There’s a type of greenhouse cover that’s become very popular in Southern California. You find them all over growing tomatoes and other crops. In our mild climate they do very well at retaining the solar heat, yet the open sides allow airflow to keep mildew and diseases down. They can’t be heated though, because the open sides would let all the paid-for heating escape.
They are a cost-effective way to extend the season for many crops, and to help raise the heat during the daytime to help raise production.
Greenhouse Cover
Greenhouse Cover
The covers require a bit of bracing and lashing to stand up to the winter storms.
They can be placed side by side to give a good continuous cover over a field.
After the season ends, they are simple to disassemble,
and the modular components easily stored for use the next season.
Greenhouse Cover
With the side-by-side configuration…
you end up with a very contiguous cover….
This is our neighbor’s raspberry orchard.
They sell these raspberries and other bramble fruits
at the Santa Monica and Beverly Hills Farmer’s Markets.
Greenhouse Cover
This raspberry orchard near us is basically five or six acres of plastic with raspberries growing under it.
The micro-climate created with the use of this plastic is very much warmer than the open field would be.
Greenhouse Cover
You can just keep on adding the foundation posts, the arches,
add on another roll of plastic greenhouse sheeting… rope and attach it all together…
and extend it to any length that works for you