Best year-round greenhouses for cold climates

Added on 11 January 2023

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Best year-round greenhouses for cold climates

If you are a grower living in a colder climate, you need structural integrity and full environmental control for successful year-round greenhouse production through the cold, dark and snowy winter months.

Not all greenhouses are created equal. Variance in greenhouse design, heating systems, and structural materials make certain greenhouses more applicable for colder climates than others. For instance, a hoop house might be a great season extender for a grower in the Pacific Northwest, but it couldn’t withstand high wind and snow loads that occur in regions like the Midwest or Canada. If you are a grower living in a colder climate, you need structural integrity and full environmental control for successful year-round greenhouse production through the cold, dark and snowy winter months.

At Ceres, we get a lot of questions about whether our greenhouse design is fit for colder climates. The answer is YES, Let us explain why Ceres greenhouses are the best greenhouses for cold climates.

What is the best type of greenhouse design for winter?

Greenhouse designs for cold weather should prioritize insulation and light-harvesting for productive growth that doesn’t require a lot of heating. Traditionally, greenhouses are designed to maximize interior sunlight and solar gain for ideal greenhouse temperature. While this sounds desirable, oftentimes this concept entails glazing materials making up most of the greenhouse. Excess glazing allows heat to escape faster, making a greenhouse inefficient and expensive to heat if you live in a colder climate. If you live in a northern climate you’ll want your winter greenhouse to be insulated while also allowing a sufficient amount of sunlight in.