Polyhouse farming · Sharjah, UAE

Polyhouse Farming in Kalba

Monthly climate, crop windows and nearby markets for a polyhouse farm in Kalba, with Fan & Pad cooling for dry summer heat.

Sudhir Devkar, founder of Kryzen Biotech

By Sudhir Devkar, Founder & CEO, Kryzen Biotech

Updated · 4 min read

Polyhouse farming in Kalba: aerial view of a large protected cultivation farm with polyhouses

Planning polyhouse farming in Kalba? Kalba is in the emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates[1]. This guide works from Kalba's own monthly climate to suggest the protected structure, the crops to start with, and the months each crop is likely to do well.

Climate for polyhouse farming in Kalba

June is the hottest month in Kalba, with average daily highs of about 42°C. January has the coolest nights, averaging 16°C.[2] Rain is scarce: about 117 mm a year. Water for the farm will come from a borewell, well, tanker or municipal supply, so test its salts (EC) and hardness before choosing the system. Kalba sits about 30 m above sea level.[1] On the Köppen–Geiger climate map, Kalba falls in the hot desert zone (BWh).[3]

Kalba climate by month

MonthAvg high (°C)Avg low (°C)Humidity (%)Rain (mm)
Jan25.215.76222
Feb27.416.65811
Mar31.019.15220
Apr36.023.3426
May41.027.8343
Jun42.430.0409
Jul41.631.1475
Aug40.530.4507
Sep39.328.6495
Oct36.425.9492
Nov31.121.85512
Dec26.917.96115
Area averages (a grid cell of about 50 km) for 2001–2025, from NASA POWER, centred on Kalba, adjusted for the town's elevation[4]. Rainfall and night temperatures at your plot can differ, especially near hills and the coast.[2]

Advantages of protected cultivation in Kalba

  • Year-round crops

    A polyhouse stretches the season: in Kalba cucumber can be grown for about 9 months a year under cover, longer than in the open field.

  • Better yield and price

    Plants grow without rain, hail and wind damage, so yields are higher and more even, and clean, graded produce sells at a better price, especially off-season.

  • Less water

    With only about 117 mm of rain a year here, drip irrigation under cover saves water: less is lost to evaporation and run-off than in the open field.

  • Less pesticides

    Insect net on vents and doors keeps out most pests, so you spray less often.

Which polyhouse suits Kalba?

For polyhouse farming in Kalba, the structure decides which months you can crop and what it costs to run. The heat in Kalba comes with dry air. In May to September, average highs reach 42°C while average humidity is only about 44%. In that dry air, wet pads can bring a 42°C June afternoon down to roughly 33°C inside a Fan & Pad polyhouse, which keeps herbs and vine crops going; lettuce will still struggle in the hottest weeks. For vine crops such as capsicum and cucumber, a naturally ventilated polyhouse with a shade screen works from December to March and costs less to run.

Protected structures to compare

Sunlight peaks in June at about 7.3 kWh per m² a day, so add a shade screen for leafy greens in the brightest months. A nethouse, the lowest-cost option, can grow hardy crops in November to March, when it is mild and fairly dry.

Crops for Kalba

Based on Kalba's climate, the crops with the longest growing windows are cucumber (9 months), capsicum (7 months) and chilli pepper (7 months). Cucumber fits September to May with Fan & Pad cooling. Strawberry and lilium are hard to time here, so we would leave them out of the first season. These are the crops we would plan first for polyhouse farming in Kalba.

Months each crop suits in Kalba

CropNaturally ventilated polyhouseWith Fan & Pad cooling
CapsicumDec–MarOct–Apr
TomatoDec–MarNov–Apr
CucumberNov–MarSep–May
Chilli pepperNov–MarOct–Apr
BrinjalNov–MarOct–Apr
LettuceDec–FebNov–Apr
BroccoliDifficultJan–Feb
StrawberryDifficultDifficult
RoseDec–FebDec–Mar
GerberaDec–FebNov–Apr
CarnationDifficultJan–Feb
ChrysanthemumDec–FebDec–Mar
AnthuriumDec–FebOct–Apr
OrchidsDec–FebOct–Apr
LiliumDifficultJan–Feb
Kryzen planning estimate from the monthly averages above and each crop's usual day and night temperature range. Variety, soil or substrate temperature and shading change the result, so confirm with a trial.

Suggested crops for Kalba

Polyhouse farming in Kalba with Kryzen

Every project starts with your site data: plot size, water quality and the crops your buyers want. We review it with you online and prepare a project report before construction starts.

Towns near Kalba

We also plan and build farms in these towns near Kalba:

Sharjah

Check other locations in Sharjah

We have farm planning pages for 4 towns in Sharjah, each with its own climate, crops and market notes.

All Sharjah locations

Polyhouse farming in Kalba: FAQs

Can a polyhouse farm run all year in Kalba?

Yes, with the right structure. For Kalba we would plan a Fan & Pad polyhouse for leafy greens. Even then, lettuce is hard to grow in May to October, so plan another crop for those months.

Which polyhouse is best for Kalba?

With June highs of about 42°C and 40% average humidity in that month, we would start with a Fan & Pad polyhouse for leafy greens.

Which crops should I grow in a polyhouse in Kalba?

Going by the monthly climate, cucumber, capsicum and chilli pepper have the longest growing windows. Confirm prices and volumes with buyers before you plant.

Discuss your Kalba farm project

Share your plot location, water test and crop targets. We will suggest the right structure and growing system, and send an itemised quotation.

Sudhir Devkar

Sudhir Devkar

Founder & CEO, Kryzen Biotech

A computer engineer turned hydroponic farmer from a multigenerational farming family in Satara. Sudhir founded Kryzen in 2019, and the team has since built 350+ protected and hydroponic farms across India.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia · Kalba (opens in a new tab)
  2. NASA Langley Research Center · POWER Climatology API: long-term monthly averages (opens in a new tab)
  3. Rubel & Kottek, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna · World map of the Köppen–Geiger climate classification (opens in a new tab)
  4. Registry of Open Data on AWS · Terrain Tiles: global elevation data (opens in a new tab)