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Lodi, California

Hi all. I was wondering how big my greenhouse should be. I live in central California and was thinking of a 6' by 8' greenhouse that is 5' tall. Thanks!

12/19/2012 8:37:42 PM

Sourthern Utah

ash.. google hoophouse,, found about 20 designs

12/19/2012 9:07:30 PM

Muddy Waters

I like 28 X 60 Ashton

12/19/2012 9:50:27 PM

ShagHarbour n,s canada

why are you using a green house your in cali ,,,, maybe to start you off if it gets cool there i the spring,, even then you only need a 6x6 ,,,,, just my thoughts

12/19/2012 9:52:09 PM

Torrance, Ca.

I think you should go for Marks size!


Sounds just about perfect!

12/19/2012 9:52:16 PM

Hinckley MN

Ashton, how do you intend to use the greenhouse. 6x8 is a nice hobby size for seed starting and maybe some tropical plants. a giant pumpkin plant will outgrow that size greenhouse in 30 days.

hoophouses are what growers use to cover their whole plant. it is mostly used in cold climate areas like Alaska, Canada and the very northern tier of States.
28x 60 could cover 2-3 plants.

screen houses are basically hoope houses covered with screen instead of plastic and help exclude bugs.

Shade houses are hoophouses covered with shade cloth to reduce plant leaf temperatures.

Talk to other California growers and do what they do until you understand why they do it.

12/19/2012 10:06:52 PM

Muddy Waters

Tell your Mom or Dad you will need an increase in your allowance as you will be building a Kin cave!I figure 5 grand will suffice.lol!

12/19/2012 10:37:07 PM

Anchorage Alaska

lol @ handy

12/19/2012 11:49:57 PM

Pocatello ([email protected])

Larger hoophouses contribute to more stable temperatures. All of them can be a challenge, but I've found that its easier to bake a plant in small hoophouses.

Unless you are in a very cold part of California, I would not try it.

12/20/2012 1:51:01 AM

Muddy Waters

The thing that will be learned in the future is greenhouse's with hoops and overhead framing, of some sort can be used to hang shade materials to block the harmful effects of the sun.Full sun is not needed to grow the healthiest plant possible.Even a young seedling can get fried by a 85 degree May day!lol I have small hoop house's 4 X 7 I call them the mini cave that does just that.With a screen on you can go to work & not worry of over heating,aphids,dogs,cats,etc,At night you cover with sheet of plastic& crank the the soil cables.A mini cave can be built for under 100$ I'm sure.Check out my Screen house page at Worldwidegiantgrowers.com.

12/20/2012 6:50:30 AM

Muddy Waters

Good luck grasshopper!

12/20/2012 6:51:37 AM

Lodi, California

Thanks

12/20/2012 10:57:04 AM

Stanwood, Washington

In your climate, I would just build a little 4' x 4' x 30" tall structure to put over the plant when you first plant it in the ground. By the time the plant has outgrown it it should be warm enough for the plant outside. make sure you have a way to vent it during the day or you could cook your plant.

12/20/2012 12:51:10 PM

Mnt.pleasant ,tennessee

Atleast your not siting around playing nintindo.bravo

12/20/2012 1:34:17 PM

Pocatello ([email protected])

For me in Idaho, hoophouses are an absolute necessity. We typically have some 30 F degree nights well into June. If I don't have a hoophouse, I don't grow, simple as that.

I've found that without ventilation, you can plan on a 40 degree increase inside, on a sunny day. That means that your 60 degree day turns into 100. But a cloudy day may give less than 10 degrees increase. At night, the hoophouse can actually drift down to almost the same temperature as the outside temp... so for me that may be 100 during the day and freezing at night!

But larger HH are easier to regulate. When you warm up a larger space of soil, that helps a lot. There are other tricks to preserving heat at night, or adding heat at night, of course.

One of the challenges I face is wind, and typically low grade plastic that starts to come apart after about two weeks in the wind. Last year all my HH were destroyed once, about halfway through the spring, and so I ended up using twice as much plastic when I needed to rebuild. Next year, I plan to try floating row cover (wide as possible) over most of the HH. This may help to better regulate temps, and hopefully last longer. It would be great if it lasted more than one season. Any questions regarding hoophouses, I've probably seen it/tried it before! Just ask... Best regards.

12/20/2012 4:26:51 PM

Muddy Waters

Ashton if you want to try the inscect screen I will mail you a pc.for free.If you go with a 6X8 frame.? just let me know & I will ship it to you.Then you dont have to worry about it getting to hot inside when your in school.If you want to heat it up.you can put plastic on it when your home.You can buy some pvc pipe & 2x4s.I will give you a blue print if you [email protected] I had a garden when I was 12.about 50X50 with zero help.my siblings never left the pong game on TV.

12/20/2012 6:54:35 PM

Lodi, California

Thanks Mark

12/20/2012 11:01:04 PM

Lodi, California

Thanks also to cliffwarren. It is very appreciated.

12/21/2012 12:34:19 AM