How hot does a greenhouse get???

Hi Spacemunkey, I used to use the whitewash, but found it hard to remove (probably just me). Now I have the fairly solid green stiff shade mesh, flip it over the top of the greenhouse and hold it in place to the greenhouse gutter with cheap metal clamps from the market. It's very quick to remove and roll up at end of season.

 

Here in New York in July it can get to 100 degrees in the afternoon, and that is with the door and vents open. I use a 45% black poly shade net over the entire greenhouse. In addition, I spray mist the floors for evaporation to cool the greenhouse. I place the shade netting on the greenhouse in late spring as it becomes necessary and remove it in the fall. Works for me.

 

A couple of my greenhouses look totally tidy - because they are empty

Give me a month and I too can have the shiney look

 

Agree with everything members have said so far. My greenhouse faces SW so does get very hot,135°!! Personally I either paint the whole greenhouse in coolglass or similar. These last couple of years I have done as a top fuchsia grower does. I paint strips of coolglass, this has the effect of having full sun for a short while then shaded by coolglass.I paint the strips about 100mm apart. I also have black thick netting on the inside on the roof area. Dead easy to put up as I have along stick going across apex of roof and one each side where roof meets side of greenhouse. All I have to do is just thread netting behind sticks. I find coupled with plenty of ventilation like door & roof window open I do not seem to suffer with problems. Mind you I make sure I pour plenty of water on floor and have a bucket full of water in greenhouse so atmosphere is kept moist.

 

These help too..

 

I never use shading just ventilate, ventilate, ventilate.

After almost 60 years of growing toms and experimenting I believe shading the plants stops them reaching their full flavour. ( not just my opinion all friends and family believe the same)
One year as an experiment in my greenhouses which were end to end I grew toms shading one greenhouse and just ventilating the other. The toms were grown identically with the same compost, additives, feed and watering regimes. Everyone who tried them said in taste tests the toms grown with shading were not as good as those grown without shading. When I occasionally put a couple of toms in a bag for friends and family from the shaded greenhouse I would get comments , eg. have you put those bland ones in again. I removed the shading early July and by August all the toms were good and people could not differentiate between the greenhouses.
I have never used shading for the last forty years, however I live on the north east coast and every bit of sunshine is a blessing.
Other area's may be too hot.
regards alex

 

Only just realised that I missed that bit.

Do you have heating in your greenhouse to maintain adequate temperatures for Cucumbers? There's a saying that they spend all night lying awake thinking of new ways to die (from cold).

 

Lori, have you got speakers in there too. With those LED lights it looks like a disco

 

Too funny @Spacemunkey ! Well, to tell the truth, I do have a radio in there !

 

You have to have a radio in there, I couldn't live without my radio. I could quite easily give up my iPhone but never my radio

 

@Spacemunkey

If it's 35C in there, you should dust the cobwebs off your mankini and get the hell into the greenhouse!!

And cancel the summer holiday to Jamaica.

 

I have to admit that the radio in there is a cheesy one. It's an oldy from I don't know where and I just found out that it is truly dying - I can now only get one station and it is in a language I don't understand

 

My first seedling has appeared today ( is that what they are called?? I wanted to name it but thought you'd all laugh at me if I had lol) I'm rather pleased I feel I should be handing out cigars