Such an orientation helps capture the sun's rays that are much lower on the horizon during those times of the year.
Keep in mind that the sun is much lower in the sky in the winter than in the summer. A full sun location in the summer may have partial shade in the winter due to long shadows caused by structures and evergreen trees.
If your goal is to
grow plants to maturity or continue to grow plants into the fall and winter, you will need maximum amounts of sunlight, at least
6 hours a day of direct sun. Your choice
should be a location south or south-east as it will provide a southern exposure for the most amount of sunlight. A location to the
east of any structures is your next best choice because
it will capture most of the November to February sunlight. The north side of your home is the least desirable location; your plants are limited by the amount of sunlight unless. You would need to provide an additional source of light and heat.
For propagation cuttings, start transplants and growing plants from seed, choose a location that is partially shaded. If a suitable one is not available, adding a shade cloth can help reduce the amount of light reaching the inside the greenhouse. Another strategy is to place your greenhouse under deciduous trees to provide shade from the hot summer sun but still maximize light exposure in the winter.
Did you know that.. The French botanist Charles Lucien Bonaparte is often credited with building the first practical modern greenhouse in Leiden, Holland, during the 1800s to grow medicinal tropical plants?
Happy building!
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Topic: Greenhouse Orientation (Read 7883 times)