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Greenhouse and Shade House Production

Covered growing run as a business in the tropics: the right structure and wind rating, cool air through the house, daily drip fertigation checks, clean entry and nets, rotation and cost per kilo.

Free · Mac (Apple silicon) and Windows · v1.0.0 · Other platforms

Then open the Marketplace in the app, search for Greenhouse and Shade House Production, and click Install. It goes into your own files, and works offline from then on.

What it installs.

1

Pillar

1

Area

50

Projects

200

Starter tasks

🌾 Agriculture & Agribusiness

Greenhouse and Shade House Production

Growing under cover in the tropics: structure choice and wind ratings, ventilation, drip fertigation, crop rotation and keeping pests out.

  1. Choosing between greenhouse, shade house and net house
  2. Site and orientation survey for a covered structure
  3. Wind rating and anchoring specification
  4. Costed plan for a first covered structure
  5. Covering film and shade net selection
  6. Structure supplier and installer vetting
  7. Water supply and storage sizing for the house
  8. First crop and buyer for the house
  9. House map and protected crop record book
  10. Construction and handover inspection
  11. Daily climate readings inside the house
  12. Ventilation and curtain routine for hot days
  13. Daily fertigation run with EC and pH checks
  14. Weekly sticky trap and leaf scouting under cover
  15. Entry hygiene and double-door discipline
  16. Monthly structure and covering maintenance round
  17. Pruning, trellising and lowering vine crops
  18. Drip line flushing and filter cleaning
  19. Weekly yield per square metre log
  20. Between-crop clean-out and sanitation
  21. Reading EC, pH and runoff under cover
  22. Heat stress and humidity in tropical houses
  23. Whitefly, thrips, mites and the viruses they carry
  24. Nutrient disorders in covered crops
  25. Tomato pollination without bees under cover
  26. Growing in grow bags and coco substrate
  27. Grafted seedlings for soil-borne disease
  28. Soil beds or substrate for the house
  29. Natural ventilation versus fans and wet walls
  30. Insect net mesh upgrade and screen repair
  31. Shade percentage trial on one bay
  32. Greenhouse variety trial against the current variety
  33. Rotation plan across houses and bays
  34. Soil solarisation between crops
  35. Rainwater capture from house gutters
  36. Fertigation timers and controller upgrade
  37. Power backup for pumps and fans
  38. Pre-storm cover removal drill
  39. Transplanting day for a new house crop
  40. Cover film replacement day
  41. End-of-cycle house review
  42. Hosting an extension field day in the house
  43. One shade house alongside a day job
  44. Young farmer's first covered structure
  45. School or community shade house
  46. Moving from open field into protected production
  47. Grower cluster sharing a propagation house
  48. Multi-house block with staggered planting
  49. Seedling propagation business under cover
  50. Cost per kilo benchmark across houses

Where it starts.

Each project arrives with its purpose, milestones and first tasks written out. Here is how the first three read.

Choosing between greenhouse, shade house and net house

A plastic-roofed greenhouse keeps rain off tomato leaves but can run 8 to 10 degrees hotter than outside by midday, while a shade house or insect net house stays cooler but lets rain and some pests through. Picking the type to suit the crop, the district's rainfall and the budget is the decision every later cost depends on, so make it on paper before talking to a builder.

First tasks

  • Write down the crop you plan to grow under cover for the next three years
  • Ask the extension office for two growers running covered structures nearby
  • Visit both houses at midday and note how hot it feels inside
  • Record the structure type you chose and why in the record book

Site and orientation survey for a covered structure

Houses fail where water ponds under the footings, where hills block the morning sun or where the prevailing trade wind hits the long side flat on. A careful survey of slope, drainage, sun path and wind direction lets you place and turn the structure so it ventilates well and survives a blow, and it costs an afternoon rather than a rebuild.

First tasks

  • Tie a ribbon to a tall pole on the site to watch the wind for a week
  • Walk the site after the next heavy shower and mark standing water
  • Note shade from trees or buildings at three times of day
  • Peg out the footprint and draw it with the ridge direction

Wind rating and anchoring specification

Structures sold in the region range from light frames rated for a stiff breeze to steel houses with a stated design wind speed and deep footings. Knowing the rating, what the anchors are and how the covering is meant to be released before a storm decides whether a tropical storm costs you a sheet of plastic or the whole house.

First tasks

  • Email each supplier asking for the design wind speed of their structure
  • List footing depth, anchor type and post spacing from each quote
  • Ask how the cover is released or rolled down before a storm
  • Write your minimum wind rating into the purchase order

Make it yours.

Install Greenhouse and Shade House Production, then tell Aurum the date you're aiming for. It checks whether the plan fits the weeks you actually have.

Free · Mac (Apple silicon) and Windows · v1.0.0 · Other platforms

Blueprints are general information to help you organise your own work. They are not medical, financial, legal or other professional advice. See the Terms.