digitS'
Garden Master
My good south window in the house has just been changed and the finish on the sill has dried so the plants were moved back in and the greenhouse furnace turned off last night. I am able to fit 12 containers with seedlings on that window sill and a table, inches away. With only 7 containers so far (5 more on top the fridge and more to be started any day), I've got a few more days that the seedlings can stay indoors before I run out of room. That will save me a little $$.
Okay, the weather has been real nice lately. It was 30 outdoors at 7:30am with a lovely blue sky. With no furnace on, it was 36 inside the greenhouse.
Last night, I closed things down about 4pm when I brought the seedlings in. Outdoors, the temperature was over 50 and the temperature in the greenhouse was nearly 80. Fifteen hours later, the temperature had fallen - a lot.
My 9' by 20' greenhouse is really a "sunshed" -- it has a cedar sided, framed and insulated north wall and roof. The angle of the south wall is really best for January sun rather than March sun but it's doing fine right now. The interior of the north wall is foil-covered insulation board. My thought was to maximize light thru the winter rather than retain heat. There is a concrete foundation but the floor is dirt.
Commercial greenhouses are often kept at 60F overnight and that is where I set my thermostat when I have the furnace running. Certainly, plants may not die at lower temperatures but too cold and too great a fluctuation between day and night temperatures can interfere greatly with growth.
There you have it: The greenhouse is only 6 above outdoor temperatures after just over, 12 hours of night-time darkness.
Steve
Okay, the weather has been real nice lately. It was 30 outdoors at 7:30am with a lovely blue sky. With no furnace on, it was 36 inside the greenhouse.
Last night, I closed things down about 4pm when I brought the seedlings in. Outdoors, the temperature was over 50 and the temperature in the greenhouse was nearly 80. Fifteen hours later, the temperature had fallen - a lot.
My 9' by 20' greenhouse is really a "sunshed" -- it has a cedar sided, framed and insulated north wall and roof. The angle of the south wall is really best for January sun rather than March sun but it's doing fine right now. The interior of the north wall is foil-covered insulation board. My thought was to maximize light thru the winter rather than retain heat. There is a concrete foundation but the floor is dirt.
Commercial greenhouses are often kept at 60F overnight and that is where I set my thermostat when I have the furnace running. Certainly, plants may not die at lower temperatures but too cold and too great a fluctuation between day and night temperatures can interfere greatly with growth.
There you have it: The greenhouse is only 6 above outdoor temperatures after just over, 12 hours of night-time darkness.
Steve