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market-farming - Re: greenhouse questions

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Subject: Market Farming

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  • From: "William McKay" <bmckay55 AT hotmail.com>
  • To: market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Re: greenhouse questions
  • Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2001 11:06:25


Sorry I forgot a very important point in the earlier post. If you are using unheated houses, you do not want double plastic. It is a waste of money. If your temperature goes below 20 or so for more than one night double layers will not prevent a freeze. Even if you get a few very cloudy days with temperatures in the twenties, the inside temperature will go below freezing.

The key to all this is to accept that fact. What you do is have a second insulating layer just above the plants (remay cloth). This does a very critical thing. It moderates temperatures both heat and cold. The temperature at the roof may be 95, but under the remay it will be 55 or 60 (the remay keeps some of the heat away and the cold ground temperature moderates it even more. In the evening, when the temperature drops to -2, your temperature at the roof will probably be o or 1 above; however, under the remay the ground will not freeze. Again, the remay cloth holds in (1) heat from the day (2) even more important, heat from the ground.

It sure works like a charm.

Bill McKay in E. Massachusetts
SeedsFromItaly-importers of quality Italian Vegetable seeds


Hi Nan,

Thanks for posting this question.

I too have been going through the same frustrating process. It's far more
complex when you have a limited budget:)

Hope this stimulates lots of good discussion so we can all sharpen our
thinking.

One system that I am particularly impressed with and would like to implement
is Eliot Coleman's (author) greenhouse system. He has actually built one that
slides on rails so when it's time to harden plants just moves green house
away a bit longer each day.


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