Homesteading on a north facing hill

[Miims]

We have been land hunting near our home in Arkansas for a place with more acreage for our future homestead. We've come across a nice piece with many characteristics that we like. One possibly big issue, though, is that it is on a north facing hillside. Everything I've read about solar, gardening, house placement, etc. always warns against this. Now, it doesn't seem like a very steep hill, but I am not experienced enough to know what would make a difference with sun exposure. From the house site to the back of the property is a distance of about 1000' and raises in elevation 200' over that distance. Then it's another 1000' to the top of the hill with another 200' in elevation gain. So I think the slope of the hill is a fairly consistent 20% or 11 degrees. This is as far as I've gotten with any calculations... can anyone take these further and help me figure out the real life implications for this slope? I am at around 36 degree latitude. And for those who live on a north facing hill, how does this affect your homesteading activities, growing, building, etc? Do you feel like it is a big hindrance or not too big of a deal? Thanks for your help.

[bigjon]

south facing property for garden or solar power is best,east an west would give u both directions.that north faceing hill means your putting solar panels on top of hill.

[fireweed farm]

Sounds like you should spend quality time there particularly now with the days at their shortest.
Some things to consider, is the day length shortened in early and late growing season? That's when it really counts around here.
Can you still use passive solar design concepts for a home?
Some sources recommend planting an orchard on a north facing slope as the trees will leaf out later and be less likely to have buds damaged by frost. That is in areas with late frosts.

[TnAndy]

Don't do it.

The joy of having a south facing house and the sunshine pouring in this time of year is simply priceless.

The ease of solar power and a driveway that doesn't hold the snow/ice is simply a side benefit to the above.

Get you a 'weather dog', and watch where they lay....THAT is where you want to build your house !

Plant ( or don't remove ) some deciduous trees in front of the house for summer shade, and you'll be good to go.

[chickenista]

Don't do it!

I have a friend under a north facing hill.
Not a ray of sun touches her house for months.
Not a bit of passive solar, not a ray to brighten the day.

She actually moved long ago. She couldn't take it anymore.
No sun on her gardens in the winter, so no kale etc..
The snow didn't melt and the mud didn't dry.

Don't do it.

[highlands]

I wouldn't. We're facing SSE. I wouldn't want to be facing any further north. We grow trees on our north slopes, farm on the east and south sides. Huge difference in energy.

[where I want to]

My place is on a slight northern slope. Before I bought it, I marked where the sun hit the longest and that is where I put the house. The garden got the next sunniest place and the run in shed got the next. In the winter, about half my place is in the shade most of the day but the house gets sun most of the day. And I built it to allow sun to come in during the winter and the porches keep it out during thesummer.
In the summer all but right against the southern redwoods gets lots of sun.
It does delay the flowering on some of the fruit trees that are not in full sun until May but that's ok as earlier blossoming would be rained out. It also means some areas are not great for grass. But then the ground does not dry out as early as other places.
For me it's ok. Like anything else it's a factor to consider and use.

[Miims]

Thanks, everyone. I think I can see where this is going and it is not looking good. But I'm in a place where we have hot, dry summers, so I can see the water retaining qualities of a north slope may not be all bad. But it may be muddy all winter, too. I know the sun is above the hill for a few hours, at least, everyday. After some further reading it seems as though even if the sun is above the hill and shining on the ground it may be at such a low angle as to not be very useful or not be over the hill for long enough. How much sun do you need for winter plants such as kale? I know spending time there is the only way to truly find out what to expect from the place. Maybe I can drive by it at several different times throughout the day, if we can get a sunny day here soon. There is a next door neighbor that may be able to give some insight since they have a garden and orchard, if I can get up the gusto to approach them. Any north slope dwelling Ozarkers who have insight regarding this situation in our particular region?

where I want to: would you ever choose to buy and build on a northern slope again after living with it now?

[where I want to]

Yes I would certainly buy my place again but my area is much different from your's. Here we normally get no rain at all from June through October then lots from November through May. Our temperatures are less hot too-I usually get temperatures of 90 or a hundred for a week or so each year. I personally hate hot weather so am grateful for the shade.
My slope is about 10 feet of drop every 200 feet- not a huge one- with flat spots. And I'm near the ridge of the hill. That makes a difference too- no shade from an over hanging mountain. Just a more accute angle of sun in the winter. Most of the shade comes from that low angle sun behind the redwood trees.

[mmoetc]

Don't forget wind. Every bit of cold north wind will come roaring up that hill. A south facing slope offers protection from such. A few miles down the road is a beautiful newish house with a two story window wall. It faces almost due north on a slight upslope with about a half mile of open hay field leading up to it. I doubt they'll be enjoying the -30f and high north winds the next couple of days. Makes me glad the folks that built this place 100+ years ago understood open southern exposure and shelter breaks on the north and west. It will be as cold but we'll feel almost no wind.

[Callieslamb]

I think there might be a difference in location. North isn't the best if you want solar power. However, in TN, I would have been grateful for any shade on the garden that didn't include tree roots. It was so hot there day in and day out all summer, and most of the spring and fall. And I totally agree with what you said about water. Please look at the location of those that are answering your question. Yes, north is a huge deal up here where I am. A north facing hill side is likely to have frost later than south facing. Fruit trees on a north facing slope might get their blooms frost-bitten every year. You might even have to consider that you'd be one climate zone lower in number depending on the entire situation. From what I've seen of Arkansas - there isn't much land that isn't going up or down and covered in trees.

Don't judge sunlight by where it is now. Summer sun is much higher than the winter sun. I'd would not have wanted a the TN summer sun to shine in my windows all day - we'd have baked.

[where I want to]

If a tree is located in a place where sun doesn't hit the ground around it, it will not break it's dormancy as easily and would be more likely to miss some frosts too. That is one idea I've used in my area of erratic weather - we're having a Junuary rigth now.
I plant some fruit trees on the west side where there's almost no sun until May then full sun once the sun has moved up to the south. Then I have a second group where it gets lots of sun all the time. Then there may be at least some trees that have the right conditions when they bloom. It does usually work out that one group or the other does well but not both as the same time.

[ronbre]

you say arkansas..it should be fine..in the south you want shade..in Michigan it might be a problem but shouldn't be down there..fruit trees love north facing hills..check out your east and west sites to see how much sun they get..if you don't own the property go there around sunrise and sunset and mark where the sun is..those would be the areas to grow sunlovers..if there isn't too much shade that is..

[TnAndy]

Originally Posted by Callieslamb

Don't judge sunlight by where it is now. Summer sun is much higher than the winter sun. I'd would not have wanted a the TN summer sun to shine in my windows all day - we'd have baked.

You cure that with:

1. Wide overhang on the house so the steeper summer sun angle doesn't come in much.

2. Use blinds/curtains you close as needed.

3. Plant ( or don't remove ) deciduous trees ( trees which loose their leaves in the fall ) on the south side. ( see winter pic below )

You can shade out summer sun.

You can't make sun come onto a north facing slope.

[TedM]

You say you're at 36 latitude and have an 11 deg slope, the earth has a tilt of 23.4 degrees. So let me calculate the angle the sun will fall on that north-facing hillside on the summer and winter solstices and the equinox. First the equinox, the Earth's tilt is 0 then so the sun will hit your ground at 36 -11 = 25 degree. The light intensity has a cosine relationship from straight overhead. Thus you see cos(90-25)=cos(65)= 0.422 so you'll get 42% of the 1KW/square meter from the sun on your ground on the equinoxes. On the summer solstice the angle of the earth's tilt in relation to the sun will be 23.4 degrees bigger and so you'll see cos(90-25-23.4)= cos(41.6)=0.748, so the you'll see nearly 75% of the sun's power. But on the winter solstice you'll get cos(90-25+23.4)= cos(88.4)= 0.028 or 2.8% of the sun's radiation. This ignores anything that might add shade like trees or buildings. So to summarize, you should get 28W/square meter on the winter solstice, 422W/square meter on the equinoxes, and 748W/square meter on the summer solstice.

[Pig in a poke]

I used to complain about our north-facing hill. But most days in the winter here are gray and cloud-covered anyway. Wouldn't matter which we we faced most of the time. It makes a big difference in the summer, though. The bottom of the property is cleared, so there is plenty of sun on the garden and pastures.

[wy_white_wolf]

Originally Posted by TedM

You say you're at 36 latitude and have an 11 deg slope, the earth has a tilt of 23.4 degrees. So let me calculate the angle the sun will fall on that north-facing hillside on the summer and winter solstices and the equinox. First the equinox, the Earth's tilt is 0 then so the sun will hit your ground at 36 -11 = 25 degree. The light intensity has a cosine relationship from straight overhead. Thus you see cos(90-25)=cos(65)= 0.422 so you'll get 42% of the 1KW/square meter from the sun on your ground on the equinoxes. On the summer solstice the angle of the earth's tilt in relation to the sun will be 23.4 degrees bigger and so you'll see cos(90-25-23.4)= cos(41.6)=0.748, so the you'll see nearly 75% of the sun's power. But on the winter solstice you'll get cos(90-25+23.4)= cos(88.4)= 0.028 or 2.8% of the sun's radiation. This ignores anything that might add shade like trees or buildings. So to summarize, you should get 28W/square meter on the winter solstice, 422W/square meter on the equinoxes, and 748W/square meter on the summer solstice.

My numbers didn't match yours. I also figured an 11% south slope just to compare. Using AutoCAD I figured:

Slope, Summer Solstice, Equinoxes, Winter Solstice
Flat land at 36dN Lat 97.5%, 80.7%, 50.6%
11d N Slope 91.5%, 67.9%, 33.2%
11d S Slope 99.9%, 90.5%, 66.1%

Sun hitting the surface perpidicular would be 100%

WWW

[ChristieAcres]

Sun exposure is rather a huge factor to consider when ascertaining the likelihood of growing a productive garden and orchard. Our property is on an Eastern facing property. We have a great garden and orchard, however, on the other side of this hill, which is West facing? Those properties get at least an hour more afternoon sun, so heat loving varieties fare better. Also, the gardening season is longer due to the exposure.