Hot Boxes?

[kbarrett]

Hi,

Does anybody use hotboxes to start their flowers/ veggies? A friend of mine used to have one and I came across a free crate the other day. For some reason I decided to try to make my own hotbox. I plan on picking up a sheet of plexi glass to cover it. I'm thinking I'll be filling it with individual starter pots instead of filling with soil. Any advice ?
Thanks!

 

[nightshade]

soil would be better because it would be warmer then the individual pots. You may also want to think about using a double pane window instead of a piece of pexi. It also will retain heat better thus making it work better. Make sure you put a layer of rock in the bottom if you full it with dirt for proper drainage. Hope this helps

 

[patandchickens]

Do you mean a coldframe, or do you mean a box heated by electric cables/mats, or do you mean a box heated by decomposing manure (which is what 'hotbox' means to me)? Sorry to be dense,

Pat

 

[kbarrett]

soil would be better because it would be warmer then the individual pots. You may also want to think about using a double pane window instead of a piece of pexi. It also will retain heat better thus making it work better. Make sure you put a layer of rock in the bottom if you full it with dirt for proper drainage. Hope this helps

Thanks for the tips!

 

[kbarrett]

Do you mean a coldframe, or do you mean a box heated by electric cables/mats, or do you mean a box heated by decomposing manure (which is what 'hotbox' means to me)? Sorry to be dense,

Pat

I don't think you're the one being dense here lol. I didn't even know there were so many options. The hotboxes I've seen were actual boxes, above or in the ground, covered with glass and open to the southern sky to trap & retain heat. Horse manure goes around anything I plant..one thing I always have an abundance of lol.

 

[patandchickens]

The hotboxes I've seen were actual boxes, above or in the ground, covered with glass and open to the southern sky to trap & retain heat.

So you are talking about an unheated box, with probably a slightly sloped top that is made of glass (e.g. an old storm window), and on warm days you partially open, or totally remove, the lid to keep the plants from overheating? Do I have that right?

If so, I think you will find them more commonly called a "cold frame", perverse as it may sound My advice would be to make sure it is reasonably mouseproof if you have mouse/vole problems; put as much thermal mass inside as you can fit (crushed gravel, old chunks o' concrete, bricks, cement blocks, etc, underneath and between and around the plants) to minimize temperature swings, and be REALLY PARANOID about leaving it alone (closed) in the middle of the day til you have enough experience with it to be able to guess whether it'll overheat and fry your plants Actually, an auto opener is a pretty smart investment, you can get 'em for like $40 or so. Will open/close at a preset temperature to reduce (not eliminate entirely) chances of frying or freezing your plants.

Good luck,

Pat