Commercial- sized greenhouse?

13 years ago

I'm new to this form and could really use some help! I'm building a sustainable home in the middle of no where and it's going to be completely off the grid and powered exclusively by wind and solar power.

My next project is to build a greenhouse that is capable of providing produce year-round. The typical planting season in my area (NC) is early April and I still pick tomatoes and peppers until the first week of November. During the coldest winter months the temperature will drop down to 15 degrees and during the day it will warm-up to about 30, and the summers range between 85 and 95 degrees. I rarely experience harsh storms. Nevertheless I want a greenhouse that can withstand said weather. I definitely don't want polyethylene sheathing but think polycarbonate would suffice?

I'm going to install a radiant heating system in the floor to provide heat in the greenhouse during the winter months along with a fan (or fans) to ensure proper circulation (I'm not sure?). I also plan to install vents where necessary...though I'm not sure where I'll need them or how many I'll need? The greenhouse will be situated so it faces due south and I plan to install some type of automatic irrigation/watering system.

The area I selected to install the greehouse is currently wooded and the area is heavily shaded. So I'm not sure if I should cut down ALL the trees in the area to allow for 100% sunlight, or should I allow some trees to remain? I really don't know and I certainly don't want to "burn" the plants.

I'm looking to build a greenhouse that is approx. 24'x30' and I plan to grow a large variety of vegetables. I'm an amateur gardener (and I really enjoy it), and I'm "assuming" that if a greenhouse can maintain static temperatures year round an annual plant can continue to reproduce in continuous cycles, but I may be wrong about this. I hope this is true as I don't want to switch back and forth between winter and summer crops because that somewhat defeats the purpose of having a greenhouse. For example, "with a properly constructed greenhouse can I grow zucchini, squash, lettuce, cantelopes etc. year round? And will those same plants CONTINUE to bear fruit with the proper climatic conditions?"

Any advice offered would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

Thank you in advance, Mike

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Comments (4)

User
13 years ago
How big is your greenhouse budget?

You can GROW almost anything year round, but not all of them will set fruit and ripen it year round. Some need more heat or longer daylight hours than you will be able to provide. Some need pollinators (you or bees) to set fruit.

Unless you are going to have several sections with climate control and artificially extended daylight you will have seasonal crops. How big a solar power collector (electric or hydro) will you have to have just to power this radiant heat? And the artificial lighting cycles?

With a hoop house you could probably extend tomato ripening until Christmas and start again in March, harvest lettuce and other leafy greens year-round (spinach, broccoli, swiss chard, kale and oriental cabbages), and get a head start on the heat-loving things like eggplants.
sfallen2002
13 years ago
You fogot to mention that a HH won't cost an arm and a leg.
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oakhill (zone 9A, Calif.)
13 years ago
In regard to the trees, if they are deciduous, it may be an advantage to have a few to reduce some of the summer heat load, while not shading in the winter.
calliope
13 years ago
24 X 30 is not a standard commercially sized g'house but should be a nice sized one for your purposes. If you are serious about conserving heat, you may wish to look into a pit-style greenhouse. I have one g'house we earth dammed into a hillside on its north side and it is by far my most efficient one. It was the first one we erected, and still my fav for growing and I keep this one fired all winter in a colder zone than you and it's cheaper to heat than the smaller one next to it.

Actually a heavier double layer poly film with air inflation is as insulative as a thinner twin walled polycarb.

If you are off the grid, you can get out of using electrically dependent fans by using roll siding. Big greenhouse fans are a heavy electrical user. This would be an issue with wind and solar power. The new top vent designs are also something you might want to look into. A grower up the road has these and it seems to be working for him quite well. I use a variety of systems depending on what I am growing in which house.

There is absolutely no reason for you to be running your g'house in summer months. You will not be able to cool it down enough without some major equipment to produce a vegetable product as healthy as one grown outdoors. Let God and nature take care of that one. Use it for season extension.

You can literally write books (heck libraries) of advice on setting up a first greenhouse but what you do now shall impact the success of your project down the road, so choose carefully and keep your expectations realistic.

I've been operating g'houses for 25 years now and I had to still ask a lot of questions for each house we erected and it takes awhile to get to know what you can demand from them and at what expense.

I'm putting a good link below with some very basic information you might find helpful. Good luck and good growing.

Here is a link that might be useful: greenhouse buying guide