Our greenhouse and greenhouse supplies are from www.growerssolution.com They are GREAT PEOPLE!!! Check them out and make sure to tell them we sent you!!! You can get 10% off your entire order by entering our coupon code "traditionalist10" at checkout!
Did you ever decide to use that as a brooder as well,? The body heat of the ducks would add heat, since you have the light going anyway, seems like a good idea. You could just add woodchips or sawdust over the last lot to keep the bedding clean for the young birds. So you'll end up with lovely well rotted wood. When the ducks are grown. I didn't see if you are growing anything on the floor as well, but there could be a way to let the ducklings out into out during the day, warming up the tunnel house as well. When the weather and ducklings were ready to go outside and live, you will have lovely compost on the floor for summer crops.
I Get the black 55 gallon barrels and lay them down against the outer walls and fill them with water and a little bit of glycol and during the day they heat up and create a thermal storage bank and will emit the heat over night. I Live in North eastern Maine with Canada and the bay of Fundy in my front yard. My greenhouse has a little over 500 Tomato seedlings growing and are nice and toasty.
Why not just fill the barrels to a little less than 90% capacity (say, about 48 gallons) to save on the cost of the glycol? That way, you don't have to worry if they freeze.
Tom Cook I was searching the comments to see if anyone made this suggestion already. Also, paint the barrels black. Cheap 32 gallon garbage cans work as well, and they're already black in most cases.
From my experience of running an offgrid micro farm if you start to understand thermal mass you can trap heat and cool your greenhouse. Rock gravel floor are awesome thermal conductors as they warm up in winter and keep cool in summer. Also creating bottom and top airflow that you can open and close is vital to control humidity and warmth. The box looks super awesome,,,maybe throw some bricks in there to trap the heat as well,,, All the best with homestead Warm Regards Marty Ware (small space gardening Australia)
I make a small make shift hoop house for winter greens. I use double plastic with pool noodles between the layers to create an air barrier. It has worked for me here in southern Indiana zone 7a. Blessings all around
We love your show. I am a senior citizen and take your advice. I am very happy for what you teach. You have great ideas. During this pandemic, I see that it is necessary.
We too moved from AZ to MO 1yr ago 😆 What a beautiful change! After 8 yrs of a truly hard struggle in northern AZ we have no regrets about our move. Just built our first greenhouse here this Oct. Looking forward to seeing what this winter brings. We bless you both and pray for your abundance🙏
Ground maintains a good temperature. I used it this winter. I put bales of hay around the outside of my actual greenhouse - did not want to use the heat from electric. It worked! The ground stays around 50 degrees in the winter. Now, I will put cinder blocks around the hay and start a raised bed around it and plant flowers in the summer. I now have a tunnel and may put a grow light in there in the cooler days until frozen days that come and go in TN and keep stuff as long as I can. In my greenhouse with the hay bales, the only thing that went dormant was the grow bag with cherry tomatoes in it and the tomatoes reseed themselves year after year, just have to fix up the soil. Great to have greens in the winter.
This is just something to think about when May comes around, but you WILL NEED a shade cloth over your greenhouse by then. We are 30 miles to your west, and have had our greenhouse for almost 10 years. By mid May the temp in the greenhouse will be so hot it will burn plants. We put the shade cloth on by the 2nd week in May and start running a huge fan. We also installed a mister across the ridge line that kicks on when the temp gets to warm to help cool. We have 2 layers of plastic on ours with a fan that keeps it inflated. Helps some in the winter with the 2 layers. We have raised beds in ours so in the winter we have hoops we put over them with freeze cloth. Most of the winter we grow lettuce, mustard, kale, spinach, etc...In the day we remove the freeze cloth over the hoops and recover before the sun goes down. Hope to get to Bakers Creek this weekend and meet you.
We are in The Ozarks also and would absolutely love a Growers solution green house. We are a retired couple and are attempting to live as self sufficiently as possible. we could really use this to help us grow for market gardening! We have learned so much from you both! Huge congratulations on your program, yo are our number 1 show
Great enthusiasm. I would insulate the box with 1" rigid foam, double the patio door top lid (or use a plastic sheet as a second skin on the inside of the lid), and use four 60watt bulbs (on a thermostat) instead. I have an old water bed heater which can be used at the bottom.The thermostat will ensure that you don't heat needlessly. Just enough to do the job without you having to check the temps all the time. This what your ideas have inspired for me! Thank you!
Great idea guys! Might try it! I’ve been wheeling my handcuffed grandmother in my greenhouse and putting 3sets of clothes on her to make her heat up on frosty nights. Saves on electricity & it’s 100% organic 😁
Find a local bakery/donut shop and see if they will let you have free 3.5/4.25/5 gallon buckets. Painted black they store a lot of free passive heat. A thermostat inside the grow box keeps you from over heating the plants. Love your rabbit raising videos. Will start ours this summer.
Love this idea and that you are only heating the space necessary. Very efficient! I did something similar using straw bales for the box and no lamp. Worked as freeze protection but not as warm as many germinating seeds want. I've also seen designs that place the light in an enclosed chamber under a "false floor" for bottom heat.
Infrared or Ceramic heat lamps are the best way to go. Take it from us reptile keepers. We keep our tropical snakes and lizards warm through the winter. I would have mentioned it before but didn't think it was workable esp in a bigger enclosure like a greenhouse. So glad you guys did it and I will experiment on mine too! Thank you!!
I love how certain things are universal, my family in Wisconsin does this as well, and my Korean friend said said his family does the same! Love stuff like that!
I wanted something rot resistant and sturdy to hold up the counters, I use concrete blocks, they're great for absorbing heat during the day and giving it off at night.
It's all about what works for your climate.I'm in zone 5b and start everything inside then to a low tunnel inside a high tunnel like yours.As the weather warms then high tunnel until they go to their final spot.
put your seedlings in cold frames inside the greenhouse. I used a grow light above a glass door on the outside of a similar setup and it radiated a ton of heat into the box. If you're gonna spend the $$ on a light, trust me, just suspend a fluorescent grow light over the box outside the box. Glass has great transmittance so it lets all that heat in.
I give ya all credit cuz freezing temps are exactly as cold outside once the sun goes down. I gave up. So I seed indoors. Hardening them is super hard for me. My last year at my age. Almost 60. So we are off gridding boondocking in a vintage camper I been working on for our escape to adventure on the road. Unattached from the grid and it's almost done. You guys are awesome. Perfect age to work out the kinks. Lovely setup
A hoop greenhouse made from cattle panels INSIDE your greenhouse might work. Your work surfaces along the sides of the big greenhouse could be made of black water containers that would store heat collected during the day. You could make cheap solar water heaters that you place outside the greenhouse that heat the water in your barrels.
This sounds like our climate ("Lithgow" about 150kms west of Sydney NSW Australia - Global South) - 950 meters above sea level. Two new poly tunnels erected this week. Thanks so much for sharing your enthusiasm, experience and knowledge!!
I am just finishing my green house build which I insulated well but maybe not well enough to extend the season as long as my wife would want. I will probably add something like this to the green house. I will be sure to give you credit for the idea in my videos. Thanks, this is great idea.
A green house in a green house :) great work! Here in Canada I've seen a lot of raised beds in greenhouses with windows on hinges working in the same way. minus the heat lamp. looks great!
You could build compost boxes along the walls, and place the seedlings ontop. In England, this was very popular in Victorian times. Check out Charles dowling, and the success he has. Good video though 😃
Great video. Good work on the warmer. Heat the greenhouse with wood, using an external system, like a mass heater but with the fire tube outside. Run the flue underground into the heated space. The outdoor boiler system is good, but needs power to pump the antifreeze around. Good luck!
Good idea. We have a 10x40 ft. greenhouse attached to the shop. This is to be its first year of growing. I’m going to buy several large wattage heat bulbs and put them in the regular lightbulb receptacles. In Alberta we regularly get winter nights (and days) of -35 c and colder but now in the spring it doesn’t seem to be much colder than -20. I’ll let you know how it works out. Thanks for the potential solution.
The humidity in a greenhouse is really high and that chipboard will delaminate in time. A coat of paint (white is best in a greenhouse) will make the box last longer. Just make sure the wood is dry before you paint it.
Creative problem solving! I think the heating solution will come in handy. I've heard from Ice Age Farmer's channel that the Growing Degree Days have decreased significantly. Also, the growing season has been shortened on each end of the season. We are in a Solar Minimum and many believe it will be a 400 year cycle which means a Grand Solar Minimum. Your greenhouse will be a must to combat these challenges.
I've seen a greenhouse in Minnesota here on TH-cam that basically installed a rocket mass heater and ran ductwork a couple feet down in the Earth. I believe they said they grow in the greenhouse 11 months out of the year.
in my green house, 55 gal drums of water. It heats up during day and release heat at night. Also have big rocks, 12", round, they hold heat and release it at night. put both neat edge to get max sun. You don't have to make it 86 degrees at night, just enough to keep plants from getting cold ans stunting growth.
My 18 x 20 greenhouse - Waste oil heater! Made from old fireplace insert, runs on waste motor oil, waste vegetable oil, or diesel. Burns 100% clean. Uses a small DC fan powered by a car battery, charged by a small solar cell. Line the north wall with black water barrels or brick (painted black). Cheap and efficient. You can get all the free waste motor oil you want from most auto repair shops, or waste veg oil from local restaurants or post on craigslist (waste veg oil must be kept warm to be liauid enough to drip, but waste motor oil doesn't).
I like the box, suggest that you paint it white inside to help scatter the light and protect from excess moisture. I was thinking about putting a small greenhouse inside the bigger one to grow seedlings. You could use your rabbits to help keep it warm. They put off lots of heat from their ears. Enjoy and lots of luck to all of us.
I've lived in Missouri, southwest Missouri to be exact for 49 years. It absolutely does get colder than the 20s here. Most winters we will have at least 1 week in January/February where daytime temps never get above freezing, and nighttime temps drop to single digits or a few degrees below 0.
I just built a mini greenhouse (8 feet long) using sawhorse brackets, 2 x 4's, and plastic. I put my entire vineyard's cuttings in there yesterday. I'll heat it until it is consistently in the mid 40's at night, and use a ThermoCube thermostat on the heater as a backup after that. I like your solution as well. Cheap is always best if it works!
What a great idea! This is something I've been thinking about as the time for starting my seeds is creeping up on me. Thanks so much for the great video!
You can get a temperature controlled outlet adapter at a farm supply house that comes on when temps get to freezing. It just plugs into your extension cord and you plug your lamp in. I recommend it is outside the box on your cord so your light doesnt keep cycling constantly. So when it drops to freezing temps outside the light stays on. There only a few bucks
Cool video..one thing I've learned about greenhouse, hoop house, hothouse what ever your growing in has its own personality, just like the folks growing...like the fingers of your hand...all different, but also the same... I love to hear of others finding for there particular location, and grow style..... Much respect you two..nice video..
You may like this I use to keep our pool warm through most of the year. First we insulate the pool all around the above ground area, then having built a hoop canopy with boarded up ends 100mm thick Just above the door we have an exit pipe 9" diameter that leads down to a space all around the pool area and installed a 15 kw air to water heat pump, this draws the warm air from the top of the canopy during the day and night. With the cover keeping frost away and a water surface cover to retain heat the 70,000 litre pool is kept at a minimum of 20 degrees C. Excess heat is is stored in an underground 4 metre depth heat store that is insulated like a thermos flask and released if the pool water falls below 18 degrees C - we also use this for pre and post showering. To keep cost down we have 2 KW solar panels to power the heat pump (2 to 5 kw) and this is supported by a hydro generator (1-2 kw) for when the sun don't shine. Running cost = zero. The pool circulating pump is run at low speed during evenings.
A few other tips worth checking out: solar air heat sink, using something like crushed glass for thermal mass in a sides-and-bottom insulated channel under your benches and walkways. This uses a solar powered fan to pull hot air from the apex of the greenhouse during the daytime into an sides-and-bottom insulated space, which will gradually release its heat upwards through the night. solar battery, water filled barrels along one side of the greenhouse (the side that gets least light, north in NH). The number of barrels depends on what minimum temperature you want to maintain. Water acts as thermal mass, and will release its heat back to the air when the temperature drops. Double stacking if headroom permits reduces the total footprint required. The barrels must be sufficiently strong to contain liquid, and if you stack them, have sufficient compressive strength to take the load. external sunken rocket stove, where the flue runs under a (non-flammable) earth and substrate mix banking. The flue exits through a shroud at the back of the greenhouse. The earth bank acts as thermal mass, and releases its heat gradually etc. compost heat exchanger, where you design the heap to compost as hot as possible. This can be done in an insulated space with an aerating base, access hatch, adjustable top vent, and compost removal trapdoor, and using a heat resistant pipe to pump water in a loop into your greenhouse to a radiator and then back to the pile. An advanced compost bin using an insulated chamber retails here in the UK for £270 (with no heat exchanger) and promises compost every 90 days, using typical heap-building layering methods. (HotBin, 200 litres is the search term).
Just a note on heat sources. If you ever get a heater, be it propane, kerosene, wood bring in fresh air from the outside for combustion. I had tried all 3 in my hoop house but kept having a failure on the heat overnight, what happened was I ran to low on oxygen and stove would go out. I could not believe that I could use up the oxygen but I had made my house to air tight. I took a pc of 1 inch pipe placing the end near the stove intake and the other end to the outside, it worked well. I had lost weeks of product until I got this correct. Many stoves now come with fresh air supply hook ups. I’m not promoting stoves but wish to let you know of my failure so you don’t have same issue. My house was 28x60.
Great idea. You're also going to want about a dozen black plastic barrels full of water to help in the future. At least this is what I've been seeing on other videos. :) A tiny battery operated fan would be a good addition inside, to circulate the heat evenly.
I just start mine inside till April. But using an insulated box within the greenhouse till it warms up is a great idea! And it can be all wood. Adding insulation helps keep the cold out of course.
Thank you for doing this whole series! Can you guys do an updated one? How is your greenhouse holding up more things you’ve learned would do different, etc.?
I built a a 8x8 box with insulated 4x8 sheets of insulated plywood. Then built a tent over the box and a the sides roll up.double plastic sides and cover it at night with an old concrete blanket. Also to keep extra warm I put wire hoops inside for another layer of plastic. It is heated by filling it almost full with horse manure and wood shavings. Works great and we got down in the low teens Jan February and I have it full of four inch tomatoes now.
Awesome idea... I love finding ways to implement use of items that just hang around.... SORRY though, that I did use the subscriber suggestion to increase the speed.
I like your setup and enthusiasm. There's a fellow in Chicago that grows all year long without heat. He uses double hoop houses and a small greenhouse. Check out his channel at One Yard Revolution. Also at a master gardener course I took last year I was told the difference between a greenhouse and hoop house is a greenhouse is heated.
I just discovered your videos, showed one of them to my Mom, and she thinks it was your family that helped them find their car at the Franklin Graham event in Springfield!
We had a hoop house much like yours and watched it get totally destroyed when we had a freak snow storm early in the year . The storm dumped several feet of snow and the temps went down to 0 . The weight of the snow load combined with the low temperature decimated the greenhouse .In hindsight I should have used hog paneling to wrap over the pipes to give it some strength and used some styrofoam panels on the inside walls along with some metal paneling for the outside walls up to a couple of feet to protect against the snow . We all learn by doing .
You all keep those vegetables a growing! We just signed a contract on a property in Webster County- so we will be almost neighbors-- And we are looking to you to be raising our veggies for us this year because I cant see us getting our garden in at this late date!
If you sink the greenhouse down into the ground a foot or two it will get some heat from the earth during the winter and help cool it in the summer. Check out passive solar.... and the water containers work well too as you suggested. I used old milk jugs filled with saltwater dyed black ... superglued tops back on and stacked them on their sides. Love your box idea.
That's what I did...I sunk the greenhouse 2ft into the ground...it has a 2x4 frame with plastic on the inside and outside...then I dug another hole under the greenhouse and put a 3x8 swimming pool in for thermal mass...cooler in summer and warmer in winter... I can circulate air between the plastic for additional heating and cooling, and also circulate water through the pool for additional warming and cooling...
This is a slightly permanent solution but you could use some of the beautiful Missouri clay to build a short cob wall along the length of the greenhouse. The cob will absorb and retain heat from the sun during the day then slowly release it at night to keep things nice and toasty inside all without needing to spend money on electricity or having to move your seedlings. To keep the cob from overheating the greenhouse during the hot months you would need to find a way to shade the cob so the sun doesn't hit it; possibly some shade cloth run along the lower portion of the greenhouse attached to the hoops.
I have a 10x10. It is new and i put gravel on bottom. I added a heat lamp (not much)...added old fashioned christmas lights and black water storage. I have been getting +12 to +15 degrees first in the morning. 7B
That is a super idea and serves a dual purpose too. Great tip and I may actually build a "warm box" similar to this as a winter greenhouse as I do not think I am allowed to build a proper greenhouse in my Townhouse garden. I want to do a worm farm and can think of making 2 boxes, one for the worms and one for the seedlings or winter greens. You certainly got my grey cells working :-D
Great Show , Something I tried is put peat moss with water in clear large plastic free pop bottles and it work great I have some that are 8 years old and still working good luck .
I think the Nebraska Retired Orange grower with 6 inch big O pipes buried is the correct method, not only does it heat all winter but also cools all summer. To far to travel for a few hours market for Us but good luck on the sale. We support our farmers market from spring to frost here in north east Ontario.
Line the inside of the box with either foiled backed styro or foiled insulation on the side walls . I believe if you do that you could control the heat with a portable thermostat plugged to the light source. Which may allow a reduction of cost for electrical use .
LOL, this video resonates with me!~ Just got my greenhouse up with same expectations you had. THANKS so much. Love your videos. Subscriber from Florida.
I'm just getting into this. I have a friend, brought a metal wash been, from some tractor store. He put a large, aquarium heater in it ... n runs on solar. Good luck 🤠
I did a similar box not inside a green house. I used an old frigerator spray painted black took the door off it laid a window over the top. As the temps moved above freezing In Alaska i filled it with soil and bent 3 conduits into a hoop atteched them and ised it as a raised bed with a hoop house. Its on instructables under whats growing in your frig.
A woodstove does a wonderful job. I design and build my own and I keep the stove filled and ready to light at a moment's notice. It heats the air and the Aquaponics 2400 gallon system water. I also have a 100 foot solar collector and 4 black 55 gallon drums filled with water. We get to minus 20f so that is when we might need the stove. Build videos on my Fiskfarm channel.
Thank you for yet another great idea! We use warming pads under the seeds especially on cold nights and cover the trays with whatever will hold that heat inside. I don’t start the seeds until April first but our last frost dates are near the end of April so some measures are necessary.
I dream of having a greenhouse someday. I knew it would cool down at night, but always thought it would at least be a little warmer than the outside night air. It looks like you've found a good low-cost solution. Visiting Baker Creek is on my wish list too. Have fun there.
I wished I hadn’t noticed but you both say uh every few words. I tried to keep count but there’s no way I could keep up with it. Uh, I do love y’alls videos! Be blessed in all that you do!❤️
One thing I have been thinking on is using a floor heat pad. The type you would use in floor heat. Maybe place it on some foam and cover it with sand to have heat stored. Hook it up to a thermostat. Not sure the cost of running. The heat pads do come in various sizes.
I live in Arizona right at the Utah border and have been growing starts and crops year around since 2003. From 2007-2015 I had two greenhouses on my own property until I became disabled a few years ago. The high desert is unforgiving so attention to detail is necessary. I use two layers of poly with a fan inflating the 2 layers, three purlins not counting the channels for the z wire on the bottom, 4 circulation fans in each house, an evap cooler for the hot months and a pellet furnace for the cold months. the houses are 24X70 and 20X80. I use an aluminette shade cloth on both. All layers of poly in each house are infrared "coated" so you get additional heat radiated out after sunset . I grow on benches and in raised beds. I like your heating box and I hope your poly lasts; inflating 2 layers of poly has allowed me NOT to have to replace the poly in both houses over a period from 2005-2017. Not kidding or exaggerating; the shade cloth 6 months of the year really cuts back on poly wear and tear. Have fun .
Well, a couple days later and more than a few dollars poorer I’m back at square one. Three large bulbs are not enough, maybe if I use fixtures closer to where the plants will be or build a box like yours. Maybe I’ll just wait a month or two before getting my plants going. Oh well, no harm no foul. Keep the info coming you have a lot of good ideas. Cheers.
Water barrels on North side to heat up and give off heat at night. Black if you have it. String or 2 of 7 watt Christmas lights with a small fan to circulate. Buckets of fresh manure: gives off heat while composting. Rock or brick or block low wall on south to heat and give off heat. Foil-backed foam on one side or ends. Crisco can burns 72 days or ceramic pots with candles. Row covers.
Brooding your chicks under table uses BTUs double. We use large table with skirting and a small heater to produce thousands of $ starts. I keep my bunnies inside during winter less frozen bunny water and flowers still blooming in Jan. One heat lamp for baby buns. 20° outside above freezing inside 17x8 I don't heat the larger gh.
Biddeford twin size heat blanket on a table,82"x62" and its thin. Cover the blanket with black pastic if ya want, it dont get hot enough to melt. Its low wattage and only $40. 18 flats i think it holds. A couple legs sticking up around the table to drape clear plastic over the flats. Built-in thermostat with 10 heat settings.
Geothermal heating 8" tubing 8' deep 75' out 75' across 75' back use a small fan to draw the air through the tubing. Works so well you can grow oranges.
Good idea. I wonder if you used a smaller light with a small fan if you could just make a cover over your plants so you wouldn't have to move them. Just a thought. Thanks for the insight.
Hey, you could do a cold frame on the ground in the green house. The ground in the green house will provide heat during the winter time. Build a 12" high frame and cover with plastic. We used to raise thousands of seedlings this way.
This is quite nice too keep your plants warm & cozy I grow mine inside & have to wait until the weather breaks to take them out. If these crises keep happening, & prices keep going up, we all might have to put our homes in a greenhouse🤪
I just used a heat lamp in the greenhouse. But I think my temperatures were right about freezing Also my greenhouse is much smaller than yours. It was enough to make the evenings safe.
That is a thing of real beauty. For going forward to extend your capacity I'd go with building another one. I don't know if there are Solar heat lamps but that's a way to use the day's sun to keep the plants warm at night.
Our greenhouse and greenhouse supplies are from www.growerssolution.com They are GREAT PEOPLE!!! Check them out and make sure to tell them we sent you!!! You can get 10% off your entire order by entering our coupon code "traditionalist10" at checkout!
You guys are awesome and this video has been very helpful! 🤗
what about a ventless gas heater
Did you ever decide to use that as a brooder as well,? The body heat of the ducks would add heat, since you have the light going anyway, seems like a good idea.
You could just add woodchips or sawdust over the last lot to keep the bedding clean for the young birds. So you'll end up with lovely well rotted wood. When the ducks are grown.
I didn't see if you are growing anything on the floor as well, but there could be a way to let the ducklings out into out during the day, warming up the tunnel house as well. When the weather and ducklings were ready to go outside and live, you will have lovely compost on the floor for summer crops.
I have been trying to use the coupon code for a greenhouse. It will not accept it :(
Put milk jugs full of water into your green house water holds heat at night
I recommend watching this at x1.5 speed
Perfect
Thanks, much better
You’re awesome for suggesting this
😂
♥
I Get the black 55 gallon barrels and lay them down against the outer walls and fill them with water and a little bit of glycol and during the day they heat up and create a thermal storage bank and will emit the heat over night. I Live in North eastern Maine with Canada and the bay of Fundy in my front yard. My greenhouse has a little over 500 Tomato seedlings growing and are nice and toasty.
How many barrels do you use and what size greenhouse? I've been thinking about doing this but didn't know how to figure out the number of barrels.
Why not just fill the barrels to a little less than 90% capacity (say, about 48 gallons) to save on the cost of the glycol? That way, you don't have to worry if they freeze.
Tom Cook I was searching the comments to see if anyone made this suggestion already.
Also, paint the barrels black. Cheap 32 gallon garbage cans work as well, and they're already black in most cases.
do you move those barrels inside too?
@@KansanWolf ....but the point is he doesnt WANT them to freeze but rather to retain AND transfer heat like thermal mass
From my experience of running an offgrid micro farm if you start to understand thermal mass you can trap heat and cool your greenhouse.
Rock gravel floor are awesome thermal conductors as they warm up in winter and keep cool in summer.
Also creating bottom and top airflow that you can open and close is vital to control humidity and warmth.
The box looks super awesome,,,maybe throw some bricks in there to trap the heat as well,,,
All the best with homestead
Warm Regards
Marty Ware (small space gardening Australia)
very good idea will do that for sure
add concrete pavers painted black on top of the gravel and the north facing side put rock wall contained in wire frame.
I make a small make shift hoop house for winter greens. I use double plastic with pool noodles between the layers to create an air barrier. It has worked for me here in southern Indiana zone 7a. Blessings all around
how do you make it work with the pool noodles and the plastic?
Jan that is a brilliant idea! Thank you Kind sister 🙏🏻🌻
We love your show. I am a senior citizen and take your advice. I am very happy for what you teach. You have great ideas. During this pandemic, I see that it is necessary.
We too moved from AZ to MO 1yr ago 😆 What a beautiful change! After 8 yrs of a truly hard struggle in northern AZ we have no regrets about our move. Just built our first greenhouse here this Oct. Looking forward to seeing what this winter brings. We bless you both and pray for your abundance🙏
Ground maintains a good temperature. I used it this winter. I put bales of hay around the outside of my actual greenhouse - did not want to use the heat from electric. It worked! The ground stays around 50 degrees in the winter. Now, I will put cinder blocks around the hay and start a raised bed around it and plant flowers in the summer. I now have a tunnel and may put a grow light in there in the cooler days until frozen days that come and go in TN and keep stuff as long as I can. In my greenhouse with the hay bales, the only thing that went dormant was the grow bag with cherry tomatoes in it and the tomatoes reseed themselves year after year, just have to fix up the soil. Great to have greens in the winter.
This is just something to think about when May comes around, but you WILL NEED a shade cloth over your greenhouse by then. We are 30 miles to your west, and have had our greenhouse for almost 10 years. By mid May the temp in the greenhouse will be so hot it will burn plants. We put the shade cloth on by the 2nd week in May and start running a huge fan. We also installed a mister across the ridge line that kicks on when the temp gets to warm to help cool. We have 2 layers of plastic on ours with a fan that keeps it inflated. Helps some in the winter with the 2 layers. We have raised beds in ours so in the winter we have hoops we put over them with freeze cloth. Most of the winter we grow lettuce, mustard, kale, spinach, etc...In the day we remove the freeze cloth over the hoops and recover before the sun goes down. Hope to get to Bakers Creek this weekend and meet you.
gardenpatchmama good info, shade cloth , I'm thinking white maybe 20/30%. Misters a must , how are your misters activated?
We are in The Ozarks also and would absolutely love a Growers solution green house. We are a retired couple and are attempting to live as self sufficiently as possible. we could really use this to help us grow for market gardening! We have learned so much from you both! Huge congratulations on your program, yo are our number 1 show
Check out the double plastic AND blower system.
It works great!
My greenhouse never drops below 57° f at night when it is 32° f
Great enthusiasm. I would insulate the box with 1" rigid foam, double the patio door top lid (or use a plastic sheet as a second skin on the inside of the lid), and use four 60watt bulbs (on a thermostat) instead. I have an old water bed heater which can be used at the bottom.The thermostat will ensure that you don't heat needlessly. Just enough to do the job without you having to check the temps all the time. This what your ideas have inspired for me! Thank you!
Great idea guys! Might try it!
I’ve been wheeling my handcuffed grandmother in my greenhouse and putting 3sets of clothes on her to make her heat up on frosty nights. Saves on electricity & it’s 100% organic 😁
😐😏😂
Find a local bakery/donut shop and see if they will let you have free 3.5/4.25/5 gallon buckets.
Painted black they store a lot of free passive heat.
A thermostat inside the grow box keeps you from over heating the plants.
Love your rabbit raising videos. Will start ours this summer.
Love this idea and that you are only heating the space necessary. Very efficient! I did something similar using straw bales for the box and no lamp. Worked as freeze protection but not as warm as many germinating seeds want. I've also seen designs that place the light in an enclosed chamber under a "false floor" for bottom heat.
Infrared or Ceramic heat lamps are the best way to go. Take it from us reptile keepers. We keep our tropical snakes and lizards warm through the winter. I would have mentioned it before but didn't think it was workable esp in a bigger enclosure like a greenhouse. So glad you guys did it and I will experiment on mine too! Thank you!!
You did a great job on the heating to prevent freezing of plants.
Keep up the good work.
Thomas
You can use a mount of cowdung and place the seedlings on ore just over it. Than you can plant out sooner as wel. Greetz from Holland
I love how certain things are universal, my family in Wisconsin does this as well, and my Korean friend said said his family does the same! Love stuff like that!
What exactly would the cowdung do for the seeds?
@@migueltigrelazo heat, as it decomposes and c02
I wanted something rot resistant and sturdy to hold up the counters, I use concrete blocks, they're great for absorbing heat during the day and giving it off at night.
But water has a much greater thermal efficiency, much.
It's all about what works for your climate.I'm in zone 5b and start everything inside then to a low tunnel inside a high tunnel like yours.As the weather warms then high tunnel until they go to their final spot.
put your seedlings in cold frames inside the greenhouse. I used a grow light above a glass door on the outside of a similar setup and it radiated a ton of heat into the box. If you're gonna spend the $$ on a light, trust me, just suspend a fluorescent grow light over the box outside the box. Glass has great transmittance so it lets all that heat in.
I give ya all credit cuz freezing temps are exactly as cold outside once the sun goes down. I gave up. So I seed indoors. Hardening them is super hard for me. My last year at my age. Almost 60. So we are off gridding boondocking in a vintage camper I been working on for our escape to adventure on the road. Unattached from the grid and it's almost done. You guys are awesome. Perfect age to work out the kinks. Lovely setup
A hoop greenhouse made from cattle panels INSIDE your greenhouse might work. Your work surfaces along the sides of the big greenhouse could be made of black water containers that would store heat collected during the day. You could make cheap solar water heaters that you place outside the greenhouse that heat the water in your barrels.
This sounds like our climate ("Lithgow" about 150kms west of Sydney NSW Australia - Global South) - 950 meters above sea level. Two new poly tunnels erected this week. Thanks so much for sharing your enthusiasm, experience and knowledge!!
I am just finishing my green house build which I insulated well but maybe not well enough to extend the season as long as my wife would want. I will probably add something like this to the green house. I will be sure to give you credit for the idea in my videos. Thanks, this is great idea.
A green house in a green house :) great work!
Here in Canada I've seen a lot of raised beds in greenhouses with windows on hinges working in the same way. minus the heat lamp. looks great!
I’m in SE MO…it’s finally nice to see gardeners from my state. Most channels I see are from people in zones 9 and up. I’m in zone 7.
You could build compost boxes along the walls, and place the seedlings ontop. In England, this was very popular in Victorian times. Check out Charles dowling, and the success he has. Good video though 😃
Didn't they manage to grow pineapples doing this,
Amazing
Charles Dowding
Great video. Good work on the warmer. Heat the greenhouse with wood, using an external system, like a mass heater but with the fire tube outside. Run the flue underground into the heated space. The outdoor boiler system is good, but needs power to pump the antifreeze around. Good luck!
Good idea. We have a 10x40 ft. greenhouse attached to the shop. This is to be its first year of growing. I’m going to buy several large wattage heat bulbs and put them in the regular lightbulb receptacles. In Alberta we regularly get winter nights (and days) of -35 c and colder but now in the spring it doesn’t seem to be much colder than -20. I’ll let you know how it works out. Thanks for the potential solution.
Black weed barrier on your floor will help absorb heat and black water containers help retain heat. Great video folks Thank You!
it's a growing process.....love that ya show the setbacks and solutions.....keep going..love you guys
The humidity in a greenhouse is really high and that chipboard will delaminate in time. A coat of paint (white is best in a greenhouse) will make the box last longer. Just make sure the wood is dry before you paint it.
Creative problem solving! I think the heating solution will come in handy. I've heard from Ice Age Farmer's channel that the Growing Degree Days have decreased significantly. Also, the growing season has been shortened on each end of the season. We are in a Solar Minimum and many believe it will be a 400 year cycle which means a Grand Solar Minimum. Your greenhouse will be a must to combat these challenges.
Love it,love the green houses,love plants,love fruits and vegetables, love it,love it love it
I've seen a greenhouse in Minnesota here on TH-cam that basically installed a rocket mass heater and ran ductwork a couple feet down in the Earth. I believe they said they grow in the greenhouse 11 months out of the year.
in my green house, 55 gal drums of water. It heats up during day and release heat at night. Also have big rocks, 12", round, they hold heat and release it at night. put both neat edge to get max sun. You don't have to make it 86 degrees at night, just enough to keep plants from getting cold ans stunting growth.
My 18 x 20 greenhouse - Waste oil heater! Made from old fireplace insert, runs on waste motor oil, waste vegetable oil, or diesel. Burns 100% clean. Uses a small DC fan powered by a car battery, charged by a small solar cell. Line the north wall with black water barrels or brick (painted black). Cheap and efficient. You can get all the free waste motor oil you want from most auto repair shops, or waste veg oil from local restaurants or post on craigslist (waste veg oil must be kept warm to be liauid enough to drip, but waste motor oil doesn't).
I like the box, suggest that you paint it white inside to help scatter the light and protect from excess moisture. I was thinking about putting a small greenhouse inside the bigger one to grow seedlings. You could use your rabbits to help keep it warm. They put off lots of heat from their ears. Enjoy and lots of luck to all of us.
I've lived in Missouri, southwest Missouri to be exact for 49 years. It absolutely does get colder than the 20s here. Most winters we will have at least 1 week in January/February where daytime temps never get above freezing, and nighttime temps drop to single digits or a few degrees below 0.
Thanks you for making this great TH-cam video about heating green houses !!!! Shared with all 238 of MY down home NEWS followers on Twitter !!!!
I just built a mini greenhouse (8 feet long) using sawhorse brackets, 2 x 4's, and plastic. I put my entire vineyard's cuttings in there yesterday. I'll heat it until it is consistently in the mid 40's at night, and use a ThermoCube thermostat on the heater as a backup after that. I like your solution as well. Cheap is always best if it works!
Really appreciate your practical solutions and non-drama approach to things.
What a great idea! This is something I've been thinking about as the time for starting my seeds is creeping up on me. Thanks so much for the great video!
You can get a temperature controlled outlet adapter at a farm supply house that comes on when temps get to freezing. It just plugs into your extension cord and you plug your lamp in. I recommend it is outside the box on your cord so your light doesnt keep cycling constantly. So when it drops to freezing temps outside the light stays on. There only a few bucks
Cool video..one thing I've learned about greenhouse, hoop house, hothouse what ever your growing in has its own personality, just like the folks growing...like the fingers of your hand...all different, but also the same...
I love to hear of others finding for there particular location, and grow style.....
Much respect you two..nice video..
You may like this I use to keep our pool warm through most of the year. First we insulate the pool all around the above ground area, then having built a hoop canopy with boarded up ends 100mm thick Just above the door we have an exit pipe 9" diameter that leads down to a space all around the pool area and installed a 15 kw air to water heat pump, this draws the warm air from the top of the canopy during the day and night. With the cover keeping frost away and a water surface cover to retain heat the 70,000 litre pool is kept at a minimum of 20 degrees C. Excess heat is is stored in an underground 4 metre depth heat store that is insulated like a thermos flask and released if the pool water falls below 18 degrees C - we also use this for pre and post showering. To keep cost down we have 2 KW solar panels to power the heat pump (2 to 5 kw) and this is supported by a hydro generator (1-2 kw) for when the sun don't shine. Running cost = zero. The pool circulating pump is run at low speed during evenings.
By definition you have a high tunnel because you don’t have a heat source. Greenhouses have heating units. Loves the videos.
Greenhouse is more main stream and is better for clicks.
Or cold frames
It's hard to express how asome your idea is. Well done! I'm taking notes . Thank you.
A few other tips worth checking out:
solar air heat sink, using something like crushed glass for thermal mass in a sides-and-bottom insulated channel under your benches and walkways. This uses a solar powered fan to pull hot air from the apex of the greenhouse during the daytime into an sides-and-bottom insulated space, which will gradually release its heat upwards through the night.
solar battery, water filled barrels along one side of the greenhouse (the side that gets least light, north in NH). The number of barrels depends on what minimum temperature you want to maintain. Water acts as thermal mass, and will release its heat back to the air when the temperature drops. Double stacking if headroom permits reduces the total footprint required. The barrels must be sufficiently strong to contain liquid, and if you stack them, have sufficient compressive strength to take the load.
external sunken rocket stove, where the flue runs under a (non-flammable) earth and substrate mix banking. The flue exits through a shroud at the back of the greenhouse. The earth bank acts as thermal mass, and releases its heat gradually etc.
compost heat exchanger, where you design the heap to compost as hot as possible. This can be done in an insulated space with an aerating base, access hatch, adjustable top vent, and compost removal trapdoor, and using a heat resistant pipe to pump water in a loop into your greenhouse to a radiator and then back to the pile. An advanced compost bin using an insulated chamber retails here in the UK for £270 (with no heat exchanger) and promises compost every 90 days, using typical heap-building layering methods. (HotBin, 200 litres is the search term).
Awesome thank u!!!
Just a note on heat sources. If you ever get a heater, be it propane, kerosene, wood bring in fresh air from the outside for combustion. I had tried all 3 in my hoop house but kept having a failure on the heat overnight, what happened was I ran to low on oxygen and stove would go out. I could not believe that I could use up the oxygen but I had made my house to air tight. I took a pc of 1 inch pipe placing the end near the stove intake and the other end to the outside, it worked well. I had lost weeks of product until I got this correct. Many stoves now come with fresh air supply hook ups.
I’m not promoting stoves but wish to let you know of my failure so you don’t have same issue. My house was 28x60.
Great idea. You're also going to want about a dozen black plastic barrels full of water to help in the future. At least this is what I've been seeing on other videos. :) A tiny battery operated fan would be a good addition inside, to circulate the heat evenly.
I just start mine inside till April. But using an insulated box within the greenhouse till it warms up is a great idea! And it can be all wood. Adding insulation helps keep the cold out of course.
Thank you for doing this whole series! Can you guys do an updated one? How is your greenhouse holding up more things you’ve learned would do different, etc.?
That is a great idea for a greenhouse! Three of my girls work at Baker Creek, so we're bound to see you there at some point. :) Cheers.
I built a a 8x8 box with insulated 4x8 sheets of insulated plywood. Then built a tent over the box and a the sides roll up.double plastic sides and cover it at night with an old concrete blanket. Also to keep extra warm I put wire hoops inside for another layer of plastic. It is heated by filling it almost full with horse manure and wood shavings. Works great and we got down in the low teens Jan February and I have it full of four inch tomatoes now.
Been working on mine all summer. Juuust about to cover it. Behind but moving towards tomorrow nonetheless. Love y’all!!!
Awesome idea... I love finding ways to implement use of items that just hang around.... SORRY though, that I did use the subscriber suggestion to increase the speed.
Hello. You guys are so intelligent and i Will built for my greenhouse. Super job. Im from North of Québec Canada and here night are cold.
I like your setup and enthusiasm. There's a fellow in Chicago that grows all year long without heat. He uses double hoop houses and a small greenhouse. Check out his channel at One Yard Revolution. Also at a master gardener course I took last year I was told the difference between a greenhouse and hoop house is a greenhouse is heated.
I just discovered your videos, showed one of them to my Mom, and she thinks it was your family that helped them find their car at the Franklin Graham event in Springfield!
We had a hoop house much like yours and watched it get totally destroyed when we had a freak snow storm early in the year . The storm dumped several feet of snow and the temps went down to 0 . The weight of the snow load combined with the low temperature decimated the greenhouse .In hindsight I should have used hog paneling to wrap over the pipes to give it some strength and used some styrofoam panels on the inside walls along with some metal paneling for the outside walls up to a couple of feet to protect against the snow . We all learn by doing .
You all keep those vegetables a growing! We just signed a contract on a property in Webster County- so we will be almost neighbors-- And we are looking to you to be raising our veggies for us this year because I cant see us getting our garden in at this late date!
If you sink the greenhouse down into the ground a foot or two it will get some heat from the earth during the winter and help cool it in the summer. Check out passive solar.... and the water containers work well too as you suggested. I used old milk jugs filled with saltwater dyed black ... superglued tops back on and stacked them on their sides. Love your box idea.
That's what I did...I sunk the greenhouse 2ft into the ground...it has a 2x4 frame with plastic on the inside and outside...then I dug another hole under the greenhouse and put a 3x8 swimming pool in for thermal mass...cooler in summer and warmer in winter...
I can circulate air between the plastic for additional heating and cooling, and also circulate water through the pool for additional warming and cooling...
This is a slightly permanent solution but you could use some of the beautiful Missouri clay to build a short cob wall along the length of the greenhouse. The cob will absorb and retain heat from the sun during the day then slowly release it at night to keep things nice and toasty inside all without needing to spend money on electricity or having to move your seedlings. To keep the cob from overheating the greenhouse during the hot months you would need to find a way to shade the cob so the sun doesn't hit it; possibly some shade cloth run along the lower portion of the greenhouse attached to the hoops.
I have a 10x10. It is new and i put gravel on bottom. I added a heat lamp (not much)...added old fashioned christmas lights and black water storage. I have been getting +12 to +15 degrees first in the morning. 7B
That is a super idea and serves a dual purpose too. Great tip and I may actually build a "warm box" similar to this as a winter greenhouse as I do not think I am allowed to build a proper greenhouse in my Townhouse garden. I want to do a worm farm and can think of making 2 boxes, one for the worms and one for the seedlings or winter greens. You certainly got my grey cells working :-D
Great Show , Something I tried is put peat moss with water in clear large plastic free pop bottles and it work great I have some that are 8 years old and still working good luck .
I think the Nebraska Retired Orange grower with 6 inch big O pipes buried is the correct method, not only does it heat all winter but also cools all summer. To far to travel for a few hours market for Us but good luck on the sale. We support our farmers market from spring to frost here in north east Ontario.
Good idea guys. Not having to head up a large area at once saving electricity.
Line the inside of the box with either foiled backed styro or foiled insulation on the side walls . I believe if you do that you could control the heat with a portable thermostat plugged to the light source. Which may allow a reduction of cost for electrical use .
By doing so you would achieve heating better by heat reflecting off the foil .
LOL, this video resonates with me!~ Just got my greenhouse up with same expectations you had. THANKS so much. Love your videos. Subscriber from Florida.
I'm just getting into this. I have a friend, brought a metal wash been, from some tractor store. He put a large, aquarium heater in it ... n runs on solar. Good luck 🤠
I did a similar box not inside a green house. I used an old frigerator spray painted black took the door off it laid a window over the top. As the temps moved above freezing In Alaska i filled it with soil and bent 3 conduits into a hoop atteched them and ised it as a raised bed with a hoop house. Its on instructables under whats growing in your frig.
A woodstove does a wonderful job. I design and build my own and I keep the stove filled and ready to light at a moment's notice. It heats the air and the Aquaponics 2400 gallon system water. I also have a 100 foot solar collector and 4 black 55 gallon drums filled with water. We get to minus 20f so that is when we might need the stove. Build videos on my Fiskfarm channel.
Thank you for yet another great idea! We use warming pads under the seeds especially on cold nights and cover the trays with whatever will hold that heat inside. I don’t start the seeds until April first but our last frost dates are near the end of April so some measures are necessary.
I dream of having a greenhouse someday. I knew it would cool down at night, but always thought it would at least be a little warmer than the outside night air. It looks like you've found a good low-cost solution. Visiting Baker Creek is on my wish list too. Have fun there.
That's what we thought also!
I wished I hadn’t noticed but you both say uh every few words. I tried to keep count but there’s no way I could keep up with it. Uh, I do love y’alls videos! Be blessed in all that you do!❤️
We've worked very hard on that in the year that has passed since this video was published. We're always working to get better. 😊
Living Traditions Homestead y’all are awesome!
I’m so happy for y’all and I hope you’re more successful than you ever dreamed in all that you do!
Naive is the way I'm feeling right now.... Appreciate this video
You two are so ingenious. Can't wait to see what you come up with next.
One thing I have been thinking on is using a floor heat pad. The type you would use in floor heat. Maybe place it on some foam and cover it with sand to have heat stored. Hook it up to a thermostat. Not sure the cost of running. The heat pads do come in various sizes.
I live in Arizona right at the Utah border and have been growing starts and crops year around since 2003. From 2007-2015 I had two greenhouses on my own property until I became disabled a few years ago. The high desert is unforgiving so attention to detail is necessary. I use two layers of poly with a fan inflating the 2 layers, three purlins not counting the channels for the z wire on the bottom, 4 circulation fans in each house, an evap cooler for the hot months and a pellet furnace for the cold months. the houses are 24X70 and 20X80. I use an aluminette shade cloth on both. All layers of poly in each house are infrared "coated" so you get additional heat radiated out after sunset . I grow on benches and in raised beds. I like your heating box and I hope your poly lasts; inflating 2 layers of poly has allowed me NOT to have to replace the poly in both houses over a period from 2005-2017. Not kidding or exaggerating; the shade cloth 6 months of the year really cuts back on poly wear and tear. Have fun .
Fantastic idea guys! Thank you for all your hard work! God bless. From Nova Scotia Canada
It was a simple and cost effective idea to keep your little plans warm during the cold season.
GOD🙏🙏BLESS YOU.
EDUARDO MIAMI FL 🇺🇸
Nice! I can only imagine how efficient it would be if insulated. Excellent idea guys!
Well, a couple days later and more than a few dollars poorer I’m back at square one. Three large bulbs are not enough, maybe if I use fixtures closer to where the plants will be or build a box like yours. Maybe I’ll just wait a month or two before getting my plants going. Oh well, no harm no foul. Keep the info coming you have a lot of good ideas. Cheers.
Sorry to hear it didn't work. Hope you can find a solution. The boxes are really working well for us, but we aren't as cold as you are!
Water barrels on North side to heat up and give off heat at night. Black if you have it.
String or 2 of 7 watt Christmas lights with a small fan to circulate.
Buckets of fresh manure: gives off heat while composting.
Rock or brick or block low wall on south to heat and give off heat.
Foil-backed foam on one side or ends.
Crisco can burns 72 days or ceramic pots with candles.
Row covers.
Brooding your chicks under table uses BTUs double. We use large table with skirting and a small heater to produce thousands of $ starts. I keep my bunnies inside during winter less frozen bunny water and flowers still blooming in Jan. One heat lamp for baby buns. 20° outside above freezing inside 17x8 I don't heat the larger gh.
Biddeford twin size heat blanket on a table,82"x62" and its thin. Cover the blanket with black pastic if ya want, it dont get hot enough to melt. Its low wattage and only $40. 18 flats i think it holds. A couple legs sticking up around the table to drape clear plastic over the flats.
Built-in thermostat with 10 heat settings.
Wife and I love your vids. We are also "show-me staters". We live in Knob Noster. Keep the vids coming.
Geothermal heating 8" tubing 8' deep 75' out 75' across 75' back use a small fan to draw the air through the tubing. Works so well you can grow oranges.
Skull dweller you have done this?
I just placed an order with Growers solution and took advantage of the 10% discount. Thank you.
Starts 4:45
Good idea. I wonder if you used a smaller light with a small fan if you could just make a cover over your plants so you wouldn't have to move them. Just a thought. Thanks for the insight.
Hey, you could do a cold frame on the ground in the green house. The ground in the green house will provide heat during the winter time. Build a 12" high frame and cover with plastic. We used to raise thousands of seedlings this way.
Love your videos always so informative. Thank you so much for making them and God bless you and yours.
This is quite nice too keep your plants warm & cozy I grow mine inside & have to wait until the weather breaks to take them out.
If these crises keep happening, & prices keep going up, we all might have to put our homes in a greenhouse🤪
I just used a heat lamp in the greenhouse. But I think my temperatures were right about freezing Also my greenhouse is much smaller than yours. It was enough to make the evenings safe.
That is a thing of real beauty. For going forward to extend your capacity I'd go with building another one. I don't know if there are Solar heat lamps but that's a way to use the day's sun to keep the plants warm at night.
..... For seedlings only. We have potted fruit and small trees in our polytunnel.