How Do I Properly Locate My New Hoophouse?

5586 Views 3 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Mutti, Mar 27, 2004

Steve

Discussion Starter · Mar 27, 2004

We just bought most of the materials to make a 20' long cattle panel hoophouse described in another thread. Without any luck, I've searched this website and others for how to properly orient a hoophouse with respect to the sun.

I know I need to find "Solar South" which is different than "Magnetic South". But after that do I face one end of the hoophouse to the south or do I face one long side to the south? I have an wide open backyard without any trees to deal with.

My uneducated guess would be to orient one end to solar south so that the sun shines in the east side in the morning, in the top at midday, and in the west side in the afternoon. But I can find nothing that tells me that. I figure the downside for this orientation would be if I'm using the hoophouse in the wintertime, the sun will be much lower and a lot of its rays will be blocked by the plywood end.

Any experts out there?

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anniew

· #2 · Mar 27, 2004

Far from an expert, but in going to lectures, demonstrations
and having a regular greenhouse that I often use unheated,
the main problem with a hoop house that has no electric will be
to get it properly ventilated when the sun is out.
Therefore, the house should be oriented so that the roll-up sides
will allow the prevailing winds to blow through it from one side to the
other. That should determine your orientation, not the sun.
Ann

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goatlady

· #3 · Mar 27, 2004

exactly anniew - it's wind direction that counts though I have mine blowing in one door and out the other. Don't roll up the sides at all, if I did that the wind would peel the whole cover off and float it away like a giant balloon. My short ends face north and south.

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Mutti

· #4 · Mar 27, 2004

Yes,air circulation is far more important than south orientation....here in Mo. we have our greenhouse located where is gets shade in the afternoon as it gets soooo hot...in the early spring the trees aren't a problem for full sun fof starting plants. Watch the curbside for fans you can fix up; we find all they generally need is cleaning and WD40....great for hanging in the greenhouse and toughens yours plants,too. DEE

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