Gardens anyone?

[rgfixit]

Well, the little greenhouse is doing alright. I put a remote thermometer/hygrometer in it so I can watch the temps and humidity.



5 PM or so, actual outdoor temp was 40. I'm going to monitor it for a few days, watching the high and low temps each day. If it holds enough heat overnight, I'll dive into starting seeds. If it drops too low a night, I'll try a bit of heat and an additional cover of some sort.

I think it's on its way to being a seed starter.

Rg

[fishnmachine]

The sun is warm even though this mass of air over us isn't.  I'll be curious to see what you're predawn temp is too. I'd wager that once all that soil gets warm, it won't get down to 32° overnight. 

[rgfixit]

I'm hoping Bill. I was giving thought to some ice melter cable around the perimeter. I could hook up a line voltage thermostat to control it, but, I should probably just wait a week or so till the weather straightens out a bit.

Either way, I've been playing in the dirt👍

Rg

[Raquettedacker]

Thats over the top...     

[rgfixit]

The ice melter cable?

Rg

[Raquettedacker]

No I meant the whole build.
Its over the top....  
You could have salad greens growing in there now.......

[rgfixit]

I'm easing into it Dom. I'd love to see greens in December, or January. It's got possibilities.

Rg

[fishnmachine]

With some blue board on the sides, your melter cable, and a southern exposure  I think you could.
 

[boondox]

If you can get that type of heater?  what about a water bed mattres heater??  of even those heat stones for pet  lizards or even a heat lamp for farm animals LIke new born chickens and such?? Just some ideas..

[boondox]

Would some thing like this be cheaper??


https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/prima-heat-lamp


Set it on a timer to control temp??


Iguna heat matt.

https://www.chewy.com/zilla-heat-mats-reptile-terrarium/dp/129072?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=f&utm_content=Zilla&utm_term=&gclid=CjwKCAjwwbHWBRBWEiwAMIV7E3_SkQVjW9G0xwJIZ4t34hF4Mj65Szqq7Cb17OGFOWDP61XX76H0aBoCDMcQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

[big_guy_13021]

I need to find veggies that grow in the snow...

[rgfixit]

Thanks for the suggestions Boon, but I'm looking to heat the soil not the air, or possibly makes a heat platform to set the trays on. I ran across several designs that use incandescent rope light as a heat source. I can buy 24' for around $17 with my discount at Lowes. These were all used in a hot bed where the light string was mounted to foam board in channels and the trays set on top. An adjustable thermostat with a remote sensor runs about &12.

A 24' soil heating cable runs $50 or so with a thermostat that's built in line and not adjustable. I'm still comparing specs, wattage and $/ ft. You know me....I like to do my research.

Really I'd like to heat the soil and once sprouted in the plugs, transfer them to the soil to really get established prior to transplanting them.

Last night the temp in the bed went right down to ambient....23*. That ain't gonna work. Tonight I'm going to try covering the house with a tarp or something and see what happens.
Rg

[deerefishyfishy]

I'm easing into it Dom. I'd love to see greens in December, or January. It's got possibilities.

Rg

Entirely possible. Several years ago I experimented with a cold weather hoop house on one of our fields that we grow potatoes in over the summer. I planted spinach, arugula, kale, beets (for the greens), carrots, and radishes in the third week of August. When the nights started getting down near freezing I started using row covers overnight. In mid-September I used 20 foot lengths of 1 inch PVC pipe to make the hoops. I drove pieces of rebar 10 feet apart in a line down each side of my beds and stuck the ends of the pipe over them. For the end 2 hoops I used 1 1/2 inch pipe (that was a little harder to flex into the hoop shape). At each end I drove a big metal bar in at an outward angle away from the beds to tie the ends of the plastic off to. I took a fist sized rock and wrapped the end of the plastic around it then tied plastic baler twine around it and tied it down to the metal stake at each end. Last, I bent pieces of rebar into U shapes like big staples and drove them into the ground down both sides between each of the hoops and then I pulled pieces of plastic twine over top of the plastic from side to side and tied them tight between each pair of staples to hold the plastic down tight onto the hoops. On really warm, sunny days I would lift the plastic up half way down both sides for ventilation and then close them back down at night. The tension of the twine held the plastic up wherever I pulled it. I had fresh salad greens all winter until the end of February and some extra to sell in the farm store to boot. The best part is that the produce was all very sweet tasting because the plants produce extra sugars as their own type of natural antifreeze when grown in cold conditions like that. It was a fun experiment, but not long after that came children and other life happenings to occupy my time and it fell by the wayside.   

Not sure why, but I can't see any of the pics that are posted on here anymore (I can still see them on Shanty). Have fun with the little greenhouse RG!!

[rgfixit]

 Thanks Deerfishy. I do love my gardening and really good vegetables are a bonus. The little greenhouse stayed in the low 70's all day today.

I did quite a bit when I got home from "Work" today.

Turned in all the mulch I put on the beds last fall.








Cleaned up the plot on the south side of the house.



Transplanted a couple of volunteer crocus that appeared in the raised beds.


And reset the patio blocks where my friend Weber resides. Added some river pebbles around the border to make it easier to mow. I Wuv my Weber


I'm tired....and thirsty

Rg

[ActiveTrapChecker]

Nice work RG, enjoy your much deserved frosty beverage!