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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] best greenhouse temp

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Subject: Market Farming

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  • From: "Beth Spaugh" <lists AT rhomestead.com>
  • To: <1corey AT bellsouth.net>, "'Market Farming'" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] best greenhouse temp
  • Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 19:40:07 -0500

Reading these responses with interest. This is our 3rd year with heated
greenhouse. We keep our thermostat at 40, which is as low as it goes, and it
seems to kick on at about 50. Our purpose has been to keep things from
frosting, but I wonder if it would pay to start plants later, wait later to
turn the heat on, and then keep it warmer to accelerate growth. We have not
turned it on yet, but I will run out of inside light space within a few days
(depending on how quickly stuff germinates). We have not done bedding
plants, just starts for our market garden. This year I am doing some hanging
baskets and deck containers, and will probably have some extras as bedding
plants. Our main farmers market doesn't start until mid-June. I am going to
another market this year which opens mid-May, but they already have several
folks doing begging plants. The plants for our own use have always been
plenty big, or too big, even kept just above freezing at night.

First year was in a small 14 x 20 hoophouse with a salamander on a
thermostat. Then we built the 27 x 96 hoophouse. Last spring we draped
plastic about 1/4 of the way down and just heated the one end. This year we
are heating the whole thing, with salad greens in most of it. DH doesn't
think we saved much by partitioning it (though we only used about 125
gallons of oil) and I have cool season crops in the ground in most of it so
I hope keeping it warmer will accelerate that growth enough to pay for the
fuel.

What I want is an insulated chamber with bottom heat for starting plants -
it would save a lot of fuel and give good light. It would also reduce house
mess from watering and rotating flats of seeds and seedlings among the 16
flourescent lights. By the way, anyone have any experience using the compact
fluorescents instead of long tubes?













































































































































































































































































































Beth Spaugh
Rehoboth Homestead
Peru NY
http://rhomestead.com






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