I'd wait until all of the leaves have filled back in and then makethe decision. There are some parts in my yard that get sun only in the summer or only in the winter. Take note of where the sun is now if you ever want to do some winter gardening and then wait to see where the sun is in the summer. You can always get transplants from the store for this first year in the house if you need to.

On the night of the next full moon, take note as to where it tracks across the sky and its peak. This is where the sun will be located during the summer months. Hopefully, you can get some retrospect from shadows as well, as this will tell you what you need to know.

EG

EG.....the garden whisperer

EG,

Is this true for all latitudes in winter? Awesome! I now have a fun thing to check out....only problem is I have to wait about 4 months to get the definitive answer!

"garden whisperer" - that's funny...

eaglesgarden - yes, that should be the same for all latitudes, because the earth is simply rotating on its axis - and the sun and moon staying in the same location.

EG

I want to be EG when I grow up.

ribbit - oh....you don't want to be me! My head hurts all the time. I think my brain is due for a "defrag", because there's all kinds of crazy bits of info in it. :-)

Now, get back to teaching, dangit! Lol

EG

EG,

I'm kind of embarrassed that I didn't know that already...I really should have. I teach physics for crying out loud, but I have never been forced to think about that!

that's so cool! thanks! I'll be prowling around my backyard the next full moon, lol.

eaglesgarden - we all have those moments from time to time, I wouldn't think anything of it. I'm a genuine redneck in it's finest form, but have appreciated the technical aspects of things my entire life.

kilda - i'm glad that the info will help. :-)

EG

Hey, redneck does NOT equal stupid. You are one of many examples of that. "just because I talk with an accent doesn't mean I THINK with an accent!" I am not 100% sure what that means, but it sounds about the same! lol

EG, I wish we'd teach something as suitable as gardening. No one is going to come up to them in a dark alley in the future, hold a gun to their backs and say, "Quick, tell me what a gerund is," or "How does metonomy differ from synecdoche." And if they do, it's a deranged English teacher after 30+ years of teaching.

What they need to learn is sustainable living and all of those things you have running around in your head. Not that they're facing a terrible world type thing, but it's good for everyone to have the knowledge.

But I digress. Sorry OP.

jengc - i'll take that as a compliment. We all have info that the other person doesn't have, and we should share openly. Just because a person has a piece of information in their head doesn't mean they are omnipotent about the subject, in my case it was a bit of information that had been retained from earlier in life. *wait for it, wait for it*....YeeHaw!!!!!

ribbit - I agree, the only subjects in school I personally feel are important throughout life are math and english. Without those 2 subjects, I wouldn't be where I am today. I think the rest are pretty useless, and should be replaced with things that will enhance their daily lives (like gardening, cooking, sewing, skilled trades, etc.)

Hey! I could come up there and teach your students how to fill someone's water meter with quickrete! No? Aw shucks....

Ok....no really, if the world comes to an end, everyone come to my house. I've got some pretty cool survival ideas/thoughts.

EG

I was going to say....I wouldn't count on the thinking we are not facing a terrible world. It's getting worse and worse out there. The only reason why I started gardening (and THANKFUL because I LOVE IT!!). I think soon, many people are going to wish they knew more about gardening and sustaining themselves off the land. But anyway, that's another subject for another thread. :D

EG (Garden Whisperer), would you have any idea if there is a diagram floating around in cyberspace that demonstrates the concept you describe? I have no idea how to visualize it but the concept seems really cool to me. Astrophysics is not a strong point of mine.

There are several sites that allow you to track the solar path over your house. I'm using a nice one for a paper/presentation I'm writing on trees and solar arrays, but AFAICT it works just as well for sunlight duration (I'm sure someone on this thread will correct me ;o) ). There are also portable solar path gadgets as well, but you have to purchase this consumer product.

Dan

paully1 - I really don't know. Perhaps Dan's link below will help you?

Dan - i'll have to check that link out and get back to you. :-) J/K

EG

Dan and EG, that is a cool link. I does not show me the solar path pictorially, but it does bring up another question. Can I assume that the "solar elevation" will give me the length of a shadow as a function of a given height item?

For instance, if I plant a row of raspberries that grow to six feet tall at the southern end of my garden, how far will the shadow fall? When the solar elevation is at 45 degrees, will the shadow be one to one, or 6 feet?

For my area, Toronto, the graph peaks at 70 degrees at noon on June 21. How long would the shadow be then? Do I have to break out my Euclidian geometry from grade 11. You know, the stuff that I have not used in way too long to remember and never thought would have any use in life?

I looked up the Angle Side Angle formula and came up with this: (6*Sin20)/sin70=2.18 feet?

I am sorry for the total thread highjack here, OP.

That is correct paully.

You break out your trig. and that's how you do it. Google's SketchUp does some of that for you as well, but there's a learning curve.

The other issue is that trees grow, and they grow in your neighbor's yard as well. So you can prune your trees to give you a window so you can grow veggies, but trees grow. So you can spend the 350.00 for the certified arborist to come out and make some kindling for you, but 5 years later you are making another call, and pretty soon the economics aren't worth it. There are folks working on a tool to analyze this issue, but it is not close to being ready yet (I can't get in on that gig to speed it up, alas). In the meantime, the OP must think about veggies in the new house and trade-offs in the buying decision.

Dan

I love trees, but hate them near my garden!!!

My rule is simple:

Trees in the front of the house (facing east) good.
Trees in the back of the house (facing west) bad.

Obviously my garden is in the BACKyard.