greenhouse location on the allotment

The usual answer to orientating rows of plants or greenhouses in an open situation is to have the long axis north-south which gives even illumination as the sun tracks west to east.

That's not necessarily what you want with a greenhouse getting no shade from nearby objects because it is more likely to overheat, and it can be helpful to have a less well illuminated side because not everything likes full sun.

Mine faces N-S because it is very close to a 6' hedge on the west side but in your situation I'd probably go for E-W.

Not sure on the best answer in terms of plants, but my answer would be as far as possible from the boundary fence, ideally out of stone throwing range from it...

Hello,

Thanks for all the replies so far.
My plot is bang in the middle of the allotment so the perimeter fence does not really apply to me. Also, the allotment is completely surrounded by houses (I forgot to say it is a small site of about 10 plots), so it is very sheltered (from the wind and from stones...).
I love the idea of getting some shade to put a bench out... but franfly I really need every bit of the plot to work hard given it is such a small size so sitting area/shed/wide paths are out of the question.

Regards

North- South as said but I'd put the door on the North face with the water-butts by the door. I made the mistake of putting the water-butts behind the green house which means a round trip to get some water. As for shade, when its required you can always drape a net over the roof but better still grow sweet pea's on the sunny side.

Er yes, if the 2 longest sides face E and W respectively that's a N-S orientation, which will give you maximum illumination, but also the greatest heat build-up in a completely open location.

Whichever you decide, I think it's a good idea to not have the door facing the prevailing winds (usually west-ish) because with the door open you will increase the risk of possible damage from gales which are usually from that direction.

(I also located the opening light on the east side as well, in the hope of reducing the possibility of unwanted spores blowing in on the prevailing wind, but that's possibly more like wishful thinking on my part!)

Hi Breizhcymru,

What size is your greenhouse?

If it's, say, a 6' x 6' or 6' x 8' then it's practically a box anyway, and so it won't really matter whether you site it N-S or E-W, so I wouldn't fret too much about it. You'll get to know the conditions inside it as you grow, so you can always shade the hotspots with newspaper or whitewash on the windows or, as has been mentioned, the lovely idea of just growing sweet peas outside.

What I would take into account, as mumofstig says, is the prevailing winds - the position of the door is one thing you can't change. But if where you are is sheltered as you say, then this shouldn't be too much of a problem, either.

The one thing I would add is not to make any fittings inside the greenhouse permanent until you've used it for a bit and know exactly what you want to use it for - lots of permanent staging for growing and growing on seeds, space for grow bags, planting in the soil, stashing your pots and compost, or what? You'll soon work out what makes you happy. Greenhouses are lovely places!  Enjoy.

P.