The best location for a greenhouse is one that helps improve your growing success. That’s why gardening experts recommend taking time to plan out the optimal placement. Of course, your options for placing a greenhouse may be limited. Even so, you can take steps to give the structure the best possible location. Here’s how to figure out the right place to position a greenhouse, courtesy of online casinos Australia.
- Solar radiation
Since plants require light for photosynthesis, it’s critical to determine how the sunlight will reach them. Low light reduces photosynthesis and causes slow growth and fruit and flower abortion. The result is a low yield and minimal financial return. The location of your greenhouse and the time of year make a big difference in photosynthesis; locations that don’t receive enough solar radiation in the winter will need supplemental lighting.
- Water
About 1 gallon of water mixed with nutrients is needed daily to supply each plant in addition to the water needed for evaporative cooling, which is about 10,000 to 15,000 gallons an acre each day. You can recycle nutrient water to increase your water use efficiency, but be wary of salt build-up. An initial water analysis should be done to assess salt and pH levels. pH levels should be adjusted to around 5.8 to 6.5 for tomatoes and if the source water is basic, as in more than 7 parts per million, add acids such as nitric, phosphoric, and sulfuric. If the source water is acidic, as in less than 7, add a base.
- Elevation
Elevation affects high summer and low winter temperatures and will affect your cooling and heating costs, as well. For example, tomatoes function best between temperatures of 59°F to 86°F.
- Microclimate
There are many different factors that can affect your environment including latitude. Sea level at the poles will always be colder than sea level at the equator, and large bodies of water will heat up and cool down much slower than land masses. For example, San Diego, which is next to the Pacific Ocean, has much smaller fluctuations between day and night temperature than does the Sonoran desert, which is not close to a large body of water and whose temperatures can fluctuate.
- Pest pressure
Make sure to either choose a site that is far away from other agricultural production areas, or create a buffer zone between your operation and other production areas to prevent pest infestation.
- Level and stable ground
Be aware of the stability of the ground on which you construct your greenhouse; it should not be subject to shifting. The ground must also be graded for water draining (a 6 inch drop in 100 feet). Additionally, the ground must be compacted so that it won’t begin to settle after the greenhouse is built, just like the advanced security technologies implemented on best real money online casinos to ensure safety.
- Utilities
Make sure that you have the following utilities at your disposal:
Telephone service
Three-phase electricity
Fuel for heating/CO2 generation: natural gas, propane, fuel oil, electricity. Alternatives include solar, compost, woodchips, nut hulls, etc.
- Roads
Access to good roads is a must. For example, if roads are unpaved, when you transport your harvest, the fruit will be subject to all of the rocky movement of the vehicle which could lead to bruising, crushing, and other major damages for your fruit.
- North-South orientation
The greenhouse as well as the plants inside the greenhouse should be oriented north-south, especially in southern latitudes to maximize the amount of light that enters, and to create the best ventilation possible.
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