I have constructed compost bins in the greenhouse. The rotting compost warms up during the seasons. Pots and boxes of plantlets on top of the compost - free heat, plus potting compost at the end of winter. I'm 78, my dad taught me this when I was a kid, goodness knows how old the idea is.

Thank you for this video. I do appreciate the celsius temperature on the screen. Being in Canada, it helped me get right to the point. I want to build a greenhouse next year. Excellent job

I have a greenhouse up at 8600 feet in the foothills. I had to give up on peppers and tomatoes a while ago, but I am still successfully growing and harvesting bok Choi and lettuces- its given me a wonderful fall season of growing

awesome content, one thing I did was use Aquarium heaters in my 50gal drums of water to help with overcast days and colder nights. I managed to grow good number of things last winter in Colorado with minimal increase on electric bill :)

@kevintheweedman

8 ай бұрын

I was thinking about doing the same thing. And if it gets extremely cold, put a heater in there.

Such a great way to heat. I have 2 1000 Litre IBC containers of water in my tunnels and they are really helping the heat remain through the night. Great video mate and such a good thing to pass on to others

Perhaps you could add a temperature probe and logger to the water in one of the barrels and then track the temperature change over time

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for the suggestion. I've thought of doing that as part of my next heat experiment.

In Spk.,Wa. Want a green house & I’m going to do it after new camper going to re do old camper so love these green house shows!!✅✌️❤️🙏🌍🌈😎

Great video. I use a small heater below 40 in my greenhouse on very cold nights, and I may add some black water jugs. I don't have the option of pavers or gravel, but I imagine just the jugs will help some. I also have incandescent Christmas lights -- they put of a pretty good amount of heat too.

I just wish my greenhouse was big enough to have space for water tanks instead of more tomatoes, i hve instead sealed it to the neighbour's wall to increase the thermal mass, i will see how it fares this winter

This was very interesting. We dont get cold like that here in Melbourne. That said i overwinter my capsicums outside with no protection and some of the varieties fruit during winter. Coldest we get is -2C maybe once or twice, and -1C a few more times. Average maybe 4 to 5 at night and 10 during the day in the depths of winter. I have seen people use aquarium heaters..... and compost piles

We get snow before Holloween now! We did the last two so cold now Spring Windy up to 50 gusts and Hail Z& thunder big drops pushing camper around!

Paint your bench top black. Also, wind would make a big difference. Wind with cool temps can cool the greenhouse down as much or more than low temps with no wind.

@marsilt

7 ай бұрын

also pavement is relatively light. But it would be fun walking on it in hot summer day :D

I've been building a sunken cold weather greenhouse in my zone 5B climate the past few months. I will have one wall of 16mm triple wall poly carbonate sheeting at a 38.8 degree angle facing south, with the rest being solid insulated walls. The sunken part is only dug down 24 inches, but I poured footers and laid 8inch concrete block. I plan to add the back wall lined with 55gallon barrels of water, have a compost pile for the winter months, and experiment with building a passive water heater with a solar powered pump to warm the barrels during the day. The other key will be having foam bubble insulation to roll down to cover the polycarbonate wall at night when it gets down to the single digits or negatives. I do have power and will have a heater for those double digit negatives.

@WYO_Dirtbag

8 ай бұрын

The greenhouse is 10x20. I'm also wanting to make expirement with circulating the warm water heated by passive water heaters though pipes in the soil in the raised beds. Get the soil itself to also hold heat. I did put foam insulation around the block to try and also keep the frost from creeping through when we hit the severe cold. But I am hoping for year around gardening in this thing. Along with the heat, the other issue becomes the lack of daylight in the dead of winter. I think I'll have no other option but to use grow lights if I want to try growing tomatoes and cucumbers. Otherwise growing greens like kale would be a safe option for the dead of winter.

Ohhhh just what I needed, I'm jumping right into it! ❤

Great info, thanks. Also good to know my region isn't the only one getting unseasonably early cold in a longer stretch than usual.

I use an aquarium heater in my water container and it usually keeps it above freezing in my small mini greenhouse. They are usually between 25watt and 100 watt so use minmum electricity. As my greenhouse is so small I only use a 25w one and it seems to do the job. I am in SE of UK so temp in winter is rarely less than minus 5 C.

Fascinating video Scott. Great sharing and thank you. Jason from Melbourne Australia.

I want to get a greenhouse but I want to be able to heat it through the winter so I can grow in it all year. I will have to do two different heating systems. I will have a a passive system but then for those cold stretches, I will have an active heater.

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

That is a good approach.

Great video! Glad you have your greenhouse to enjoy year round gardening. Even at 16 degrees outside and windy. Super setup!

Very informative experiment! It’s amazing how good passive heating works!

Gardener Scott: This is completely off-topic, but I wanted to get this message to you. I watched a couple of your leaf mulch videos and loved them. I discovered something amazing today and wanted to share this Good News. In April this year (2023) I tried an experiment. I put a shallow square bottomless wood frame on the ground. The frame is about a foot high. I filled it with leaves and watered it in. Then I put down thick black plastic that I cut holes into for drainage. I put soil on top of the plastic, filling the square frame, and planted onions. After harvesting the onions today, I removed the soil, lifted the black plastic and discovered rich, fully broken down leaf mulch. Not a sign of any unbroken-down leaves. Just that rich black gold! I was astonished at how quickly The Lord created that mulch, and wanted to share this idea with you and others. God is good and He gives us the best ideas!

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

That's a great way to get that black gold.

This was great to see, it’s amazing the difference your barrels made!

I use black IBC- Containers in my greenhouse. When you buy used ones (food proof) that's not so expensive. They do a great job. But I have additional insulated the north-wall and parts of the east and the west-wall with reflective bubblefoil. When we did that last winter, we felt an immediate improvement.

Just the right video for me here in southern Sweden. I'm doing the same experiment, with one small greenhouse in the middle of a lawn, and another small mounted to my house facade. Both facing South. We've had a couple of nights just below zero Celsius, but with black buckets I've manage to keep every plant alive so far. And, of course, the plants I grow in there are sturdy against the cold. Fun projekt 🙂

excellent! buffering the cold by passive heat

Cool videos, Scott! I've been watching all your greenhouse videos and I love how you give all this information about the temperatures inside and outside. Love your water battery design!

Thank you, scot, for a great video. Very informative a d gqve me many ideas growing in winter

I had this idea and had to look up if it worked. I’m planning on a mushroom enclosure indoors and I have my pepper garden greenhoused, but couldn’t get any heat retention. Thank you for the video!

Black is Back!✅❤️✌️🙏🌍🌈😎🥸🦋🫶

Good job anyway the freezing weather goes 🙏✅✌️❤️

Thank you for this educational video. We are in the process of putting up our greenhouse in the next two weeks. We are in Texas so our weather isn’t quite as cold over long periods of time. However, on the days and nights that we do dip below freezing, this thermal energy source will be very useful.

This is a very informative video and shows the power of the thermal mass for heat storage. For me, I've run electricity to my greenhouse so I can couple supplimental electric heat to deal with the extended cold periods. I am learning a lot fhis first winter with my greenhouse. We had some very unusual cold early this year, too. Our first frost came almost 3 weeks early and we dropped to 24F in October-- unheard of historically. So, keep sharing your experiments and I'll learn from you in parallel to my own data. Thanks!

you can also put a platic bin over your plants to make a greenhouse in a greenhouse but it not enough light but still good for salad and spinach

We just put up a Planta 10x26 Sungrow this year. Heating has been a challenge during the unseasonably long cold spell in my Ohio Zone 6b region. This year I hope to incorporate as much passive form of heat production as I can, in addition to natural gas, which is very economical in our rural area. Our water table is a bit too high for typical geothermal solutions, but we are exploring alternatives. Thanks for the insight!

I have a small greenhouse with tubs of water and for summer run duct tube 3" into te tub to transfer summer heat from roof area into it. When it freezes in Canada keeping the water from icing is trick. May need car diesel heater or solar 12v powered 100w heater for 4 weeks on 2-3 sealed 100ah batts..

Scott, thrilled for you that you've been able to find out the capacity of your water heat source. If you don't already have it in your library, you may enjoy a book titled the Year-Round Solar Greenhouse by Schiller and Plinke. fwiw, inexpensive little hot-oil heaters that don't take much electricity would probably run off a solar panel even with low solar gain to extend the season a fraction more.

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

Thanks! I don't have that book but will look into it. I will be experimenting with some candle heaters and similar methods.

@SherryEllesson

7 ай бұрын

@@GardenerScott Oil lamps burning odor-free liquid paraffin generate quite a bit of heat.

Excellent video, as usual. This was perfect for me as we bought a greenhouse last spring and it just sat there because the people that bought it did not research how to keep it going without heat....now I know what to tell them. I wonder if the plants need to be in ground vs in pots though. Thank you!

Very interesting! I live in Skien in Norway which is in the same zone, but not as cold just now. Only -2C now. I guess it would be possible to extend my growing period by 1 month by insulating the outside with some thin insulation during the night. My compost is still running at 70C, so it would be possible to exchange some heat from the compost. It depends how long this cold period will last. If less than 5 days I guess it could be possible to keep the plants alive during the first cold period.

This is great info..

I put a heavy black canvas on the north wall of my greenhouse. However, I do run an extension cord for a 250w brooder lamp for heat.

Scott i used Charles Dowdings hotbed method inside my greenhouse and it works well. By doing this Im also making compost plus heating the greenhouse at the same time.

Scott, great video and excellent insights. Interested to know what your plan is for the water barrels over winter. I too live in an area with extreme winters (Souther Ontario, Canada), and am curious if you will drain the barrels completely and refill in spring, partially drain, or feel the volumne of water will take too long to actually freeze that it'll be ok in the greenhouse over winter. Thanks again for the content.

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

Thanks! I'm planning to continue monitoring with the barrels and jugs filled. Because it takes so much energy to freeze water, I'm not too worried. In a previous greenhouse, a 1500-gallon open tank never iced over even when the air temperature was below freezing.

nice vid glad i discovered yor channel thz

I have a 12x7 foot homemade cattle panels greenhouse. I installed two 55 gallon barrels of water, painted black like yours. It does work. I mess with solar panels some and considered installing a couple of 12 volt heating elements into my barrels, hooking each of them up to a 100 watt solar panel. It would heat the water even hotter during the day. I wouldn’t use them in summer because they wouldn’t be needed then. Only early or late in the year. Thanks for ur video 👍🏻

Hey Scott- I love your content. I have a green house, a outbuilding type with clear corrugated plastic for the roof and upper walls. This is my first winter with it. I’m thinking of adding a “layer” of thick mil clear plastic on the inside to possibly trap some air between the plastic and the structure. To be able to reuse it, hopefully, I’m planning on lining the edges of all the plastic with tape, and then will tape up the plastic sheeting. If that doesn’t work I’m going to staple it on. We will see if it works!

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

Thanks! Adding a layer of plastic can trap air and be a better insulator. Good luck.

i would love to see more videos about your greenhouse over the winter GS. i too have a Sungrow, which i am still modifying and tinkering with in order to make it warmer over the winter, like by building cold frames inside.

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

I am planning on at least one GH video during the winter, maybe more.

You have great hair for an old bloke, I have an ever diminishing mop, but my beard is much fuller and browner than yours, would trade it for the mop though. Lucky bugger. Love the metric conversions, makes watching the vids even better, thanks Scott.

Probably has been said, but whatever areas do not receive much of any winter sun is a good place to use that foil bubble wrap stuff to insulate and reflect heat back in. Also drape another layer of plastic or even again that foil stuff on the gable ends, these doors certainly are not all that airtight.

Maybe your should install a mini wood burner. As long as you are using external air for combustion it will only add heat to the small space.

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

My next experiment will include simple heating like that.

Thanks for the video. Appreciated. Been using many of your ideas in my 12x16 Cattle Panel greenhouse design. Am about 4 weeks into the job. At the point of putting up the plastic...when Wisconsin threw a few inches of snow at me...smiles. Anyway...supposed to be in the 60's next week. Work is coming along well. I plan to post work-in-progress photos on my business website when I am done. I will give you a link when it's done. And the way I like to build things...there has not been a lot of cost/benefit analysis going on here...smiles. I'm a Master Gardener, 73, and always wanted a greenhouse. Bout time, eh? About heating...I like the passive methods you used. Might do the gravel and paver thing. I don't know if I want to give up the space the barrels take. Question is...for those days when the passive can't carry the heating load...what do you do? I have seen some growers who recommend the Mr. Heater tank-top propane heaters to supplement their greenhouse heat. Jeez...on Amazon they are only $35. Hard to beat that price and I have relied on Mr. Heater equipment in the past with no issues. Anyway...that's my Plan A.

@GardenerScott

2 ай бұрын

I don't' have supplemental heat in the greenhouse so on days when the passive heat can't carry the load, it gets cold in the greenhouse. After a season of documenting the temperature changes without heat, next year I'll experiment with easy heating. Something like Mr. Heater may be on the agenda.

@jerrydeanswanson79

2 ай бұрын

One of my goals is to have a better permanent home for my 41-year old Hibiscus tree. It has had a flat-top for many years, as I needed to limit its height, so I could drag it through the patio door twice a year...smiles. And we have a couple nice Figs that would also approve of a better environment. @@GardenerScott

Thanks so much for the incredible video. This has taught me so much. Thoughts on the best materials to use for the water containers? Would thicker, more opaque plastic be better or worse for keeping the greenhouse warm do you think?

@GardenerScott

Ай бұрын

My plastic containers are thick and opaque and work well. Both metal and plastic will work. A study by Small Farm Magazine showed no advantage to using either so whichever you have access to is a good option.

Great video, Scott! Have you ever thought about putting a little solar panel with a battery that would charge a battery and either use little heat mats or even a couple lights just for the coldest day.

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

Yes, I am planning on adding solar panels and batteries too. I want to follow a gradual implementation. Last winter I monitored the greenhouse with no passive heating. This year I have the water. Next year I'll add a heat source.

You should try painting the table black too@

Tarping at night over the 4 day cold stretch would've helped. Even tho tarping's terrible with no snow, lol. I'm going to run out of indoor space before last frost. Thank you for the outline and showing results! ❤

@GardenerScott

3 ай бұрын

I wanted to see what would happen with no other protection. Next year I can use extra cover to help.

@HeatherDuffy1313

3 ай бұрын

It's still pretty good! And I'm surprised your pepper plants did so well at 27°!

Hi, Gardener Scott! Sophie here in Austin. I've been enjoying your videos for a few years now. Thank you for making them. Here in TX, I often have to open my GH for airflow. Could you please tell me how you deal with your GH air circulation during winter when it's so cold? Thanks.

@GardenerScott

6 ай бұрын

Hi, Sophie. I monitor the thermometer in my greenhouse and open the door or window when the temperature rises during sunny days. I'll keep it closed when it's cold and cloudy. Because I just have a few plants growing in it, air circulation is not as important as when the greenhouse is filled with plants during warmer months.

Have you thought about getting a small “Mr. Heater”? I’m going to get one for my hoop house I’m building right now and plan on using it for emergency situations when it’s super cold. You can hook up a thermostat to them so it will only turn on when you really need it. If you use propane the only gases emitted are co2 and water by what I’ve read so the plants can use all the by products from the system.

@GardenerScott

3 ай бұрын

I'm considering propane because I don't have electricity. Thanks for the suggestion.

@kirkchurchil8216

3 ай бұрын

@@GardenerScott yeah I installed one in my garage, no electricity needed works great. Video was good by the way 👍👍👍

Love your videos. How many barrels do you have in the GH and how many gallons are they each? I’m looking into the Planta Sungrow Urban for my backyard. I need it to be 100% off grid. Do you do rain catchment? If so, do you have a gutter system on your Planta?

@GardenerScott

3 ай бұрын

I have three 55-gallon barrels, along with a couple 34-gallon bins and many 1-gallon jugs for a total near 250 gallons. I don't have a gutter system but I have wood chip mulch all around the greenhouse so the soil outside is moist from any runoff.

I won't be growing anything in my greenhouse over winter, but I do have a large garbage bin that I'll be filling with water to gauge how that will impact the greenhouse temps over winter to determine if 2025 will be feasible for winter growing. For now, I've got my tomatoes and cucumbers going in my grow tent indoors.

This reminds me of an episode of a british show called A Year at Kew. In the episode, the worker in charge of the Tropicals house lost several plants on a rather cold night. She couldn't quite figure out what had gone wrong. The culprit? She had drained the large pond located in that room. Without the pond to retain heat, the room got too cold for the tropicals. I don't think she returned for season 2 of the show.

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

That's a hard lesson to learn and a great job to lose.

The question is: Is it worth all the effort with the water barrels to just harvest peppers and tomatos a bit longer? In my eyes it's not worth it. I grow now spinach, salads, radishes, kohlrabi and miner's lettuce in my greenhouses. They tolerate the colder temperatures very well. So I just switch to winter veggies without any effort to keep my greenhouses warm. 😉 Zone 6A and no frost right now but outside all frost sensitive plants died already during the few frost nights we had already.

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

It is for me. My outdoor superhot peppers didn't reach harvest but the ones in the greenhouse did. Enjoying delicious tomatoes a few weeks longer is wonderful for someone who doesn't buy supermarket tomatoes because they are tasteless. After they're gone now, the cool season veggies can go in.

Do you have a video about what all that water does in the summer? Do you take it out?

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

The water stays in the greenhouse all year. It absorbs heat and helps moderate the temperature in summer. Here's my summer greenhouse video: kzread.info/dash/bejne/mXiGzMaads7Vo6w.html

I live in south Sweden and we have surprisingly mild winters however we have very little sunlight. So heating from the sun wont help.

@GardenerScott

5 ай бұрын

The sun is needed for the water to be most effective.

Great topic. I've been thinking about building a greenhouse, and using passive heating is one of the options I was looking at. I've also been looking into subterranean ones where half the greenhouse is below ground with a sharp angle roof that allows passive heating in the cooler months and shades the water barrels in the hotter months. Do you have any experience with this?

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

I have a gardener friend with a walipini greenhouse. He has more stable and moderate temperatures with that kind of buried greenhouse. He doesn't use water barrels but it does retain some heat until the severe cold temperatures set in in.

Would it be better if the barrels have no table over the barrels also would like to know if the barrels have its cover on?

@GardenerScott

5 ай бұрын

It might be better without the table but I needed the space for working and growing plants. The barrels do have covers.

We don't get those kinds of temperatures here in Melbourne, Australia. I am still trying to get over you standing there in those temperatures with no gloves or jacket! I am also struggling with temperature in my greenhouse, it is too hot during the day and needs opening up to get below 30C and then it needs to be closed up at just the right time to keep a bit of warmth in there so my seeds and seedlings don't suffer. Big learning curve going on for me this year.

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

After many years of cold exposure and my dry humidity it's not difficult to spend a brief period outside when it's that cold.

@bevbarry9637

7 ай бұрын

It's amazing how the human body can acclimate to different environments and from my own experience I know that it only takes going through a season once or twice for it to become the new normal.

What are those green planters in the back? (with yellow fruit tree) They look really handy

@GardenerScott

4 ай бұрын

They are Oasis boxes from the UK. I wasn't impressed by them.

Is a heat lamp a good way to supplement heat in a greenhouse? I was considering that or some way to heat my water tank.

@GardenerScott

4 ай бұрын

It can provide good heat as long as it doesn't pose any risk of fire.

my greenhouse is also 18" underground.

One question : any heat collectors or the water tanks presumably made of plastic absorb heat from the temperatires build up within the green house is this correct.

@GardenerScott

5 ай бұрын

The water tanks absorb the heat, along with gravel and concrete pavers. No other heat collectors.

How about putting a heat generating resistance in the water to overcome freezing days without sun?

@GardenerScott

Ай бұрын

That is an option.

better to leave the snow on top or take it off? i bought a floor squeegee to get mine off.

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

The snow helps hold the temperature a bit more stable at night, but removing it during the day lets more sun in to warm it up.

Do you have to increase your watering when you have your plants in the greenhouse? Are your barrels food grade? I have a 10 x 10 greenhouse. How many barrels do you think I need?

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

Yes, I do water more in the greenhouse. In my dry area it doesn't retain much humidity and the higher temperature causes more evaporation. The barrels are food grade. In this video I discuss how to determine the amount of water you need: kzread.info/dash/bejne/nolrxdh_j9Deqc4.html

Do you need to change or condition the water in the barrels, so they don't get rank? Would it help to dye the water black?

@GardenerScott

6 ай бұрын

Adding chlorine bleach when filling can help. The containers are sealed and filled with clean water so there is little likelihood of rankness. Dying the water isn't necessary.

Curious, does it get too hot in the summer? Is the venting enough to keep it cool enough to grow in during the heat of the summer?

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

It can easily get too hot. Venting is important and other methods may be needed. Here's how I did it this year: kzread.info/dash/bejne/mXiGzMaads7Vo6w.html

If weather drops can you quickly drain the barrels or you have antifreeze to prevent busting from expanding?

@peterpan739992

8 ай бұрын

Even if the water turns into ice...the blue barrels will not burst. 😉

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

The water mass shouldn't freeze even in severe cold as long as I can get regular sun, but I'll keep monitoring it.

Do you ever have to change the water in the barrels? Does it become stagnant?

@GardenerScott

2 ай бұрын

They are sealed. The water may become stagnant if the barrels aren't clean to start, but that is not a problem as a heat source.

Would something like a heat lamp add a few more days of life in the greenhouse?

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

Yes, a heat lamp and other heat sources will make a big difference. Because I don't have electricity in the greenhouse it isn't an option for me.

I’ve wondered about using a stock tank heater in my water barrels. I am investigating how water moves when heated. What I mean is if I use a heater in one barrel is there a way to place pipes from one barrel to the next so as water heats up in one barrel can I get it to move into the next barrel by creating a current between the two…and can I add a 3rd barrel and get it involved in the process? I don’t know the science but I wonder if it will work? Maybe the heated barrel needs to be elevated a bit higher than the other so I can get an assist from gravity? Stock tank heaters don’t get too hot but in an enclosed barrel it should heat up enough to cause currents (via the heating and cooling of water). I’m thinking that small input may be enough to keep the greenhouse above freezing during our 5 months of cold temps. Or maybe I’ll just try heating the one barrel and see if just that does the trick.

@GardenerScott

5 ай бұрын

That's an interesting idea. I'm not sure which is more efficient. It does take more energy to heat water than air, but then that heat can be released over time.

good info, thank you. but, don't you think your greenhouse would resist cold better if you had used wood framing instead of aluminum? aluminum is a conductor of heat.

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

It was a kit and the metal framing gives it the strength I need for my weather. A wood frame does make a difference in greenhouse design and the temperature variation.

@michaelgusovsky

7 ай бұрын

@@GardenerScott makes sense.

Awesome!! ❤ 💥🧡🧡🥀🌸🌱🧑🏻‍🌾🌱🌸🥀🧡🧡🧡💥

Gardener Scott, what is the name of the plant to your immediate left in the beginning of this video? I had one come up in one of my planters this year and do not remember planting it. It grew 3 feet this season so I am ready to leave it in the planter and see what happens. Looks like a fig but unsure. Thanks . ( btw, Sacramento, zone 9b, can it be left outdoors over my winter?)

@naurekk

8 ай бұрын

I think you are right about it being a fig, Picture This (plant ID) app says it is a fig as well

@stephenhope7319

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for that info. I was kind of surprised that it grew 36 inches tall in one season. @@naurekk

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

The plants to my immediate left are pepper plants. Just behind me to the left is a Chicago fig.

May I proffer an April 1st video for you, please. Take some of the B.S. gardening stints on the internet today, and re-create them.

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for the suggestion. I have some videos like that where I dispel myths. I'll start thinking about the April Fool's aspect.

Did y'all see the doggie in the back?!?! LOL

Do you worry about the soil moisture in the greenhouse through the winter? Mine dries out so much even if I mulch it. Any ideas? I hate seeing it dry out so much. Worry about all those nice microbes and worms

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

I do. I have to water every day to keep soil moist and plants alive. Mulch helps, but the dry air is going to make it a battle.

@CAMDEC1217

7 ай бұрын

@@GardenerScott will u water soil even after plants die? I don't have anything growing all winter in the greenhouse. It can get really hot with the sun on it some days and the soil really dries out. I don't add compost to it in the fall just for this reason, I wait until spring. Should I be doing something different? I can't imagine having to go out and water it all winter. I am in NH, hose would freeze, would have to lug water.

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

I will water with no plants to benefit the microbes. I have added compost and want the extra months of soil building. There is nothing wrong with waiting until spring. It is extra work to carry the watering can because my hose freezes too but at least it allows me to stay active.

Better build a cube of compost instead of the water. The bactirias will worm your greenhouse. They work day and night. Will take less space, create more heat and produce compost for your garden. You can even put a shelf on it and sprout seeds in the greenhouse for next season.

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

Composting in a greenhouse is a great idea to generate heat.

Could you add some boiling water to your water barrels?

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

My barrels are sealed and covered so it isn't an option for me now.

I have a small greenhouse that has been up for 15 years and unusable (unless I ran an extension cord for a small heater) all that time because I didn’t understand that I needed to put some water barrels in. My question though is… even though central Texas is certainly not a frigid zone, we do have another cold here in there to kill off anything in the greenhouse in just one cold spell because we go days and weeks sometime without enough sun to heat up the water in those barrels, unless I’m wrong. Don’t we actually need sun hitting those barrels to get the water warm enough to store heat for the night time? Before seeing this video, I was about to just have somebody come terret down because we had a hail storm a couple of years ago that have just torn up the roof; I wasn’t willing to buy any more corrugated panels unless I can figure out a better way to utilize, the greenhouse to start with. Now I’m hopeful! how long about do the water barrels hold enough heat to matter after say, just one day of sunlight? Thanks so much for all your information and the inside of your greenhouse looks so neat and great with your pavers and rock around your water barrels.

@GardenerScott

5 ай бұрын

The sun doesn't need to hit the barrels as long as the air inside is warm. It depends on how cold the air is when determining how long the water will hold heat. As I showed in the video it can stay warm for days until there is a sustained period of cold air.

Gardener Scott, is your greenhouse double layered?

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

It is a double-layer polycarbonate.

I don’t think this will work with areas that are not very sunny. I just looked up my area for avg number of sunny days for December-6 sunny and 6 partly sunny. That’s not enough especially if they are consecutive. Compost in a GH is not a good idea to me. The gasses that are given off-not so good. I choose to have a small lean to GH so it’s easy to heat. I can extend growing f I choose by using small heater. My main purpose going forward is to use it for seed starting as I’m done with the mess in the house. I will also start seedlings much later when it has warmed up. Perfect set up on wish list is solar/wind/battery. I’ve done the black jugs before and it doesn’t really help. It may work better if they were in a cold frame attached to the GH so they can get maximum heat during the day. If tall plants block sunlight there will be little gain. The idea of letting GH heat to max on sunny days to heat up water could also stress the plants.

Hi! This is Mill Town Life or JanRonandArthur. Question for you: I am having a lack of humidity problem in my greenhouse. I have a sand based brick floor and I have 15 ea 5 gallon buckets of water in there. What level of humidity should I be looking for? I know there are a lot of variables here. I live in 6a, May 17th last frost date, NE Ohio. The greenhouse is also heated. Average temps currently inside 65°, outside temps avg at about the same. Avg relative humidity is right at 55%. Any information you can pass along is appreciated. Talk to you as well on Monday! 05/06/2024

@GardenerScott

Ай бұрын

Much depends on the plants you're growing. Generally, a humidity of 40-80% is recommended. I have low humidity in my greenhouse but it is higher than outside it. I'm growing the same plants in the greenhouse as in my garden which has much lower humidity so I don't make any efforts to raise it higher. If you're growing plants only in the greenhouse that require high humidity, then you may need more, but 55% may be enough.

@JanRonandArthur

Ай бұрын

@@GardenerScott I have my annual flower flats (marigolds, cosmos, zinnias etc…) and then all my veggies(tomatoes, eggplants, peppers etc…). I am googling all my different plants requirements. Thanks for the response.

how can i get a sweat shirt like yours

@GardenerScott

5 ай бұрын

There are links below my videos. You can find it here too: gardener-scotts-store.creator-spring.com

any black paint?

@GardenerScott

7 ай бұрын

You can use any paint appropriate for the material being painted. Matte is usually better than gloss.

Gardener Scott is a stone cold PIMP

What about active heating?

@GardenerScott

2 ай бұрын

That is definitely an option. I don't have electricity or solar for active options.

@frankmansour362

2 ай бұрын

@@GardenerScott I layed a cable inside. As such, I can run a fan in the summer and a heater in winter. Greenhouses turned out to be more complicated than I thought...