Location, location, location

What do you look for in a house?
Location, location, location?

Views, proximity to facilities, water supply, good neighbours?

Today I am thinking I would like a north facing house ...
with lots of passive solar energy all year round...
and some afternoon shade in summer.  

A flat site would be easier and access to facilities  

would be a major plus as well.  

So, my little greenhouse groupies, 

here is a plan of the back part of the garden.

Click to make larger

The position for the 

is marked in red.

I have been watching this space through the winter, and it gets the most hours of sun.  

I will be using the greenhouse all year, but I especially want to make the most of it in Winter, so good sun then is essential.  As for shade, I can provide this with seasonal plantings on the north side of the house and with shadecloth.

According to my research, positioning a greenhouse with its long axis running east-west is ideal in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.  In the north one of the long sides should face south (without something blocking the sun) and where I live, Downunder, it should have a northerly aspect.

This diagram is how the sun will shine into my

greenhouse (Melbourne, Australia) throughout the year.

The angle differs with latitude and, in the Northern

Hemisphere, just put South on the directional arrow.

This site is also close to facilities such as two back doors, the veggie garden, the garden shed, water and electricity if I require this at a later stage.



Micro-climates are created by geographic factors, the built environment, position of trees and windbreaks, and bodies of water.

A greenhouse creates a warm, moist micro-climate and allows the gardener to extend their growing season, to grow some things out of their regular season, and to grow plants that would normally not thrive in their climate.

So...the journey begins!