Greenhouse helps... Please anyone..

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sunflower3

Member
Hubby built me a greenhouse last summer for selling plants, I live in NY and there is a cold front coming, i just put plants and seed trays in the green house, which we just put a heater in with a fan, is 60 * enough to keep the plants from dying and will the seeds grow. Also I am thinking of covering them with old sheets and blankets at night is this a good idea to help keep them warm and from freezing. This is all new to me, so any help would be great, thanks sunflower3/karen.
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Staff member
If you keep them at 60 degrees, they aren't going to freeze. The greenhouse itself is a cover and you shouldn't have to cover them any more than that. I have my greenhouse set at 55 degrees and I have never had damage from freezing weather. It got below freezing last night, I think. But it's no big deal.
 

sunflower3

Member
thanks, with this all being new it makes me nervous. I grow the plants to sell for extra money, and if i lose them then i lose money. guess i'll keep the fan on and see how it goes. they are at 60 now, were waiting on the thermostat i order and then it can go off and on by itself and i won't have to check it every few hours.
 

plantlover

New Member
Don't cover them...You want the light from the sun -- even if it's cloudy, to come through because that provides additional heat. You might want to invest in an automated thermostat -- or automated controls for your lights and for your heat.
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Staff member
What kind of a thermostat did you order? I know Honeywell makes a thermostat that isn't very pretty but it was designed for farm use on line voltage (120V) applications. There are also thermostats for baseboard electric heaters (240V) applications. I have my thermostat set for 55 degrees and when I stepped into the greenhouse today, it wa 85 degrees. It has been pretty cloudy today, but there were some breaks in the clouds and all it takes is for the sun to come out for a few minutes and that thing heats up in a hurry. It is also set with a separate thermostat to automatically vent when it gets over 85 degrees. The vent opens with a motor and the exhaust fan pulls outside air in.
 

gonepostal

New Member
Hubby built me a greenhouse last summer for selling plants, I live in NY and there is a cold front coming, i just put plants and seed trays in the green house, which we just put a heater in with a fan, is 60 * enough to keep the plants from dying and will the seeds grow. Also I am thinking of covering them with old sheets and blankets at night is this a good idea to help keep them warm and from freezing. This is all new to me, so any help would be great, thanks sunflower3/karen.

Sunflower--60* is enough to keep them from dying--but dont know if they will grow very fast. And I dont know if the seeds will germinate .I think your plants should do ok as long as they have plenty of heat (not too hot! lol)and sunlight during the day-----but the seeds you might want to keep a little warmer till they germinate.
Make sure the heat circulates to all your plants--the ones right next to the "walls" of your greenhouse might get a little more "chilled"
 

sunflower3

Member
This is the thermostat we ordered ;
Sunlight Supply Cooling Thermostat Fan Control

Easy to use - plug fan into control receptacle, then plug control into 120 volt power supply. Set thermostat to a temperature you want the fan to come on at and that`s it.


also it is just 2 layers of greenhouse plastic, and as gonepostal said it is the ones by the walls I wonder about so I pulled them in a little to keep them warmer, without the heater yesterday it stayed 60 in there and it was raining and cloudy here, but it got to 29 at night so the heat ran all night. i will check the plants when I can see to walk out there to dark right now,
 

sfishergirl

New Member
my greenhouse is in my dining room but it is full of tropicals BUT my nephew built a greenhouse a few years ago and started his seeds in it in February with no heat and he had wonderful plants. His greenhouse was a simple wood frame covered in window plastic. He had trouble with the temps being too high and had to put in a window and a fan. We are 100 miles North of you I think you will be fine as long as nothing is right next to the walls. I had a gardenia in the laundry too close to the wall and it got frostburn this winter in the house
 

Treva

Member
Hi
I keep my greenhouse at 50 degrees at night, and all of my plants did wonderful this winter!
My seeds though, I have inside under lights and some on heat, I move them out once they have established.
It has been almost 80 here the past couple of days so my plants are getting 90 degrees daytime in the greenhouse!
And they are lovin it!:D
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Staff member
I have four of those heat pads under the seed flats to help in germiation. I moved the broccoli and B. Sprouts off the heat yesterday and put one of my pepper flats on the pad. As each one shows plants, I will take the pads away. I have foam insulation under the flats/pads too, so I don't lose any heat toward the floor or bench.
 

sunflower3

Member
I 'm liking all these little helps from you all, thanks for the help. so all my plants look ok just the running in and out to keep the heat going is a pain, till i get the thermostat.
 

richnkim

New Member
I guess this would be the right place to post this.

I know that this is going to sound funny,don't laugh to hard! I don't have a green house but I wanted to start some seeds. I bought some peat pellets,and soaked them. My little green houses are a plastic pie container, and two strawberry containers. They have lids and the strawberry containers have holes in them. We are getting very warm and sunny here, so I thought that it would work to hold them until they get going.

I am recycleing! :) :)
 

Bernie

New Member
Kim I'm not laughing. I'm big into recycling. Those containers that you get roasted chicken in are great too.
 

richnkim

New Member
Kim I'm not laughing. I'm big into recycling. Those containers that you get roasted chicken in are great too.

Thanks, Bernie. I don't have a lot of room or money. The weather is getting warmer here and I thought that they might just work. I have to get some more pots anyway to put them in once they are ready to transplant. I started some bush beans and some bell peppers in the pie container. I have room to transplant those in the boxes I have. In the strawberry containers I started some chives, purple basil, and some Portulaca'sI've never seen them before. I just thought they were a pretty flower. The package says to start them indoors and they can be transplanted into containers. :):)
 

Mainegal

Super Moderator
Staff member
When we have had cakes at work, I have saved the plastic containers they come in to use as mini greenhouses to start my seeds in
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Staff member
I don't think anybody is laughing, Miss Kim. Sounds like you are using your head. That sounds like a pretty good idea to me.
 

richnkim

New Member
Thanks to everyone for the support. I am so glad that Spider_Lily invited me here! There are people out there that truely are great!! Somtimes I think my ideas are silly but I get the support from all of my friends. The ladies that were her tonight thought it was a good idea too!

My husband gets tickled at me! He loves me!! :)
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Staff member
That's the way it should be. My wife gets tickled at me too. I tease her a lot too though. She just rolls her eyes at me when I tell people that we have been married for 853 years. It's actually only 53 years, but it seems like forever. I have no regrets.
 

sunflower3

Member
I use soda bottles to make green house. I cut off the bottom, that goes under my 4 inch pot for watering and the top goes on top of the planter, it works great.

How about packing peanuts in the bottom of a planter, put them in a mesh bag and put in pot then add dirt and plants, this give drainage room and saves on dirt as well, make the planter lighter and not like those heavy ones you can't lift. when you empty the planter just wash the bag of peanuts under the hose and hang up to dry off for next year.
 

richnkim

New Member
I use soda bottles to make green house. I cut off the bottom, that goes under my 4 inch pot for watering and the top goes on top of the planter, it works great.

How about packing peanuts in the bottom of a planter, put them in a mesh bag and put in pot then add dirt and plants, this give drainage room and saves on dirt as well, make the planter lighter and not like those heavy ones you can't lift. when you empty the planter just wash the bag of peanuts under the hose and hang up to dry off for next year.
I like the idea of the mesh bag. I think I will try it.
 


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