Thermostats, automatic air openers, heaters, etc...

Michele. I set my heater on frost watch and then just watched my inside monitor. When it said 37 degrees I got kind of worried so I went out there and it was running but not really heating up things the way I wanted. I put it on the 65 degree heating and it finally recovered back to around 58, which is kind of where I want it to be. I have not figured out yet if it will heat up enough because it has not really been that cold lately. The daffodils have announced themselves....Spring is near!!!! It is going to be getting in the 20s this week so I should be able to grasp a little better on how it works. Can't risk loosing any babies -some of my tomato plants are around 6 inches tall. This GH stuff is sooooooo much fun.

Have a good evening.
Cindy

Just some thoughts on remote thermometers. Mine are real picky about where they are sitting and what direction they face. The package will give you a distance that the master unit will read - but that depends on how many and what kind of walls it has to read through. If they are acting strange - try some different locations. Just a few feet and a 90 degree turn made the difference between working and not. (I had tried so many locations in the GH that I lost the remote for a few days! I knew it was in there somewhere - and it was communicating with the master - so I didn't worry.)

I still start my seeds in the house - like always. That gives them a warmer start. They "graduate" to the greenhouse when they are bigger and able to stand cooler temps.

You guys with the electric heaters . . . do you have power outages in the winter?

Ric, according to the manufacturers directions, I don't want the greenhouse getting over 70 degrees. I have the openers adjusted on the high side, even though I don't know exactly what temperature. They closed in the late afternoon. Also excessive heat makes the seed mix dry out too quickly.

Cindy, I am keeping the heater at the lowest temp too. I think it was 65? I have set it to that the last two nights and had kept my GH between 55-60 overnight. That seems to be the best I am going to do. There is nothing between 44-65. Does the top of your heater show all three squiggly lines, to show you have the heat on high?

Rosie, I am noticing the same thing with that darn thermometer. The base does not seem to like cool temps despite the fact the directions say it has a minimum range in the 20s I believe. It is really starting to irk me. I have reset it a few times. Yesterday I sat it out in the sun on my deck and it was fine for hours. As soon as I moved it to shade, closer to the house, the temps on the remote went amuck again.

On the space heater, this is just a temporary fix for me so I can get my seeds going. I am still debating over wintering in this GH. Last year I had a cheapie GH-aluminum poles with a big zip on cover. I started everything in the house, threw it all out as soon as it sprouted, even threw my tropicals out there in March. Everything came through just fine. It was suggested to me NOT to start my seeds inside and move them because I could possibly fry them. I'm doing alright though. :) The seeds I put out there Saturday are coming up already. Oddly enough, the first seeds to pop up are seeds left from 2000! LOL

I have to laugh about you losing the remote! The remote to my heater looks like a kid sized cell phone. Guess where mine keeps going? I have taken it from the baby who thinks she is talking on the phone and also from the 3 and 5 year olds. When it finally got left on the counter, they got a talking to because I forgot WHICH counter it was on. Whoops!

Michele, I do have it on the 3 squiggly lines. I probably did not wait long enough for it to work on the frost mode. I was too anxious so I just set it on 65 to be done with it. The problem that I am having is this GH is in full sun just about all day long. During the daytime with the heater off, it still gets to be above 110 degrees in there. I have both roof vents open and a lower back rear vent and a fan running all the time but it just will not cool off in there. My poor plants go from 55 degrees to 110 degrees in a matter of hours. Has not harmed them yet, but I do have to water almost every day. Any suggestions on what I can do. I think I have about 2-3 more weeks and then I can put all this outside (this may be wishful thinking). Cold front coming so temps in the 20s and 40s this week. Come on be done with it already!!!!(winter that is).

Cindy

Just butting in here, but I'd think a shade cloth might be in order. I wouldn't think it'd detract from the heat capacity at night, since it's dark anyways. If anything it might help insulate what heat you do have at night time. *shrug* Just a thought.

Hey Cindy and Michelle!
You don't need to keep your GH at 65 during the night. Mine is set on frost watch and it gets down to about 40 at night. Unless you have a lot of tropicals, that should not be too cool. My GH is stuffed full of six pacs with seeds and seedlings in all stages. Nothing is harmed by getting that cool at night, in fact, it probably is good for most of them. ( Granted it may take some things a little longer to germinate, but hey, that's what heat mats are for.)

BTW my DH told me there was no noticeable rise in the electric bill, But, then, there weren't an awfully lot of really cold nights last month.

Everyone have a great day!

I've gotta agree on the low temps.
Our hoophouse dipped into the upper 30's many times this Winter.
Several times we even had frost on the top come morning.
We harvested 2 Bell Peppers, from plants we brought in last Fall, yesterday.
Our 'saved' tomatoes are now flowering also.
Carolina Jasmine are budding,
Caladiums sprouting and even the Spanish Moss is going strong.

Ric

Cindy, I do agree about the shade cloth. I bought one when I ordered mine. You can get a decent price on them at www.wormsway.com You may also want to consider growing some vines on the sunny side up some posts or trellis for the summer to shade your GH.

I heard something about a low in the 20s tonight or tomorrow too. ICK! Yesterday was a beautiful day and today it is kind of overcast and windy. It sprinkled earlier and the sun keeps trying to come out but it's losing. LOL

Skyblue, thanks a bunch for your help. :) I am not keeping my greenhouse at 65, but running the heater with that being the lowest setting other than frost watch. Running the heater set at 65 is keeping it about 57 out there. I only intend to do that a few nights to help with the seed sprouting. I just got all the rubber stripping around the glass and have a few more openings to shove some foam into. I think all my heat is/was going out the cracks but I suspect that will change once I finish my insulating tasks. I will only run it at frost watch as soon as I get done with the foam. Things are not getting done as quickly as I would like with hubby working 7 days a week and me being here with all six kids. LOL I have not gotten around to heat mats or cables yet so this is what's working. I am using this method to investigate how well the heater works, how well my GH holds the heat, compared to the temps etc.

I did pot up my caladiums a few days ago and my tropicals are slated to go out there soon too. I have about 40 square feet of garage stuffed with them. As soon as the weather looks okay, I am putting everything out there. The biggest reason I wanted the greenhouse was to get all the junk out of the house. I am starting seeds as quickly as I can!! I want the whole mess OUTSIDE.

I hope no one thinks I am being argumentative or disagreeable. I really, truly appreciate the input and ideas. I figure by these open conversations, it is helping me as well as others.

THANKS!!

Heads up 'chele they're talking 16 degrees tomorrow night!

Ric

I know, I know. Wah haha haha I am leaving the heater on frost tonight, but I guess tomorrow I will jack it back up to the 65 and hope for the best. I don't think the GH will dip below 40 and if it does, I'll hope the best for my seedlings. They are just starting to pop up.

Hey, no problem, Michelle, that's how we learn. I've done a lot of trial and error.
I was scared to death to trust my little heater and had a bunch of stuff in the kitchen. DH said "what did we get you a GH for?" and kicked it all out to the GH. That's when I learned that it WAS warm enough out there.Lol

Everyone have a great day!

Eileen