The Greenhouse: Growing in Arizona Heat

This will be the first summer having our greenhouse. We were concerned with it getting too hot inside and the plants all dying. We started misting inside the greenhouse at the beginning of spring when the weather was getting warmer. That was keeping the temperature down and the humidity up. The plants loved it.

Our concern was, what about our summer heat? We didn't think misting once or even twice a day was going to cut it. We added a solar fan, but it was bringing in the heat. My husband suggested using our portable cooler, put it in front of the door, and see if that keeps the temps down. That worked well. 

We now mist inside the greenhouse in the morning, 9am to 10am, and around 11am, we need to start the cooler. We usually keep it going all day until around 7pm, more or less. This is keeping the temperature around 75 to 80 degrees with the humidity around 62%. We need to fill the cooler with water every two hours, so it runs properly. Our plants in the greenhouse are flourishing and I couldn't be happier.

As for our plants growing outside the greenhouse, they are doing well too. I have them located behind the shed and greenhouse. They get morning sun and are shaded at the hottest time of day. They are doing well too. They just require more water which I am happy to give them.