Greenhouses in Warmer Climates

Carter & Holmes orchid growers had 20 greenhouses that would work in your climate. We visited them this summer. One of the growers gave us a detailed and personal tour. Nice greenhouses: they have cinder block bases, a pebble floor with slate or wooden walkways, and vents in the ceiling - mechanical vents not electrical ones. We were fascinated by how they cooled the structures with water trickling down the sides of the buildings, like splash fill in a cooling tower. They also had some innovative ways to heat the spaces in severe cold snaps, mostly involving natural gas but of course these are greenhouses. Solar power is usually all they need.

Want to visit from your armchair? Plug their address into Google maps.  629 Mendenhall Rd. Newberry, SC 29108    Use the satelite view. Then, call them. Very friendly and helpful to fellow gardeners!

This is the first full year for my 18' growingspaces dom..I love it but we live in colder climate SE Oregon and I want to grow winter crops, it has the auquaculture componet which I am struggling with to keep the algae down in summer but definitely worth it.  It does get warm in summer but tomatoes, peppers, etc do not mind and with shade cloths and vents it is managable.

I am experimenting with crops to learn what will grow in the Dec, Jan months with little daylight hours but  I am still harvesting tomatoes, beets, peppers that I planted last March.  I tried brussels sprouts but not much sucess.  Sugar peas are the only thing really growing right now but with each day of sunshine I can see improvement in the greens. I have blue gill and sunfish in the pond but only because they were little guys we saved from a puddle in a local creek. The dom is 18' diameter.