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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] straw bales as greenhouse heat source??

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  • From: Lucy Goodman <goodows AT infinet.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] straw bales as greenhouse heat source??
  • Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 06:13:13 -0500

We have done tomatoes early in unheated single layer plastic hoophouses for the past 5 years. I am in SW Ohio on the edge of zones 5 and 6.

Over the years I have found timing is important and not to put the maters in the greenhouse any earlier than April 1st. When planted in early or mid March (when we can get temps as low as -10˚F) they get too cold and tend to set fruit late (generally no earlier than the main crop in Mid July), they get blights and the yields are way down.

For heat we use 5 gallon plastic buckets of water or better yet the black plastic liners from hot water heaters which hold 40 gallons and get quite warm in a hoophouse on a sunny day (and we will also use such a tank for drip irrigation in the hoophouse). We also have been known to use Wall O' Waters around the tomatoes (which works really really well but the WOW's are a pia to put up and they are expensive if you are starting several hundred tomato plants). We do use row covers a lot on thickness matters in winter do not use anything lighter that Agri-pro AG-30 and AG-50 is even better at keeping heat in the hoophouse.

We have not used any real heat like an electric heater, woodstove, propane heater in the hoophouses but I think this would be a smart thing to do if temps will be falling below 39˚F in a hoophouse with tomatoes as they really cannot take much chilling with out future problems.

It also pays to use varieties bred for cold conditions. And i find it is smart to start saving your own seeds and breeding your own tomatoes for early production. I have Yellow Taxi seed that does quite well in unheated hoophouses and is the only mater I have that will produce decently even if it gets exposed to a 20˚F hoophouse for a night of two.

Lucy Goodman
Boulder Belt Farm
Eaton, OH
http://boulerbelt.blogspot.com





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