❤I love my greenhouse! I have 3 greenstalks in it filled with herbs and strawberries that are still producing harvests. I water twice a week, as needed, but in the spring I move my seedlings started in the house out there for a month before putting in the outside garden beds. My husband thought it would stop the forest of tomato plants in the house, but actually it just creates more space to start the next round of seeds indoors. 😊
I’ve never had a greenhouse. I have wanted one for several years, but you’ve opened my eyes to whether a greenhouse would be something that would do what I want or not. Now I need to rethink things.
Appreciate your most recent greenhouse video. I too have been on a big learning curve learning about greenhouses. I also have a Planta greenhouse, and was completely spoiled by my husband, who not only built my 26 ft dream-come-true greenhouse, but also installed heaters/fans. I live in CO as well, at 7600 ft. The fans/heaters certainly help with temp regulation, but it still can get pretty toasty and cold on our extreme temp days/nights. Of course, we literally pay the price for higher electric bills! But I'm learning some of the very same methods you use, Scott, to control the temps and airflow (shade cloth, gravel floor, air ventilation). This winter we put the same insulation panels that you have in your greenhouse. We put it on the north side, and it's making a difference for sure. I frequently wet is down the gravel floor on warm to hot, dry days. In addition to extending my growing season, I'm able to grow considerably more veggies that are protected from small critters and larger animals (deer, elk, bears etc). My kale and winter variety lettuces are growing really well and it's fun to grow something in winter! Another greenhouse benefit and money and timer saver is that I can overwinter the majority of my perennial and even some annual planters/pots that I just didn't have space to do so before my greenhouse. I so agree that having a greenhouse is also FUN! It's my favorite place to be, especially when the weather is cold and snowy. Having a hot cup of tea, surrounded by my plants, writing, or reading...my greenhouse sanctuary. 🥰
I built a greenhouse house 1-1/2 ago. Very new to this, and I am learning a lot. My friends and family bring over there plants so I can keep them alive all winter. That is one thing I didn’t anticipate. 😮
Great observations! - 100% agree! My greenhouse changed the air flow in my garden and helps with a cold spot I have - it's now made a lovely microclimate that 's increased the growing season around it!
4th year with my green house and still love it. Growing zone 4b South Dakota prairie can get super cold and super hot. I have a double plastic layer hoop style after researching this style with its pillow action let’s the wind roll over it. The pillow action also holds up to hail. Shade cloth is my summer friend and I put in 2 solar fans in the peak to circulate the air year round. I use it as a season extender, seedling hardening off and cool season crops in the fall. Nothing like sitting in the greenhouse in the winter soaking up the sun.
I love your Planta GH and set up! Been following this build and appreciate the update. We live within an HOA and can't have a GH, just a shed so we maxxed it out within the covenants, even with a loft for extra storage. 2 cold frames and 6 mil domes over our tall raised beds extend our growing possibilities somewhat. But rather than continue to long for our own GH, I realized how much I appreciate the winter break from gardening. Finished covering our lawn furniture and adding alfalfa pellets to slowly break down (along with leaves and compost) in our raised beds. Now I am FREE to dream until January! The energy goes towards natural Christmas decor and indoor projects. Thank you Scott for your inspiration and information. Master Gardeners and true garden warriors never really stop thinking about or gardens, even in winter. I think I hear the stack of seed catalogs calling my name. They seem to arrive earlier every year don't they? Godspeed sir, :J
I agree, I only wish I had built my greenhouse sooner. Great video with all the key points of my learning as well. I love being able to go out to the greenhouse on winter days and putter around with all the plants I'm overwintering there. That is an additional point-- I now have plants I wouldn't have (like a lemon tree) without my greenhouse to overwinter. I do heat it, but only to keep it above 40F.
I have door envy. Despite all my modifications, my greenhouse still gets too hot on some summer days and a second door would probably be sufficient to fix the issue. If I get another greenhouse in the future, I'm going to make certain it either has a second door or twice as many vents as industry standard.
My hoop greenhouse got as hot as 124° this summer. I ordered a solar powered fan and use shade cloths to cool it since a plastic hoop greenhouse doesn't have upper vents
I've been thinking of getting a greenhouse. I think, I'm going to get a tiny one to use for seedlings or a couple of potted tomatoes. One that can sit on my patio.
I agree. Ours is well worth the cost. We heated ours till last weekend, never letting it get below 55°F. And yes on warm sunny winter days, we use it for a “cocktail lounge” and a place to soak up the sun during the long winters here.
I love my greenhouse. It means I can grow organic fruit and veg without cutting down our many walnut trees and with property that is heavily wooded to the east and south. I situated it so the doors open to the east and west to get a nice cross breeze.
I has a small Harbor Freight greenhouse in Puget Sound Region of Washington state... I spent a year (Covid year) sleeping in a reclining chair in the greenhouse with the cherry tomatoes that I pushed into February... lower light levels got to them, the small greenhouse had a 400 watt heater with a thermostat on it set to keep it about 58°F in winter months, with layers it was comfortable for sleeping in it. If it felt colder I also had 300 and 500 watt heaters I could turn on. Puget Sound Region is usually in the 40's most of the fall, winter, and spring, parts of the the summer the vents were open to keep temperatures closer to outside temperatures... occasionally with USB fans blowing the hot air out the vents. I was growing the tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets on a paver floor on the south side of the greenhouse... I have high open shelves on the south side above the tomatoes the grew herbs and in modest sized pots... the tomatoes had drip irrigation system set up for non freezing weather... the herbs I used a drip irrigation hose with a small shut off on a separate line instead of a watering can. It was an interesting experience to spend a year in the greenhouse... night noises were in your ears better than in the house. I have more I want to develop in the greenhouse... the automatic timer on the drip irrigation system worked well... freezing weather that had to be removed from freezing... but one can set up a double quick connection to make that easy.
Looking to put a GH on the back of my house. I’m putting a trout tank in the back. As a water source, recycle the waste out of it by watering the plants with it and as a heat bank, regulating the temperature… Wish me luck! 😊 I like your shows, very informative.
I love my Planta Greenhouse! It's December and I'm still harvesting from my honeybee cherry tomato. I have 3 trash cans full of water & 3 wood chip compost bins. Remote Temp gauge is awesome - my 20 X 10 Sungrow greenhouse is usually 5 -10 degrees warmer than outside temps. I have 2 small containers of compost tea going at all times that I water my plants from in winter months. Mine is on a cement pad & I use earth boxes and homemade earth boxes. I have beet, chard, and perpetual spinach all year long. I also grow Egyptian onions growing in pots that I trim for onion greens all year. Potatoes are also still green and growing. Peas love climbing up the greenhouse now and in springtime, shading the greenhouse. I have two solar fans that run automatically anytime there's enough sun. With the two open containers of water/ compost tea ready to use the greenhouse does get humid - the fans & 2 automatic windows help with this. This is my 2nd year with this greenhouse - I love it in winter too - reading & tea listening to rain or the silence of snow.
I wish someone had told me how hot it was going to get. I put a water barrel beside it to collect water from the greenhouse roof. The addition of a solar drip irrigation system fed from the water barrel made my tomatoes much happier. I’ve a few 4” pots in mine with perennial seeds- Lupin, Delphinium, Foxglove as well as some cold hardy annuals- calendula and scabiosa. I’m also overwintering self sown scabiosa that I wasn’t sure would make it through winter without my help. I do harden off my seeds in spring but still end up carrying them outside during the day when the heat just gets too high even with door and vents open.
This year was my first year growing in my Planta greenhouse. I purchased a shade cloth and installed it on the outside. It was rated to about 75% shade which may have been too much but it seemed to work. My pepper plants really did not start to take off until late summer. I run a long extension cord and ran a box fan daily. I too have a Greenstalk with strawberries and hope they do better next year. I am doing an experiment with my Listhianthus plants. I uprooted them and planted them in one of my raised beds in the greenhouse. So far they are doing fine and have great roots. Since they are a cool season flower I will transplant them back outside in the spring. I also experimented with growing lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, and cilantro from seed for the winter. My Romain lettuce and cilantro are coming along slowly. The Swiss chard and spinach not doing well but I do have a few sprouts. And I am with you about hanging out in the greenhouse during the winter. It is so nice and warm.
Up here in Oregon, we get a lot of rain and not many sunny days from October to April, so I'm finding that water barrels just don't charge up very much for passive heating. What I'm trying to do this year is a hotbed in our little 6x8 hobby greenhouse. I built a box about 3'x2.5'x6' and filled it to the bring with about 70% fresh wood chips, and the remainder clean horse manure, kitchen scraps and clipping from our garden. It has only been in place a couple weeks, but so far it has kept the greenhouse out of several hard freezes we have had. The lowest it has gotten outside is about 27°, but inside it has been 33 and above. The real test will be next month though. Last January we got down to 15° outside, and I know that after several weeks, composting activity does start to slow down. But I have been collecting coffee grounds and kitchen scraps to top off the box as time goes on. I'm excited to see if the experiment pays off. I have seen others in colder zones than ours able to grow in their greenhouses with this method, although their greenhouses were much more advanced than ours.
I always love your videos. I have lettuce, kale and chard growing under double cover ( row cover ) in the greenhouse. It really doesn’t do much now. The plants survive but don’t really grow much. But it gives me a big start in early March when the days get longer.
Zone 9b CA and growing season is so long already. But I've always dreamed of a cute Hartley-like greenhouse. But cost is a huge factor and utility here would be low, probably. All your points def convince me to keep the greenhouse idea on the back burner. Thanks for this post!
Don’t leave seed starting trays and humid ones in the greenhouse over the summer, they can melt. You can reduce heat during the summer by covering the greenhouse with shade cloth.
This will be my 3rd winter with a greenhouse of a little larger, but similar shape to yours in the higher elevations of Arizona (now Zone 7b). I keep a small greenhouse heater in it, set so that the temperature will not drop below freezing. I packed bubble wrap around the base on the inside, to reduce drafts at ground level. Squirrels keep messing up the bubble wrap, so I'm not sure how effective it is. The greenhouse has two automatically opening vents, and a fan system which runs on solar panel. I use 40% shade cloth on the outside of the greenhouse in winter, and 70% in summer, although as my dwarf lemon and lime trees grow larger, that may change. I have an aquaponics system in the greenhouse, which circulates approximately 500 gallons of water. Honestly, I'm not sure it's worth the space. Plants seem to prefer soil, and the fish are, so far, disappointing. I may eventually replace it with plain barrels of water. At the moment, my greenhouse is packed with blooming geraniums, aloe vera, ginger, cabbage, tomatoes, and some sort of vine with big red trumpet shaped flowers. The warmth, humidity, and colors seem other-worldly when there is snow on the ground outside. The humidity stays high, probably because of the open tanks of the aquaponics. I am going to try composting chicken manure in the greenhouse to see how it affects the overall temperature.
You'll get better temperature control by using shade cloth on the outside. More effective in keeping the extra heat out. Maybe you put it inside because of the wind?.
I think the way we intend to use a greenhouse and climate is important in deciding if and how to heat it. CO is extremely low humidity compared to most so I suspect it’s why things dried out quickly. My redo will use polycarbonate panels and I use shade cloth in summer on the outside. Some say it can scratch polycarb but we secure it tight. I was in the process of redoing leanto GH and adding heat sink to floor and insulating north shed wall. I got it dug down and was racing against freezing weather, then we had to replace the truck🙄. I didn’t get supplies and it is now frozen, but Hey, found a heck of a great truck!😅. And that isn’t an easy task! I just need some tubing and gather rock unless I just use gravel. The problem I wonder is if rock with air space would be better than solid gravel-probably, but I don’t want snakes or rodents setting up house. Later I plan to use some type of stone/brick on north wall or just make a covered plexiglass black box with tubing running through that and solar fan to circulate air to stone below. It won’t be perfect like piping dug 6’ down like heat pump, but it should help. If I can just make it a bit better than the last one it will be worth it. I’ve had other thoughts also, but snow sliding off and asparagus too close is the problem. Was thinking of creating a separate box all along the bottom front and paint it with dark background and run tubing through that. It is extremely warm in front of a greenhouse. It could also be a nice cold frame. However that snow can pile up and the only way to get around that is a plywood slide and shoveling.🥵. Such dilemmas us cold weather people face. My main goal is to improve heating in spring, curing harvest in fall and hanging out 😊 gotta have some sun between those cloudy long winter days. It’s just too warm and messy inside for seedlings and more light in GH could save more money and grow stalkier plants by using grow lights less. Did your water barrels freeze solid? I think they would here in WI. Edit: After relistening I have wondered about how hot it could get and then if we have to ventilate then we are losing heat for the heat sink. I’m not sure how to get around that besides my last idea about a closed box in front of GH.
@@GardenerScottthat’s good to know, thx. I was editing my comment when you sent message. It’s the venting when too hot that confuses me because I would want to pump that heat to sink below. So the barrels helped a bit then?
If the temperature gets cold at night in your greenhouse, and not during the day then surely you must see a problem like I do. What I would do if I had my own property with a greenhouse is maybe try to germinate during the day inside of the greenhouse since you said nothing about the day being cold, and prevent the heat from escaping at night. Your greenhouse allows heat to escape, and I think what you are allowing to happen is good, and bad. What I do not know is if you are entering your greenhouse at night, so if you are going inside of your greenhouse at night then you would be allowing heat to escape. Therefore making it colder inside of your greenhouse at night! How your greenhouse was built might another problem. Because the structure allows heat to escape in different ways. What you should try to remember is your greenhouse has a door for you to go inside, and outside of your greenhouse. You could just leave your door open when it gets hot inside of your greenhouse for ventilation, but before it starts getting colder outside to make sure enough heat is trapped inside of your greenhouse, so I think you should monitor, and experiment with temperature. I can understand someone not trying to germinate if it is cold during the day, and night in a greenhouse, but it does not sound like you have this problem to me.
Gardener Scott - have you ever done a video on cold frames? I'm thinking of adding some but some tips on building them, if you have any, would be helpful!
Do you place the shade cloth inside the greenhouse in summer as well? It seems like it would be more effective over the top (outside) in the hot season, to reduce the heat entering the structure...
Yes, the shade cloth is primarily for summer and covers more of the walls. I just pull up the sides in winter. The windows and excessive wind in my region make outside covering a challenge.
Wow, that's shocking how hot your greenhouse gets this time of year. Mine barely gets more than 8 degrees warmer than outside, and typically gets so cold at night that my thermometer can't read it. ☹️
I can't speak for Gardener Scott, but I use solar panels to run fans and also run the pump for my hydroponics setup. Unfortunately, my heater draws too much power for my solar. Of course, it's most needed at night, when the panels aren't gathering energy, and it drains the batteries in no time. Next time I clean out my henhouse, I am going to put the chicken manure and pine shavings into a 20 gallon planter and compost it in the greenhouse. I think that the compost will provide quite a bit of heat in the winter.
USB fans will use about 1-3 watts and some solar panels have direct to USB power ports... so by putting a small portable solar panel on a roof, or just inside near a vent and directing the USB fan(s) out of the vent... sun light hits panel and powers fan(s)... easy to test. A panel might power a couple USB fans with a splitter cable.
I had tested wattage of USB fans on my Goal Zero power station, that reads out watt draw... and hooked a couple fans to a modest sized solar panel directly.
@@heidijasper5915 I'm not sure if it would work but you can put a durable netting on top of your shade cloth. That secures your shade cloth so wind can't damage the shade cloth.
❤I love my greenhouse! I have 3 greenstalks in it filled with herbs and strawberries that are still producing harvests. I water twice a week, as needed, but in the spring I move my seedlings started in the house out there for a month before putting in the outside garden beds. My husband thought it would stop the forest of tomato plants in the house, but actually it just creates more space to start the next round of seeds indoors. 😊
I love my greenhouse here in Texas near Dallas. My hubby built a She Shed Seed Shed connected to greenhouse. Its temp controlled by a mini split
They are such handy structures in the garden
I’ve never had a greenhouse. I have wanted one for several years, but you’ve opened my eyes to whether a greenhouse would be something that would do what I want or not. Now I need to rethink things.
Appreciate your most recent greenhouse video. I too have been on a big learning curve learning about greenhouses. I also have a Planta greenhouse, and was completely spoiled by my husband, who not only built my 26 ft dream-come-true greenhouse, but also installed heaters/fans. I live in CO as well, at 7600 ft. The fans/heaters certainly help with temp regulation, but it still can get pretty toasty and cold on our extreme temp days/nights. Of course, we literally pay the price for higher electric bills! But I'm learning some of the very same methods you use, Scott, to control the temps and airflow (shade cloth, gravel floor, air ventilation). This winter we put the same insulation panels that you have in your greenhouse. We put it on the north side, and it's making a difference for sure. I frequently wet is down the gravel floor on warm to hot, dry days. In addition to extending my growing season, I'm able to grow considerably more veggies that are protected from small critters and larger animals (deer, elk, bears etc). My kale and winter variety lettuces are growing really well and it's fun to grow something in winter! Another greenhouse benefit and money and timer saver is that I can overwinter the majority of my perennial and even some annual planters/pots that I just didn't have space to do so before my greenhouse.
I so agree that having a greenhouse is also FUN! It's my favorite place to be, especially when the weather is cold and snowy. Having a hot cup of tea, surrounded by my plants, writing, or reading...my greenhouse sanctuary. 🥰
I’m definitely applying some of these lessons to my own gardening setup! Thank you for sharing your expertise! 💚
I built a greenhouse house 1-1/2 ago. Very new to this, and I am learning a lot. My friends and family bring over there plants so I can keep them alive all winter. That is one thing I didn’t anticipate. 😮
🤓
😂
Great observations! - 100% agree! My greenhouse changed the air flow in my garden and helps with a cold spot I have - it's now made a lovely microclimate that 's increased the growing season around it!
Such a useful video, there is so much to learn and having a current greenhouse user giving details of their experience is so useful
4th year with my green house and still love it. Growing zone 4b South Dakota prairie can get super cold and super hot. I have a double plastic layer hoop style after researching this style with its pillow action let’s the wind roll over it. The pillow action also holds up to hail. Shade cloth is my summer friend and I put in 2 solar fans in the peak to circulate the air year round. I use it as a season extender, seedling hardening off and cool season crops in the fall. Nothing like sitting in the greenhouse in the winter soaking up the sun.
I love your Planta GH and set up! Been following this build and appreciate the update. We live within an HOA and can't have a GH, just a shed so we maxxed it out within the covenants, even with a loft for extra storage. 2 cold frames and 6 mil domes over our tall raised beds extend our growing possibilities somewhat.
But rather than continue to long for our own GH, I realized how much I appreciate the winter break from gardening. Finished covering our lawn furniture and adding alfalfa pellets to slowly break down (along with leaves and compost) in our raised beds. Now I am FREE to dream until January! The energy goes towards natural Christmas decor and indoor projects.
Thank you Scott for your inspiration and information. Master Gardeners and true garden warriors never really stop thinking about or gardens, even in winter. I think I hear the stack of seed catalogs calling my name. They seem to arrive earlier every year don't they?
Godspeed sir, :J
Thanks. I wonder if seed catalogs can ever be too early. I know I miss them when the last one arrives.
I agree, I only wish I had built my greenhouse sooner. Great video with all the key points of my learning as well. I love being able to go out to the greenhouse on winter days and putter around with all the plants I'm overwintering there. That is an additional point-- I now have plants I wouldn't have (like a lemon tree) without my greenhouse to overwinter. I do heat it, but only to keep it above 40F.
I have door envy. Despite all my modifications, my greenhouse still gets too hot on some summer days and a second door would probably be sufficient to fix the issue.
If I get another greenhouse in the future, I'm going to make certain it either has a second door or twice as many vents as industry standard.
My hoop greenhouse got as hot as 124° this summer. I ordered a solar powered fan and use shade cloths to cool it since a plastic hoop greenhouse doesn't have upper vents
I've been thinking of getting a greenhouse. I think, I'm going to get a tiny one to use for seedlings or a couple of potted tomatoes. One that can sit on my patio.
I agree. Ours is well worth the cost. We heated ours till last weekend, never letting it get below 55°F. And yes on warm sunny winter days, we use it for a “cocktail lounge” and a place to soak up the sun during the long winters here.
I love my greenhouse. It means I can grow organic fruit and veg without cutting down our many walnut trees and with property that is heavily wooded to the east and south.
I situated it so the doors open to the east and west to get a nice cross breeze.
I has a small Harbor Freight greenhouse in Puget Sound Region of Washington state... I spent a year (Covid year) sleeping in a reclining chair in the greenhouse with the cherry tomatoes that I pushed into February... lower light levels got to them, the small greenhouse had a 400 watt heater with a thermostat on it set to keep it about 58°F in winter months, with layers it was comfortable for sleeping in it. If it felt colder I also had 300 and 500 watt heaters I could turn on. Puget Sound Region is usually in the 40's most of the fall, winter, and spring, parts of the the summer the vents were open to keep temperatures closer to outside temperatures... occasionally with USB fans blowing the hot air out the vents. I was growing the tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets on a paver floor on the south side of the greenhouse... I have high open shelves on the south side above the tomatoes the grew herbs and in modest sized pots... the tomatoes had drip irrigation system set up for non freezing weather... the herbs I used a drip irrigation hose with a small shut off on a separate line instead of a watering can. It was an interesting experience to spend a year in the greenhouse... night noises were in your ears better than in the house. I have more I want to develop in the greenhouse... the automatic timer on the drip irrigation system worked well... freezing weather that had to be removed from freezing... but one can set up a double quick connection to make that easy.
I love my Planta 10x26 greenhouse! We are heating it, though. It has made winter much more bearable.
Thank you for sharing! I love going into my greenhouse even during the winter .
Looking to put a GH on the back of my house. I’m putting a trout tank in the back. As a water source, recycle the waste out of it by watering the plants with it and as a heat bank, regulating the temperature… Wish me luck! 😊 I like your shows, very informative.
Good luck. It should work well. I did that in my big greenhouse, using the water from the fish tank for the plants.
I love my Planta Greenhouse! It's December and I'm still harvesting from my honeybee cherry tomato. I have 3 trash cans full of water & 3 wood chip compost bins. Remote Temp gauge is awesome - my 20 X 10 Sungrow greenhouse is usually 5 -10 degrees warmer than outside temps. I have 2 small containers of compost tea going at all times that I water my plants from in winter months. Mine is on a cement pad & I use earth boxes and homemade earth boxes. I have beet, chard, and perpetual spinach all year long. I also grow Egyptian onions growing in pots that I trim for onion greens all year. Potatoes are also still green and growing. Peas love climbing up the greenhouse now and in springtime, shading the greenhouse. I have two solar fans that run automatically anytime there's enough sun. With the two open containers of water/ compost tea ready to use the greenhouse does get humid - the fans & 2 automatic windows help with this. This is my 2nd year with this greenhouse - I love it in winter too - reading & tea listening to rain or the silence of snow.
I plan to add solar fans next year. They can make a big difference.
I wish someone had told me how hot it was going to get. I put a water barrel beside it to collect water from the greenhouse roof. The addition of a solar drip irrigation system fed from the water barrel made my tomatoes much happier. I’ve a few 4” pots in mine with perennial seeds- Lupin, Delphinium, Foxglove as well as some cold hardy annuals- calendula and scabiosa. I’m also overwintering self sown scabiosa that I wasn’t sure would make it through winter without my help. I do harden off my seeds in spring but still end up carrying them outside during the day when the heat just gets too high even with door and vents open.
This year was my first year growing in my Planta greenhouse. I purchased a shade cloth and installed it on the outside. It was rated to about 75% shade which may have been too much but it seemed to work. My pepper plants really did not start to take off until late summer. I run a long extension cord and ran a box fan daily. I too have a Greenstalk with strawberries and hope they do better next year. I am doing an experiment with my Listhianthus plants. I uprooted them and planted them in one of my raised beds in the greenhouse. So far they are doing fine and have great roots. Since they are a cool season flower I will transplant them back outside in the spring. I also experimented with growing lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, and cilantro from seed for the winter. My Romain lettuce and cilantro are coming along slowly. The Swiss chard and spinach not doing well but I do have a few sprouts. And I am with you about hanging out in the greenhouse during the winter. It is so nice and warm.
Up here in Oregon, we get a lot of rain and not many sunny days from October to April, so I'm finding that water barrels just don't charge up very much for passive heating. What I'm trying to do this year is a hotbed in our little 6x8 hobby greenhouse. I built a box about 3'x2.5'x6' and filled it to the bring with about 70% fresh wood chips, and the remainder clean horse manure, kitchen scraps and clipping from our garden. It has only been in place a couple weeks, but so far it has kept the greenhouse out of several hard freezes we have had. The lowest it has gotten outside is about 27°, but inside it has been 33 and above. The real test will be next month though. Last January we got down to 15° outside, and I know that after several weeks, composting activity does start to slow down. But I have been collecting coffee grounds and kitchen scraps to top off the box as time goes on. I'm excited to see if the experiment pays off. I have seen others in colder zones than ours able to grow in their greenhouses with this method, although their greenhouses were much more advanced than ours.
So very interesting and much useful information for those of us who are building our first green house. Thank you!
Smartest decision i ever made was my hoop house. I grow kale and radishes year round
What a great video on how you enjoy your greenhouse. I have been considering getting one but have been hesitant.
My southwest Florida greenhouse is open for use fall til mid spring and storage the rest of the year.
Scott- You are the man sir. Thanks for sharing…
Very good tips. Cheers, Scott!
I always love your videos. I have lettuce, kale and chard growing under double cover ( row cover ) in the greenhouse. It really doesn’t do much now. The plants survive but don’t really grow much. But it gives me a big start in early March when the days get longer.
Thanks, Karen! The early start makes it worthwhile.
Zone 9b CA and growing season is so long already. But I've always dreamed of a cute Hartley-like greenhouse. But cost is a huge factor and utility here would be low, probably.
All your points def convince me to keep the greenhouse idea on the back burner. Thanks for this post!
Great information and thank you for sharing Scott. Best wishes, Jason from Melbourne Australia.
Thanks for sharing!
Great video!
I have a 5m2 in summer even with dorr and roff hat open it gets over 40c
Don’t leave seed starting trays and humid ones in the greenhouse over the summer, they can melt. You can reduce heat during the summer by covering the greenhouse with shade cloth.
You're right. I've had trays melt.
This will be my 3rd winter with a greenhouse of a little larger, but similar shape to yours in the higher elevations of Arizona (now Zone 7b). I keep a small greenhouse heater in it, set so that the temperature will not drop below freezing. I packed bubble wrap around the base on the inside, to reduce drafts at ground level. Squirrels keep messing up the bubble wrap, so I'm not sure how effective it is. The greenhouse has two automatically opening vents, and a fan system which runs on solar panel. I use 40% shade cloth on the outside of the greenhouse in winter, and 70% in summer, although as my dwarf lemon and lime trees grow larger, that may change. I have an aquaponics system in the greenhouse, which circulates approximately 500 gallons of water. Honestly, I'm not sure it's worth the space. Plants seem to prefer soil, and the fish are, so far, disappointing. I may eventually replace it with plain barrels of water. At the moment, my greenhouse is packed with blooming geraniums, aloe vera, ginger, cabbage, tomatoes, and some sort of vine with big red trumpet shaped flowers. The warmth, humidity, and colors seem other-worldly when there is snow on the ground outside. The humidity stays high, probably because of the open tanks of the aquaponics. I am going to try composting chicken manure in the greenhouse to see how it affects the overall temperature.
You'll get better temperature control by using shade cloth on the outside. More effective in keeping the extra heat out. Maybe you put it inside because of the wind?.
Yes. I often have winds that exceed 50mph.
You could paint it with gypsum from the outside
Xin chào bạn 👋👋lời chào từ Việt Nam 🇻🇳🇻🇳 tuyệt vời quá 😍
I think the way we intend to use a greenhouse and climate is important in deciding if and how to heat it.
CO is extremely low humidity compared to most so I suspect it’s why things dried out quickly. My redo will use polycarbonate panels and I use shade cloth in summer on the outside. Some say it can scratch polycarb but we secure it tight.
I was in the process of redoing leanto GH and adding heat sink to floor and insulating north shed wall. I got it dug down and was racing against freezing weather, then we had to replace the truck🙄. I didn’t get supplies and it is now frozen, but Hey, found a heck of a great truck!😅. And that isn’t an easy task! I just need some tubing and gather rock unless I just use gravel. The problem I wonder is if rock with air space would be better than solid gravel-probably, but I don’t want snakes or rodents setting up house. Later I plan to use some type of stone/brick on north wall or just make a covered plexiglass black box with tubing running through that and solar fan to circulate air to stone below.
It won’t be perfect like piping dug 6’ down like heat pump, but it should help. If I can just make it a bit better than the last one it will be worth it.
I’ve had other thoughts also, but snow sliding off and asparagus too close is the problem. Was thinking of creating a separate box all along the bottom front and paint it with dark background and run tubing through that. It is extremely warm in front of a greenhouse. It could also be a nice cold frame. However that snow can pile up and the only way to get around that is a plywood slide and shoveling.🥵. Such dilemmas us cold weather people face.
My main goal is to improve heating in spring, curing harvest in fall and hanging out 😊 gotta have some sun between those cloudy long winter days. It’s just too warm and messy inside for seedlings and more light in GH could save more money and grow stalkier plants by using grow lights less.
Did your water barrels freeze solid? I think they would here in WI.
Edit: After relistening I have wondered about how hot it could get and then if we have to ventilate then we are losing heat for the heat sink. I’m not sure how to get around that besides my last idea about a closed box in front of GH.
My barrels didn't freeze at all, with outside temps down to -15F. The gallon jugs got a thin layer of ice at night but it melted during the day.
@@GardenerScottthat’s good to know, thx. I was editing my comment when you sent message. It’s the venting when too hot that confuses me because I would want to pump that heat to sink below.
So the barrels helped a bit then?
The barrels absorbed much of the heat during the day and acted to help cool the greenhouse a bit.
If the temperature gets cold at night in your greenhouse, and not during the day then surely you must see a problem like I do.
What I would do if I had my own property with a greenhouse is maybe try to germinate during the day inside of the greenhouse since you said nothing about the day being cold, and prevent the heat from escaping at night. Your greenhouse allows heat to escape, and I think what you are allowing to happen is good, and bad.
What I do not know is if you are entering your greenhouse at night, so if you are going inside of your greenhouse at night then you would be allowing heat to escape. Therefore making it colder inside of your greenhouse at night! How your greenhouse was built might another problem. Because the structure allows heat to escape in different ways. What you should try to remember is your greenhouse has a door for you to go inside, and outside of your greenhouse. You could just leave your door open when it gets hot inside of your greenhouse for ventilation, but before it starts getting colder outside to make sure enough heat is trapped inside of your greenhouse, so I think you should monitor, and experiment with temperature.
I can understand someone not trying to germinate if it is cold during the day, and night in a greenhouse, but it does not sound like you have this problem to me.
Gardener Scott - have you ever done a video on cold frames? I'm thinking of adding some but some tips on building them, if you have any, would be helpful!
I haven't yet. It's been on my list for years.
Do you place the shade cloth inside the greenhouse in summer as well? It seems like it would be more effective over the top (outside) in the hot season, to reduce the heat entering the structure...
Yes, the shade cloth is primarily for summer and covers more of the walls. I just pull up the sides in winter. The windows and excessive wind in my region make outside covering a challenge.
Mine was more efficient over the top, but wind storms and hot sun baking it, shredded it to pieces.
Wow, that's shocking how hot your greenhouse gets this time of year. Mine barely gets more than 8 degrees warmer than outside, and typically gets so cold at night that my thermometer can't read it. ☹️
👍👍👍👍👍
Have you given any thought to adding a couple of solar panels and using those to power a small fan and heater?
I can't speak for Gardener Scott, but I use solar panels to run fans and also run the pump for my hydroponics setup. Unfortunately, my heater draws too much power for my solar. Of course, it's most needed at night, when the panels aren't gathering energy, and it drains the batteries in no time. Next time I clean out my henhouse, I am going to put the chicken manure and pine shavings into a 20 gallon planter and compost it in the greenhouse. I think that the compost will provide quite a bit of heat in the winter.
USB fans will use about 1-3 watts and some solar panels have direct to USB power ports... so by putting a small portable solar panel on a roof, or just inside near a vent and directing the USB fan(s) out of the vent... sun light hits panel and powers fan(s)... easy to test. A panel might power a couple USB fans with a splitter cable.
I have thought of that and hope to do it next year.
I had tested wattage of USB fans on my Goal Zero power station, that reads out watt draw... and hooked a couple fans to a modest sized solar panel directly.
Why don't you put your shade cloth over the greenhouse? It should be much better in that way.
With the opening vents and winds that regularly exceed 50mph, it would quickly be torn on the outside.
@@GardenerScott thanks for the reply. In that case, a reflective shade cloth might be a better option.
I put mine over the top and it cooled it a lot more, but the hot sun and high winds tore it to shreds by August when I REALLY needed it.
@@heidijasper5915 I'm not sure if it would work but you can put a durable netting on top of your shade cloth. That secures your shade cloth so wind can't damage the shade cloth.
@@karasu6541 I might give that a try since I don't have vents in the roof area.