Picking a style or shape for your greenhouse is one of the first steps in greenhouse farming. You need to use the best style of greenhouse for your location. If you use a style of greenhouse that is not suited for your location and climate, you may not have a great experience as a greenhouse gardener.
The design of your greenhouse can significantly impact your crop yield. Some shapes of greenhouse are desirable in temperate areas while some are desirable in tropical areas.
The Best Shape for a Greenhouse
The following are the best shapes for a greenhouse:
Gable Roof Greenhouse Shape
The gable roof greenhouse is a type of greenhouse that maximizes the amount of sunlight that enters the greenhouse. With this shape of a greenhouse, plants can receive enough sunlight. More sunlight means better photosynthetic ability and higher yield.
The gable roof greenhouse is not common in Nigeria but we can design and produce this type of greenhouse for you.
A-Frame Greenhouse
The A-frame greenhouse has an ‘A’ shape. The top of the greenhouse has a ‘V’ shape. It is similar to the gable roof greenhouse as it also allows the penetration of maximum of sunlight into the greenhouse.
The A-Frame Greenhouse is failry easy to build. Most DIY gardeners and farmers build the A-Frame Greenhouse themselves.
Gothic Arch Greenhouse
The gothic shape greenhouse has a lot of half circular archs. It is also fairly simple to build or construct. The gothic arch greenhouse is common in Nigeria. Most of the polytunnels in Nigeria have a gthic arch shape.
Hoop House
The hoop house has a half circular shape at the top. This type of greenhouse allows for more hight for plants to grow. It is also easy to design and build.
Shade House
The shade house is a type of greenhouse covered with shade nets. The shade nets reduce the intensity of sunlight on the plants in the greenhouse.
Some shade nets can also impact the growth of some types of plants. For example, red shade nets have been said to positively impact the yield of tomato and pepper.
The shade net is usually hung or attached to the roof of the greenhouse. It can also be wrapped around the sides of the greenhouse.
The best shape for a greenhouse will depend on the following:
- Type of greenhouse
- Climate
- Types of crops to be grown
- Season of the year
Do you practice greenhouse cultivation of crops? If yes, what shape of greenhouse do you use? Please let us know your views in the comments’ section.