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  • From: Rachel Airmet <rachel AT sunshinefarmmarket.com>
  • To: "market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Bench heating in greenhouse
  • Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 08:05:27 -0800


Bob,

Thanks for your advice. That definitely looks like a less expensive
solution. I'm wondering one thing: did you bury your cables in soil (or
something other) to distribute the heat? Or did you find the heat
distribution was even enough with out burying them in some medium?

Thanks,

Rachel
Sunshine Organics
North Central Washington

On 2/9/08 8:41 AM, "Robert Schuler" <sunnfarm AT verizon.net> wrote:

> Rachel go to the Wrap-on web site and look up their Gro-Quick soil warming
> cables. Before I went to a hot water system I had a 3.5'x 60ft bench
> electrically heated with a series of 14 of the 48 ft 168 watt cables. I
> could
> germinate 120 flats at a time on a single layer and I could germinate up to
> three layers of seedling trays at a time or 360 trays... I still use some of
> them for seed germination... Bob.
> Sunny Meadow Farm
> Bridgeton, NJ.
>
>
> Hi, All.
>
> I am wondering if I could get some more information on how people have set
> up bench heating systems for starting plants.
>
> Last fall we put up a 20x48 double inflated poly greenhouse. It's got a
> modine heater (not hooked up yet so not familiar with it yet) , but I also
> want to set up a hot-water bench heating system for starting plants.
>
> I used to start plants in the basement under lights but it was too messy,
> and now we're doing too much volume.
>
> I've seen a farm where they ran tubing from a hot water heater over a bench
> that had several inches of gravel on it, the tubing buried in the gravel.
> Is the gravel (or sand?) really necessary, or can you just run the tubing
> directly under the benches?
>
> Are there websites or other sources of info that I should look at to see how
> to do this right?
>
> Is there a certain type of tubing to use? Or guidelines about the diameter,
> or how far apart the loops of tubing should be, etc?
>
> I'm thinking I'll set up a heating bench that's about 4'x40'. I do have
> some heavy duty germination mats that I could use to start peppers and
> tomatoes on if I wanted a warmer spot...?
>
> Thanks for any input!
>
> Rachel
> Sunshine Organics
> North Central Washington
>
>
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