Whats the best way to generate heat?

[frontiergirl53]

The lowest temperature tonight will be 54 degrees! Love that I can grow all year round, and yes, I rub it in northerners faces

 

[so lucky]

@majorcatfish, your garden must be in a wind-protected area. I had to use much more extensive means of securing the plastic and agribond on the bottom edges because the wind is so bad here. And, we live on a ridge, of sorts, so the north and west wind really blows hard. I buried the agribon, on the west side, and then when I put the plastic over the top, I used concrete blocks to hold it down. Well, at least it has worked so far.

 

[Smiles Jr.]

A couple thoughts:

I had hoops over some raised beds and for three years I tried to cover them with plastic. The wind played havoc with the plastic and I had to keep a close eye on them all the time. Lots of work and time involved.

Then if we had a bright sunny winter day the plants inside would get too hot and wilt. Many died. I had to keep an eye on things all the time. Not much fun.

It was fun the first year. It was just OK the second year. And became a big pain in the you-know-what the third year. To me, gardening shouldn't always be that demanding.

 

[digitS']

Yesterday, it was 57°. Highly unusual weather as a normal high this time of year is 32°. Yes, that would be the afternoon high. I'm a little uncomfortable thinking that we are so close to records.

A couple weeks ago, the afternoon high was not reaching 32° but the days were bright and sunny despite 24 hours of freezing.

There are Asian greens growing on the floor of my unheated greenhouse. I'm concerned about the long hours of darkness and the cold. Daytime, the heat would build in there like crazy .

What to do?? Open vents and allow sub-freezing air to blow in? No.

Yesterday, there was rain in the morning but heavy clouds all day. I checked the greenhouse. If it was April and there were bedding plant starts in there, the furnace would have been running aaalll day!!

So, it's 57° in the afternoon under clouds and the heat would have been on. Or, it's a 32° afternoon and I'm thinking how in Blue Sky Heavens am I gonna cool these plants down??!

Steve

 

[majorcatfish]

@majorcatfish, your garden must be in a wind-protected area. I had to use much more extensive means of securing the plastic and agribond on the bottom edges because the wind is so bad here. And, we live on a ridge, of sorts, so the north and west wind really blows hard. I buried the agribon, on the west side, and then when I put the plastic over the top, I used concrete blocks to hold it down. Well, at least it has worked so far.

@so lucky we get wind the other night it was gusting 35 and so far no problems but again this is my first year trying this .
one side of the plastic is doubled up and just stapled into the wood and the other side is held down with the old blackberry posts and the ends are held down with cinder blocks. imho you do not want the wind to find a way into the tunnel so it balloons out and also have something heavy enough to hold down the otherside.
@Smiles Jr. said it was hard to regulate the temp inside during the day and causing the inside to get to hot.
if the going to be temps above 40* at night i just leave them uncovered, anything below that will cover them, as to regulate the temp all i do is uncover one cinder block and pull back the plastic before heading to work in the morning, so that way there is a little air flow inside and close it back up when i get home. of course there are some variables you have to consider clear or cloudy skies.etc
heres what i have done.

you can see the posts to either side of the tunnels thats for when i have it beds uncovered, will put those posts on the plastic to hold it down in case there is wind.so far my redneck engineering degree has come in handy..

 

[TheSeedObsesser]

A mixture of horse manure and green matter like hay or vines, put in a cold frame or bed with row cover heats things up very well.

 

[Smart Red]

The lowest temperature tonight will be 54 degrees! Love that I can grow all year round, and yes, I rub it in northerners faces

Awe, darn it!

Just as I was beginning to like you,@frontiergirls53, you have to join the malcontents on here who brag loudly now and cower under shelter near their baked gardens come June. Don't let those few rabble rousers deter you from having consideration for us Yankees.

 

[journey11]

@so lucky we get wind the other night it was gusting 35 and so far no problems but again this is my first year trying this .
one side of the plastic is doubled up and just stapled into the wood and the other side is held down with the old blackberry posts and the ends are held down with cinder blocks. imho you do not want the wind to find a way into the tunnel so it balloons out and also have something heavy enough to hold down the otherside.
@Smiles Jr. said it was hard to regulate the temp inside during the day and causing the inside to get to hot.
if the going to be temps above 40* at night i just leave them uncovered, anything below that will cover them, as to regulate the temp all i do is uncover one cinder block and pull back the plastic before heading to work in the morning, so that way there is a little air flow inside and close it back up when i get home. of course there are some variables you have to consider clear or cloudy skies.etc
heres what i have done.
View attachment 5531
you can see the posts to either side of the tunnels thats for when i have it beds uncovered, will put those posts on the plastic to hold it down in case there is wind.so far my redneck engineering degree has come in handy..

I've done this successfully too, overwintering spinach, lettuce, etc. without any additional heat into February here. @frontiergirl53 , I didn't note your hardiness zone, but I think you could probably go all winter with this method. Mine made it through with night averaging in the 30s (sometimes lower) with days in the 50s. What are the coldest night temps you would expect in your area?

 

[majorcatfish]

I for one would never brag about picking and eating fresh tasty vegetables in the middle of december..
facts are facts @Smart Red here in the south by june we have 1/3 of our canning done and eating fresh tasty vegetables out of our gardens.
while you northerns are still waiting for the permafrost to melt so you don't break the tines on your tillers..
you do have a good point about the shelter, who wants their beer to get warm while watering....
oh that reminds me need to walk out to the garden and pick some
bok choy
green onions
spinach
carrots
beet greens

 

[digitS']

@majorcatfish , your family may not be north of the Mason-Dixon there at Lake Tahoe ..

. depending on which end of the lake they are living on ..

. but, at 6,000 feet their conditions aren't much different from those of us up near the permafrost. I have access to the Lake Tahoe phone directory if you make too much trouble for us ... unless you also post pictures of your garden and harvests. Then, any accompanying noise will just blow past about rooftop level .

Steve