Continuing on with whether you plan on using your greenhouse year-round. In the last post we hit the talking points of providing heat when temperatures dip below freezing. In this post we will speak on the aspect of using your greenhouse when it gets hot out there. You will need to consider venting or cooling. Again, depending on your ‘Regional Climate’ you may need some significant cooling features.
Hot weather use-
If you are going to use your greenhouse beyond getting your garden plants earlier in the season, you will need to ventilate it or maybe even provide a cooling method. We mentioned in the last post that generally a greenhouse will heat the interior around 10 degrees warmer than the outside temperature. That was sorta just an average. When the sun shines hot on long summer days with little breeze, it can generate an even higher temperature difference. We’re talking about hot enough to kill your plants.
If you’re in a region where the temperature only gets to a high of around 90 degrees or so, you can probably get by with just some ventilation. Keep the doors open, and/or the flaps on the roof. If you expect temperatures much higher than the low 90s you will need some active ventilation or cooling.
You can reduce your overheating worry (and having to unload your greenhouse into your regular house) if you provide some active ventilation or cooling in your greenhouse.
Ventilating/cooling your greenhouse-
There are many ways to keep your greenhouse from over heating on those long hot late spring or summer days.
- When it is in the low 90 degrees (or below), open doors and ceiling flaps.
If it is over 90 degrees you will need active ventilation/cooling.
- Electric fans are probably the easiest, if you have access. You will still need to have doors and/or ceiling flaps open
- Water mister/ionizer. If it gets well into the 100 degrees range, you will at least need fans with a device to spray a mist into the air flow. (see the image below)
- Water cooler, similar to water mister, but a water cooler typically pushes or pulls the air flow through a moistened filter of sorts.
- Air conditioning, the most expensive option, but it may be necessary if you can’t have open vents.
These are some ways to make it through the summer months with a place for all those extra plants that you just love.
Check the next blog for discussions about considerations of the space that you have available for you greenhouse.
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