CROP 02 · STRUCTURE NOTES
Cucumbers grow fast and fill the house; the frame has to keep up.
A cucumber canopy closes quickly and transpires heavily. The structural consequence is ventilation and height, not span: a house that cannot move air at canopy level will struggle whatever the steel size.
The cucumber's growth rate is the reason growers ask for more vent than the catalogue suggests. Air movement at canopy level is a structural provision: it comes from ridge vent area, side roll-up height, and the volume above the crop. All three are set before the frame is manufactured.
| Parameter | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Vent area | Ridge vent width and side roll-up height |
| Eaves height | Canopy volume and buffer |
| Crop support | Wire and rail loading |
| Cover | Film with anti-condensation grade, or PC |
| Span | Bed layout, usually 8–9.6 m |
Cucumber houses often run two crops a year with a short turnaround. That puts a premium on how fast a cover can be replaced and how accessible the gutter line is. A wider gutter with a proper bracket is easier to work from than a narrow one.
Practical detail
If the side roll-up is the main vent, its height decides the film width and the number of clips. Send the roll-up height with the frame enquiry — it changes the covering bill, not just the steel.
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