GardenAction
      The Premier Gardening Information Resource
SEARCH GARDENACTION
**Earn a 10% discount off everything you buy at Harrod Horticultural (Enter "Garden Action" in the Offer Code when ordering) **
Weather Settings Newsletter Contact Us Forum

Weekly Calendar
Vegetables
Fruit
Herbs
Trees
Help on the Allotment
Greenhouse World
Plants
The Perfect Lawn
Water Garden Features
Beginner's Corner
Pest and Disease
Veg, Fruit & Herb Calendars
Flower Garden Calendar
Garden Centres
Garden Techniques
Houseplants
Book Reviews
About GardenAction
Archived Newsletters
Arboretum, Parks &
Gardens
Garden Photography
Leftovers!
GardenAction's New Articles
Ask our Gardening Expert




Your weather dates have not been set. They have defaulted to medium settings.
Click here to set the weather dates to your area of the UK or USA.
 
Go to pages about Selecting a Site For Your GreenhouseGo to pages about Selecting the Correct Greenhouse For Your NeedsGo to pages about Greenhouse Equipment - bench, capillary matting, heating, shade protection etc.Greenhouse manufacturers, retailers and suppliersGreenhouse plants index top navigation

Light and Shade


Light is one of the most important factors in greenhouse
cultivation. Get it right and your plants will be happy, get it wrong and they
will be sad! We explain.
 


Shade cast by fence

 

TOPICS IN SELECTING A SITE FOR YOUR GREENHOUSE

  Light

Shelter From Wind

 

Light in Winter and Summer
In summer, unless you have sited your garden greenhouse in dense shade there is likely to be sufficient light for plants to grow successfully. The problem of lack of light is most likely to occur in winter and spring when the sun is low in the sky. 

Unfortunately, most garden greenhouses are bought and erected in the summer months in preparation for the following spring. The shading effect of trees, hedges and other structures may appear minimal in the summer but when winter and spring come along, they may reduce the amount of available light considerably.

The shading effect of a tree, fence hedge or building does depend where in the world you live. But on average the rule of thumb is that in winter (around December and January) an object will cast a shadow three times it's height. 

In late spring (April), the same object will  cast a very much reduced shadow which is just a bit more than its own height. This shadow is further reduced up till mid-summer. The diagram on the right illustrates the shade effect. 

The diagram on the left illustrates the shade effect for a variety of different heights in April whilst the diagram below illustrates the massively increased amount of shade cast in December and January.

So, if you are building a greenhouse in summer get your tape measure out and measure carefully!

 
GO TO NEXT PAGE or GO TO GREENHOUSES INDEX


 


   

Gardening Advice Center
Share with us your gardening experience!

Name:

E-mail:
   Make Private

Message:

Links to Other Garden Sites || Privacy Policy ||

Copyright 2000-11 GardenAction. All rights reserved.