New Mexico's dry climate is suitable for an external roll to peak light deprivation system. Be mindful that high winds can damage these systems and a wind retention system is highly recommended.

New Mexico 's dry climate increases the performance of an evaporative cooling system. As the hot and dry air from outdoors is pulled through the wet wall, the air gets conditioned to a cooler temp. Example from UMASS: 90 degree outside air @30% humidity = 30 degrees of cooling @50% humidity = 20 degrees of cooling @70% humidity = 8 degrees of cooling

Yes! Upgrading your environmental control system to the competitively priced agrowtek gcx is necessary in any instances where you are using artificial lighting, heating, or want programmable controls with different stages of heating/cooling. Example features include: Turning lights on and off based on cloud cover, interrupting functions such as heat when the exhaust fan turns on, using heat or cooling stages to even out the temp/humidity swings to create more consistent growing conditions. Analog controls can be used if you are just concerned with one or two variables. Be aware that if the heater and exhaust fans are on separate thermostats, they can both get stuck on at the same time, this will drain the propane tank and prevent the greenhouse from getting up to temp.

In New Mexico (Latitude ~35° and Below): 2 Light Dep + 1 Full-Season Harvest
Daylight for Vegetative Growth: Begins mid-March (~13+ hours of daylight).

Natural Flower Trigger: ~August 15 (12–13 hours of daylight).

Full-Season Harvest: Early November (60 days from natural flowering trigger).

Harvest Schedule:
First Light Dep Vegetative Growth: mid-April (30 days, >13 hours of daylight).

First Light Dep Harvest: mid-June (60 days flowering, starts mid-April).

Second Light Dep Vegetative Growth: Mid-April to Mid-May (30 days, >13.5 hours).

Second Light Dep Harvest: mid-August (60 days flowering, starts mid-June).

Full-Season Vegetative Growth: Natural vegetative period continues until late August.

Full-Season Harvest: Early November (60 days flowering, natural trigger mid-August).

Total Harvests: 3 harvests (2 light dep + 1 full season).

Daylight for Vegetative Growth: Begins early April (~13.5+ hours of daylight).

Natural Flower Trigger: ~August 15 (12–13 hours of daylight).

Full-Season Harvest: Late October (60 days from natural flowering trigger).

Harvest Schedule:
First Light Dep Vegetative Growth: Early April (30 days, >13.5 hours of daylight).

First Light Dep Harvest: Early June (60 days flowering, starts early May).

Second Light Dep Vegetative Growth: Early May to Early June (30 days, >14 hours).

Second Light Dep Harvest: Mid-August (60 days flowering, starts early June).

Full-Season Vegetative Growth: Natural vegetative period continues until late August.

Full-Season Harvest: Late October (60 days flowering, natural trigger mid-August).

Total Harvests: 3 harvests (2 light dep + 1 full season)

In New Mexico, single-span greenhouses are the best fit for small farmers. Their low cost, simplicity, and quick build times make them perfect for regions without snow load concerns. Gutter-connect greenhouses, though scalable, are more expensive, slower to build, and more vulnerable to pest and disease spread due to shared ventilation and growing spaces, making them less practical for small-scale growers.

To grow year round in New Mexico you will need to control all of the environmental variables to maintain consistent growing conditions.

Dual Frame Insulated Greenhouse-Hortitech's dual frame design can grow year round in any state. The internal light deprivation system is protected from weather elements and the 2ft thermal air gap provides superior insulation.

Photo period- Use artificial lighting to supplement when days are short to maintain enough DLI to keep plants in vegetative state or to provide enough energy to flower on cloudy winter days. Use light deprivation to shorten the days during spring and summer to maintain flowering cycles.

Temperature- Use intake shutters/exhaust fans with light traps to cool and dehumidify the greenhouse during the summer and as needed in shoulder seasons. Use a greenhouse heater to maintain optimal growing conditions year round and to prevent freezing during the winter.

Dehumidifiers- During the cooler months when the exhaust fans are not running as often, you will need dehumidifiers to offset the humidity from plant transpiration. All of the water put into the growing media will transpire through the plant and become air borne. Mismanaging humidity will lead to botrytis and powdery mildew.

Quonsets are used in areas with no snow and high winds. The rounded shape of the quonset is more aerodynamic and less affected by wind. However, quonset shapes do not shed snow naturally. Do not use in areas with high snow load requirements.

Yes! woven plastics are mandatory with roll to peak light deprivation systems. These systems take time to install, and you'll want to make the most of your investment by using thick plastic, do not use anything less than 9mil. An added benefit Hortitech's clear light dep plastic is that we can weld blackout overlaps into the clear plastic creating a perimeter light seal. This saves on labor and materials, eliminating the need for extra channel, wiggle wire, or lumber.