I am going to be building a coldframe or low hoop setup this next fall and am considering adding some thermal mass as in bricks/stone or containers of water to gather heat during the day and release it at night. What are your experiences with any of these and/or is there something else that would work better?
Better at holding heat - Stone/brick or water?
Water has the highest heat capacity (specific heat value - 4.18 kJ/mol) of anything in the world -- in fact it's why life can exist on earth and why they can grow palm trees in florida and not farther north where we live. Use water. It is the best (and most energy efficient) way to heat your greenhouse during the night. Our Botanical Gardens doesn't even use the furnace to heat the building a large portion of the year because the greenhouse does all the heating. It's large enough (the greenhouse) that the barrells of water keep it heated year-round. Of course, in a small greenhouse in the dead of winter supplemental heat should be given but nonetheless water is the best choice. Take a look: http://botanic.org/Passive_Solar_Heating.asp
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