How to heat a green small greenhouse.

[Dirtmechanic]

I wasn’t able to find the label. And if I’m perfectly honest I’m simply not comfortable giving out my address to someone I haven’t met in person. This isn’t anything personal so please don’t take it that way. I’ve simply had some bad experiences in the past. I really appreciate all the help though!

No problem. I have a tint store in Hoover if you want to pick some up sometime.

 

[catjac1975]

I’m looking at purchasing a small relatively cheap greenhouse. Most likely with plastic sides. 10x10 or smaller But I need a way to heat it. I’ll need to keep it 60-70 degrees. Could I use one of the heat lamps I used for my chicks to keep it warm at night?
I’m starting my transplants in it so it only needs heated a few months a year. The rest of the winter I’ll leave it unheated.

Depends on how it holds heat and how cold it gets.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

Depends on how it holds heat and how cold it gets.

I’ll have a week or two to figure all of that out. I’ll be surprised if it gets below 25 after this week for the temps.

 

[catjac1975]

I’ll have a week or two to figure all of that out. I’ll be surprised if it gets below 25 after this week for the temps.

How do you plan to hold it down from the wind? I would think heat loss would be where it meets the ground. Maybe surround the bottom with straw bales. They should last quite a few seasons.

 

[catjac1975]

I just had an old memory from a few years back regarding someone on TEG building a greenhouse and showed it step by step. Does anyone remember and know where to find it?I would love e to see it again.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

How do you plan to hold it down from the wind? I would think heat loss would be where it meets the ground. Maybe surround the bottom with straw bales. They should last quite a few seasons.

It does come with supplies to tie it down but I do plan on putting bricks or cinder blocks around the sides too. I might change to straw-bales since and use them for mulch later though. I don’t plan on leaving it up during the summer because I won’t be using it and I’d have to worry about I taking off or getting damaged by storms.

 

[valley ranch]

Well if it, the Greenhouse, was a bit bigger and solid ~ I'd say get a used Pellet Stove, hard vent it ~ but a somewhat Wee Plastic one I would section it off with plastic on top and wall board (draywall) on the sides and use a small electric heater set on wallboard base and blowing on Precast Concrete blocks you can set the temp and check it to often at first to see if you need to raise or lower the heat setting ( support the plastic well so it doesn't sag )~ if it works out well, mention my name when next time you talk to the Lord ```


By the way I've done this ~ so it does work ~ you know to put a thermometer at the level you have the plants, you can also put a heater pad ~ like they heat containers that reptiles are living in, at least at first until the seed sprout ~ You can do this, I know you can ```

 

[digitS']

My 180 square foot sunshed is heated by a natural gas, ceiling-mounted heater. These are heaters commonly used in garages. The heater is over 20 years old and has suffered from being in that greenhouse through changes each of those years. A couple of years ago, the repair guy said that it should be replaced rather than repaired with replacement parts. However, the heater has worked quite well since he said that.

It has been repaired a few times but I have no idea if it will work in 2021. I suppose that the real problem for it is that it only runs for 8 or 10 weeks, each year. The last few years, I have backup, electric heaters in there and they would do the job, if necessary. I would really rather not heat with electricity, too expensive. I'd really rather not replace the gas heater, too expensive!

I can "get by" well enough with 2 bathroom, electric heaters - each burning about 1000 watts of power. Artichoke Lover, knowing your heat lamp requirements should give you some idea on that. I imagine that when you are trying to protect plant starts over several weeks, outdoor temperatures will not be all that different from most locations. After all, those plants will soon be in the outdoors. Your outdoors, my outdoors, @flowerbug 's outdoors, @Marie2020 's outdoors - regardless. Similar plants have similar temperature tolerances. Even if you go with only one heat source, a backup is a good idea. (Also, a remote thermometer makes life easier.)

Steve

 

[Artichoke Lover]

My 180 square foot sunshed is heated by a natural gas, ceiling-mounted heater. These are heaters commonly used in garages. The heater is over 20 years old and has suffered from being in that greenhouse through changes each of those years. A couple of years ago, the repair guy said that it should be replaced rather than repaired with replacement parts. However, the heater has worked quite well since he said that.

It has been repaired a few times but I have no idea if it will work in 2021. I suppose that the real problem for it is that it only runs for 8 or 10 weeks, each year. The last few years, I have backup, electric heaters in there and they would do the job, if necessary. I would really rather not heat with electricity, too expensive. I'd really rather not replace the gas heater, too expensive!

I can "get by" well enough with 2 bathroom, electric heaters - each burning about 1000 watts of power. Artichoke Lover, knowing your heat lamp requirements should give you some idea on that. I imagine that when you are trying to protect plant starts over several weeks, outdoor temperatures will not be all that different from most locations. After all, those plants will soon be in the outdoors. Your outdoors, my outdoors, @flowerbug 's outdoors, @Marie2020 's outdoors - regardless. Similar plants have similar temperature tolerances. Even if you go with only one heat source, a backup is a good idea. (Also, a remote thermometer makes life easier.)

Steve

I should have remote thermometer with an alarm on it somewhere. The heat lamps are pretty high powered. Our brooder is in the shed and we actually had to be really careful not to over heat the brooder. If I have to I do have a bathroom heater and I can put out there I just don’t want to give it up for a month or 2

 

[digitS']

Check your wattage on the brooder light.

When I used one - really, not that long ago - I remember having problems with the temperature in the box with the chicks. (I wonder what I did with that thing .) Anyway, the last few times that I have bought chicks from the feedstore - I found out about their last deliveries from the hatchery. Then, I put a nice little set-up ... in the greenhouse! By the time that their later shipments came in, the greenhouse was warming nicely through the days. I set up a "fake hen" in the box . It was a board covered in shag carpeting with very short legs attached. It sat on a nice warm blanket. The chicks could crawl under the board, which they did! Between the shag carpeting and the blanket they kept themselves warm .

@catjac1975 , I looked back in this subforum 5 years but realized I could just do a search for "building greenhouse" . Here is the one I was thinking of: Feb 28, 2012

Steve