Lean to greenhouse

[borofan]

Hi,

I am a new orchid grower living in the north east of England. I only have a very small back yard (English version!) with very little room. The best I can manage would be a 2' x 6' lean to greenhouse. Is that too small to be feasible? I am not sure what orchids I plan to grow until I have researched the greenhouse situation!

Thank,
Mike

[dounoharm]

it is the heating and cooling that create problems....that size space is nearly impossible. can you open a window into the space? that will help, but you have to leave it open all the time....and if its sunny, even opening a window will not be enough. your plants will be crispy critturs in a few minutes.

[borofan]

Thanks for the quick reply and I do understand your points. I have had a greenhouse at a previous house but it was much bigger. The one I am thinking of has an opening window covering one third of the roof and has an opening door. The main long side would face east and one short side would be up against another tall wall (about 3' higher than the greenhouse) as the greenhouse would be situated in a corner position. I think the only sun that would get in would be via the roof from late morning . You have given me food for thought!

[dounoharm]

i have the same problems, more or less....2 walls are on the house and garage. mine is as big as I could make it...8x16...with the short side facing east, and the long side north. it works for me, as the evening sun in north texas is extreme. and the south is the same.

as I love my cattleyas the most I have to hang the mature plants up high on the rafters to cook them enough.

to counteract the heat (it is over 100 degrees already), I have a humungous exaust fan to pull heat out. it is on the long north side, high as I could hang it. on the east end, I have a large evaporative cooler which runs A LOT! on high....I also have a jaybird 700 mister on the corner n.e. I can only hope to keep the temps around 90 at best, as that big exhaust fan (36"!) sucks the humidity right out with the heat!

its a challenge in this climate, and it took a year of thought....to place equipment to maximize climate control....you can see some of my work in this forum...my first gh here was a 5x8 enclosed porch. it could not be heated efficiently for orchids.

good luck!

[borofan]

Thanks again for your input. At least I don't have the problem of such high ambient temperatures! The range here is from a few degrees below freezing to maybe 75F as a high.

Regards,
Mike

[Leafmite]

I cannot help you but good luck!