Anybody using mats to warm the soil during the growing season?

[Jared77]

For watermelons to keep the ground warmer during the season? Does it work? How far do you take it? What did you use? I've been reading up on it for watermelons (I swear I'm going to get some one of these years dang it) and then it got met thinking...."wonder if it would work for peppers?"

 

[catjac1975]

I have only heard of it being done in greenhouses.

 

[Smart Red]

I sort of did that one year.

I was going on a two week vacation and had some squash and pumpkin that I'd started in the kitchen in paper towels. I laid some black landscape fabric around a few holes I had dug, put the seeds in soil-filled paper cups in the middle of the fabric. When I returned from vacation the vines had done really well -- growing far longer, faster, and better than I'd ever seen them before.

Not exactly heat mats, but the black does heat the soil in the sun.

 

[thistlebloom]

Jared, I was tossing the idea around to use soil warming mulch next year. They make several kinds, plastic to paper. I would really love to have some home grown watermelon.
I like Reds method, landscape fabric breathes and can be reused for a lot of seasons. That's another option I'll mull over...

 

[catjac1975]

I would add to that a giant black rubber tub with the bottom cut out. Sort of a solar heated cheap raised bed. I have read where people stacked tires and filled them with soil.

 

[thistlebloom]

I would add to that a giant black rubber tub with the bottom cut out. Sort of a solar heated cheap raised bed. I have read where people stacked tires and filled them with soil.

That really is a good method Cat. I have big black nursery pots that held trees. This year I planted some tomatoes and peppers in them for my son to take home. They are still here. In his defense he's looking for a different place to rent...but those peppers and tomato plants are twice as big as all of my in the ground ones.

 

[Jared77]

Good to know, I've had enough problems trying to get a decent watermelon that I figured it might be worth a try. But then I read A TON and what seems to be a good idea in theory doesn't always pan out in practice. Thank you for the reply Red its encouraging.

 

[ninnymary]

Thistle, I think you may have found your way to how to grow tomatoes for your area. I wouldn't give them back even if he found a place today!

Mary

 

[OldGuy43]

Y'all are jokin', right? Here in Central Texas WARM is not the problem.

 

[bobm]

In areas with abuntant rainall .... MOLD is the problem !