Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Phil Bunch" <pbunch@cox.net>]

Climate wise we get 70-72F days and +/-50F nights year around. I'd like to
use organic mulch and this will work for potatoes but I don't think I can
warm up the soil under organics enough to radiate enough heat during the
night. The black plastic would act more as a solar collector than anything
else.

-----Original Message-----
From: livingontheland-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:livingontheland-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of
TradingPostPaul
Sent: Saturday, January 05, 2008 6:23 PM
To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Cool Climate Tomato Growing


The soil will warm during the day but ventilation is needed to avoid
overheating. I have no idea what your climate will be tho. I can't comment
on black plastic for mulch since I have no plans to ever use it. 

I'm facing the same challenge here with our four month frost free season.
But we need more than 55 degrees in the greenhouse for best production, and
we need to hold down heating costs. Maybe set up a wood stove? We use straw
mulch on 4'x12' framed beds.This greenhouse is single layer 6 mil UV and
lumber, 15'x50', and a double layer structure would be far more expensive
seeing how I did this one myself for well under $1,000. Seeding should
start Feb 1st to have loads of ripe tomatoes by June 1st at least, and has
to be started in pots in one walled off end with a small room heater. 


paul tradingpost@lobo.net

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 1/5/2008 at 6:02 PM Phil Bunch wrote:

>I'm thinking about how to raise night temperature from 50F to 55F for
>tomatoes. Anyone think a double walled hoop house with black plastic mulch
>would do it? I'm thinking that if one warmed the soil during the day the
>radiation at night may be capable of 5 degree rise in air temperature. I'm
>pretty sure that the dimensions of the hoop house would be critical but I
>don't know how large it would have to be.
>
>Any ideas?
>
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