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Greenhouse orientation.
ciaranmcgrenera
Posts: 313
I’m taking delivery of an 8x8 greenhouse on Wednesday here in Dublin. I have two options to install it as per the above. To the east and north will be fencing.
Option 1 was my original plan. I wanted to get my main quad grow toms and peppers on the south wall with the door west facing. Prep/ propogators on the east wall (blue squares) with power there, and seed trays, cut n come again, maybe some more toms on the north wall, still getting plenty of light from the south.
however due the final decision we’ve made not to go with a corner couch on our little patio and to do a bistro set instead option 2 is now open. Rotating the door southwards. This means the main wall of plants would be west facing and so on. I have loads of slack in the power cables so can run them round to the north side.
I think option 1 is ideal, but would it make a significant diff if I changed to option 2 to have the door face out onto the patio rather than grass?
however due the final decision we’ve made not to go with a corner couch on our little patio and to do a bistro set instead option 2 is now open. Rotating the door southwards. This means the main wall of plants would be west facing and so on. I have loads of slack in the power cables so can run them round to the north side.
I think option 1 is ideal, but would it make a significant diff if I changed to option 2 to have the door face out onto the patio rather than grass?
1
Posts
So one long side faces south and the other north.
I grow tomatoes on the North side.
The reason for this is that the plants will naturally grow towards the south and most fruits will form on the south-facing side too, so they will grow toward the middle of the greenhouse.
If you plant your toms on the south side - they will still grow toward the south.
So leaves will press up against the glass and most fruits will also grow on the south-facing side making them less easy to reach.
It also means that what you grow on the staging will be shaded by the tomatoes.
The other advantage to growing you toms on the North side is that it will leave the south side free of shade so you can grow peppers, chillies and anything else you choose without it being shaded.
I would strongly recommend some sort of shading on the south side for summer.
Even some old net curtains will do a very good job of that.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I have used both E/W and N/S orientatation over 50 years of having GH's from 6 x 8 to 20 x 50. The access has to work for you as well as electric supply if used. Depends on what you are growing and whether you are planting directly into a soil base, raised beds or pots on staging.
With the more extreme weather patterns we are experiencing, it's not always easy to decide which way is best.
The only other thing I would point out is that the sun from the East will not be as strong earlier/later in the year as it will be in mid summer but I'm sure you know that anyway
I don't envy you trying to decide but if the advantages outweigh the disadvantages for 1 option over the other, go with the best.
Good luck and perhaps post when you have decided and how it works for you
Being in Ireland myself (Cork) and looking at greenhouses (won’t be this year for me) I am wondering who you bought from? I have been looking at Landmark Greenhouses myself. Looking forward to hearing how you get on with yours.
I bought from Quickcrop in Sligo, mainly because for €150 odd extra they’ll install and build it for you. I’ll use Lenehans probably accessories like automatic vent openers and shade cloths.
The model I went with is a Vitavia Phoenix.