Starting seeds

Hi Folks...in years past I have started many kinds of seeds under lights...hardened them off...and planted in the garden when frost danger was past. This year I also have a 12' by 24' hoop house...that has windows on both ends...plus a walk in door. I would like to use this house with my seed starting setup also...but don't have the know how at present...cos greenhouse stuff is new to me. I plan to use 55 gal. drums full of water to help with heating...plus an electric space heater also. I don't plan on using the house during the coldest part of the winter. Any thoughts or ideas on how I can best use the house for seed starting and seedlings would be very helpful...or the name of a book that covers this subject. Can I use the lights and house together for the above? My large light stand is in my basement....where a wood stove keeps things warm. Can I transfer my seeds after they start under the lights...out to the greenhouse? Basic stuff like that is what I don't know at the moment...:-) OldMainer

Hi OldMainer. Your GH sounds similar to the one I have, I bought it as a kit from a person in Maine that makes them.
I can only tell you what worked and didn't work for me.
About 6 yrs ago we put the GH up. I put in some black plastic drums and started with an electric heater the first few days.
I soon found that there wasn't enough sun up here in the winter to heat the water in the drums so I had drums filled with cold water taking up room in the GH. The electric heater was of no use to heat a 12 x 20 GH with the frigid winter and spring temps.
I had to buy a modine propane heater to keep the GH warm.
I usually wait until the end of February or beginning of March to start heating the GH. I then start planting my annual and veggie seeds on benches my DH made.
This year we lined the whole GH with bubble insulation and will keep it heated all winter as it is full of Brugmansias.
Yes you can start your seeds in the house and then transfer them to the GH as long as the GH is warm enough for them to grow.
Growing in a GH in the north is certainly a challenge and you will pick up little tricks along the way.
Since we live in similar zones if I can help in any way just send me an e-mail.

Do you think a radiant foil with bubblewrap in the middle might help? I live in a warmer climate, but it sounds like that you have so little sunlight that a reflective foil may be a good thing for you.......check it out at farmtek.com...or send for their free catalog......I put it on my north wall and roof from the inside and it wasnt really very expensive a little less than $100 for a 4X 65 foot roll with reflective tape for installing.........guess it would depend on how big an area you have, mine is just a hobby house 16X14 and I only do the north side

I have the black plastic barrels and use them as bases for my benches ,they are 24 inches wide, and line the south and north walls......while they are slow to heat, they will eventually.....

But sorry...I don't know what it's like to garden in cold country.....I live in Hotterthanhell, Texas....be about like you trying to tell me how to stay cool in November........ it was 89 here 2 days ago..not normal.........

Goodluck,
Jackie

I have my greenhouse full of ferns, papaya trees, nicotina and about everything you can think of. I started off with a kerosene heater. Last weekend we put in a propane heater. I just ran myself ragged running out to the greenhouse to check the temperature. The light bulb finally came on and I bought an indoor/outdoor therometer yesterday. Now I know that it is 21 outside and 38 in my greenhouse. I just hope that my pansies on the porch will make it. Just didn't think about them when the weather went from 80 to 20.

I am starting perennial seeds in my unheated green house. I used to do this outside in a coldframe. But am using the GH as a cold frame.I am going to heat it in Feb to start putting some size on the seedlings early.
Then I will start the annuals and veggies and move the hardier perennials to the small hoop house at the end of march.
I also use the remote thermometer they are great

Jeesh Jackie, I can't even imagine it being in the 80's in December. LOL
Our day temps are mostly in the 20's now and nights in the teens. Tonight and tomorrow night is supposed to go into the single digits.
Very soon the night temps will be below zero. :(
We do get the FT catalog and the reflective foil was definitely something that DH studied.
With the amount of snow that slides off the GH we thought the bubble would be more insulation though and I think we made a wise decision. I can already feel a big difference when I step into the GH.
You're so lucky to be able to benefit from the water barrels. Unfortunately here when the sun is out in the daytime which isn't often it usually means that it is even colder outside without the cloud protection and the heater still has to work just as hard to keep the GH heated.

Ooo it's beautiful!!! Snow is a rare treat here.

Well so much for the 89 degree weather, tomorrow morning it is expected to be in the early teens here and for the rest of the week......leaves still on the oak trees.......no precip expected, and we are in extreme drought .......only had 12 inches of rain on my place since summer of 2004...Dallas, TX an area a little south of here has had a bit more, but all of Okla is drought stricken...wildfires all around in the wooded areas and spread to the tall grassland prairies ...some the volunteer fire depts just let burn themselves out, little else they can do in some areas...saving resources and man power to protect the residential areas, none of which have been seriously threatened so far...................Ya"ll sure look like Christmas.....or should I say Holidays..........

I had thought maybe the reflective foil on top of the bubble wrap for more light....... but bless your heart.........you folks are eskimos.......:>)

Flannel Hugs,
Jackie

Hi all...thanks to all that replied to my post. Snowhermit...I think your right about the black drums of water...think we are too far north and too cold for them to really heat up. Am going to seek info on a propane heating system. Jackieshar...if I were to use my GH all winter I would get some reflective material and use it...but even then I'm finding out that light levels are way down...so trying to grow much of anything is a waste of time...maybe salad greens like EC does it...:-) Am going to start plants under my lights and in the GH...won't start in the GH until about the middle of March....can see where it's going to be fun...and a learning process...:-) Snowhermit I probably will take you up on your offer of advice as the winter goes on...thanks.

by april here it will probably be too hot to use a GH ......have to use them as a shade house with air and vents, even then it's iffy