Would a greenhouse serve any purpose for someone growing in coastal California?

[electraus]

Hi everyone,

Several times now, I’ve been told that a small greenhouse is a worthwhile investment even when growing in a climate like the Bay Area’s but I’ve never entirely understood why. I know it’ll extend my growing season, but I feel like I barely get a dormancy period as it is. This year, my BC’s buds were already starting to swell by mid-late January.

The only potential benefit I can see the sense behind has to do with the light diffusing properties of polycarbonate and the fact that I grow on a south-facing balcony so I only get sunlight from one direction, which is too intense for delicate leave species. It would be really nice to be able to grow Japanese Maples, but is that reason enough?

Does anyone else on here use a greenhouse in a sub-tropical(ish) climate like the one here in the Bay Area? And if so, what exactly are the benefits? Thanks in advance!

 

[TimberLakers]

So you would put a greenhouse on a south facing balcony?

I've been successfully growing JMs in the Bay Area (SF and Marin) for ~5 years now.

I have a section of my balcony that gets some shade from a coastal oak (where the JMs live), but you could accomplish the same thing with some shade cloth and save yourself some money.

 

[electraus]

So you would put a greenhouse on a south facing balcony?

I've been successfully growing JMs in the Bay Area (SF and Marin) for ~5 years now.

I have a section of my balcony that gets some shade from a coastal oak (where the JMs live), but you could accomplish the same thing with some shade cloth and save yourself some money.

Yeah, it would be on my south-facing balcony.

And yes, JMs are gorgeous trees that I'm eager to start working with, but I think a greenhouse would be overkill when simple shade cloth exists. I was just trying to see if anyone here could help add context that would help me make sense of the rationale behind certain folks' recommendations of investing in a greenhouse despite the local climate.

 

[Shibui]

Green house can also cause unintended problems with lack of air movement therefore fungal problems.
Smaller green houses don't actually achieve much as they don't retain heat for long enough to be valuable as a heated enclosure.
Shade cloth should give you much better value in terms of growing JM and will allow some valuable air movement. I have noticed that shade cloth also provides some protection from cold too.