Season & shelter.
Measured clearly.
Succession dates, protective fabric and preliminary greenhouse calculators.
Turn a physical garden into checkable quantities.
Season-extension projects combine calendar math with material geometry. Use these tools to plan repeat sowings and cover sizes, then verify weather, crop tolerance, fabric ratings and structural requirements locally.
Choose a calculator
4 focused tools
Succession planting
Count succession sowings and find the last planting date within a growing window.
Frost cloth
Estimate frost-cloth area and roll length for hoops or low tunnels.
Greenhouse heat loss
Estimate steady-state greenhouse heat loss from surface area, temperature difference and U-value.
Shade cloth
Estimate shade-cloth area and roll length with fastening allowance.
A practical sequence
- Define the growing window or covered dimensions.
- Use local climate and crop information.
- Add realistic fastening or weather allowances.
- Monitor conditions and revise the plan in use.
Common planning mistakes
- Treating frost dates as certainties.
- Forgetting fabric needed over hoops and ends.
- Leaving covers unvented in warm sun.
- Using a simple heat-loss number as final equipment sizing.
Season & shelter FAQ
How much season extension can a cover provide?
It depends on material rating, crop, wind, soil heat and the duration of cold. A cover area calculation does not predict temperature protection.
Why calculate succession dates?
Repeated smaller sowings can spread harvests and reduce gluts, provided the last sowing still has time to mature.