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Posted: Oct/07/2006 4:57 PM PST
Something I have long been curious about, and simply don't understand is how those of you with greenhouses (of any type) grow things in winter. By winter I don't mean those of you living in zone 10 or warmer, but those of you with bone chillingly cold winters like me in Wisconsin. I understand that the green houses trap heat in the daytime, but do they really stay warm enough at night to start seeds of heat loving summer plants in January? Are you heating them with something? I have been considering various ideas, but I really need to get a realistic understanding of how temperatures are maintained warm enough when the outdoor temps are 0F or below. |
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Posted: Oct/07/2006 10:19 PM PST
I built a small one last year and use a waterbed heater in the bottom. [IMG]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a318/amigat ec/misc/Hotbox10.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a318/amigat ec/misc/Hotbox16.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a318/amigat ec/misc/Hotbox17.jpg[/IMG] Here is a closeup of the waterbed heater before I added the rest of the sand. [IMG]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a318/amigat ec/misc/Hotbox15.jpg[/IMG] |
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Posted: Oct/09/2006 7:50 PM PST
Quote: Originally posted by Amigatec I built a small one last year and use a waterbed heater in the bottom.Now that's creative. I like that idea. |
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Posted: Oct/09/2006 11:48 PM PST
It works really well for me. |
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Posted: Oct/10/2006 2:04 PM PST
Pretty interesting but do you have to babysit to make certain little seedlings dont get a draft? Those pics are from 2 different hot houses, which has the heater in it ? Greenhouses Im sure work differently,keeping heat in them must be a bit more work.I know that a cold frame will fluctuate 40 or more degrees in a 12 hour period. I do mini cold frames,I say cold frames because they are above ground level.I use the plastic storage boxes that are used inside the refrigerator and my temps are hard to keep leveled.Im hoping to try again this year using hay around all sides to see if I have better results with leveling the temps.I did succeed with this project but want to see if I can do veggies the same way I did perennials. I think as far as green houses it would depend on so many factors,location (zone) direction faceing (NSEW) along with size and materials used. Ventilation along with circulation will also play a big part in ones success. My2cents  Kale 
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Posted: Oct/11/2006 12:07 AM PST
This is the same mini greenhouse, in the first picture I had just finished it, and in the second picture I painted it white and added the sand and concrete blocks, and I added a border of treated 2X8's at the bottom. These pictures were taken a few weeks apart. Also the storm door I am using has a sliding glass panel in it. I also have a small electric heater mounted in it, the water bed heater is buried about 2" deep in the sand. I would like to add a Univent to it. I think I can cut a hole in the side and add it. [IMG]http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/mast ergardening_1915_55089607[/IMG] [URL="http://www.mastergardening.com/gnh-1145.html "]Juliana Univent Window Opener[/URL] Last winter it never dropped below 40* inside the box all winter. |
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Posted: Oct/11/2006 1:30 AM PST
Oh, didnt look like the same box. Made very well How heavy is the storm glass door,that window opener is kinda cool! I have 2 doors but they are too heavy for that opener,I did want to use the doors for a frame but dont have much time for planning and cutting the wood. maybe once the leaves are falling and I get bored I'll jump in to that project,just dont know what can hold my glass sliding doors up or on..it is a big project. Did you make your own templet/plan or was it a kit or just a plan? I think it is so pleasing to the eye and Im sure it works well with your heat not dropping below 40!That is really interesting! What do you do when it gets too hot inside or is it not an issue for what you are growing? BTW.. What are you growing in that cool frame?!! And is that an exhaust fan? I know I ask too many questions,but....Im curious Kale! Thanks for sharing!! Kale
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Posted: Oct/12/2006 12:16 AM PST
I don't have it in the pictures, but I have a rope tied to the fence that I hook onto the door to hold it open. I drew the plans myself using graph paper to make sure I had it drawn to scale, I have since made some computer drawings of it. [IMG]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a318/amigat ec/misc/HotBox-01-1.jpg[/IMG] Top and sizes. [IMG]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a318/amigat ec/misc/HotBox-02-1.jpg[/IMG] Back and Front. [IMG]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a318/amigat ec/misc/HotBox-03-1.jpg[/IMG] 3D View (This is not to scale, the other 2 are.) I had 2 sheets of plywood that had one end cut off a bit, but the drawing is for a full size sheet. I used the scrap for braces and a door stop to keep the door from falling all the way in. The little fan is a small heater I use to keep it from freezing. [IMG]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a318/amigat ec/misc/Hotbox01.jpg[/IMG] Here I started, [IMG]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a318/amigat ec/misc/Hotbox02.jpg[/IMG] First part done. [IMG]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a318/amigat ec/misc/Hotbox04.jpg[/IMG] Another view. [IMG]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a318/amigat ec/misc/Hotbox06.jpg[/IMG] Door added [IMG]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a318/amigat ec/misc/Hotbox-04.jpg[/IMG] Concrete blocks in place, I later removed the top rows, they were in the way. [IMG]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a318/amigat ec/misc/Hotbox08.jpg[/IMG] Ready for Sand. [IMG]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a318/amigat ec/misc/Hotbox14.jpg[/IMG] Closeup of the Heater control. You can also see the braces at the top and the door stop I added at the bottom. As far as the opener, the door is to haevy for it, but I can cut a hole in one side, add a couple of hinges, cut a bigger piece of plywood for the 'window', and it should work just fine. You can't see it but up in the top is a small thermometer with memory hanging from a nail, you do have to watch the temps close, and ajust the sliding glass window. If it's going to be cold at night I close it down, if it's going to warmer I open it a bit. I completed it in January, and used it some in the spring, so am still learning how to set it. |
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Posted: Nov/17/2006 7:51 PM PST
Without an added heating device greenhouses will get just as cold at night as it does outdoors, just without the wind chill. As soon as the sun drops the temperatures also begin to fall. In areas which receive little sunlight during the winter and a lot of cold, grey, cloudy days, there is not enough sunlight to adequately heat the greenhouse and still allow for minimum growth of say, annuals and vegetables. I manage to keep a 2500 square foot greenhouse heated using a wood burning stove I built from two 50 gallon drums and a Voglesang barrel kit. It is a bear though, because the stove needs wood added to it every 3 to 4 hours which affords me little sleep during the winter months. It would be MUCH easier heating with Gas heaters but also MUCH more costly. Another difficult thing to overcome during the winter months is proper ventilation, which is needed to bring fresh air in to the plants and reduce high humidity levels. |
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Posted: Dec/13/2006 6:38 PM PST
I am heating a 800 sq ft greenhouse with a woodburner and suppliment with gas and electric when temp drops below 20 degrees with wind. I also have a pond built from a cattle trough, rubbermaid, with water circulating by pump over rocks which provides humidity and appears to help with temp. I keep it between 50 and 60 degrees. The woodburner is one my husband constructed from heavy steel and holds really well. We did have to load it about 1am acouple of weeks ago when the temp dropped into single digits. I have a fan behind it to circulate air and a ceiling fan in the front section of the greenhouse to also help with circulation. This is the first year I have used wood. I was using gas exclusively...you all know what changed that! |
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