Raised bed greenhouse heating DIY

[Gardentree]

Hello all! Not sure if this is the right place to post about greenhouse heating, but I figured it was pretty much a DIY project.

We just moved to our farm, and have been installing our raised beds. I've fashioned some U-clamp supports for PVC piping so that we can extend the season a bit, but as we're interested in [attempting to] grow year round, I'm wondering if it's possible to turn each of them into a heated greenhouse?

We live in the Pacific NW, and I believe that the winters here never get all that cold (compared to the mid-west where I'm from), but there is the occasional frost to contend with. I remember reading once that with a simple incandescent light-bulb you can stave off deep cold if you have a tender shrub that you can cover with blankets or plastic.

If that works, I wonder if you could rig up some sort of grid of lights every dozen feet or so, and use a heavy-duty insulated plastic (does that even exist)? That way, you'll have the added benefit of supplemental lighting (we get dark winters here in the Pac NW...)

Has anyone tried something similar? What other ideas do you have? Any resources you can recommend?

thanks!

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

Having a composting manure pile in the center of the greenhouse adds lots of heat as well.

 

[patandchickens]

Have you seen Elliott Coleman's book "Four Season Harvest" (I think that is the right one) -- he talks about using low tunnels or coldframes INSIDE high tunnels to get a great deal more nighttime warmth than you would otherwise, with no expenditure at all on Active heating. Worth checking out, anyhow.

Pat

 

[hwillm1977]

Have you seen Elliott Coleman's book "Four Season Harvest" (I think that is the right one) -- he talks about using low tunnels or coldframes INSIDE high tunnels to get a great deal more nighttime warmth than you would otherwise, with no expenditure at all on Active heating. Worth checking out, anyhow.

Pat

I HIGHLY recommend this book too... most of his harvesting in the winter are things that sort of go into a stasis, but that can still be harvested fresh year round... He harvests year round in Maine without using any supplemental heating... Someday I aspire to be that good at the gardening... lol

We've implemented some of the things he does (mostly just insulated cold frames) and had fresh greens in the middle of winter (our winter averages -20 to -30C)

 

[Gardentree]

thanks guys!

Bubblingbrooks: right after I posted this I read in a book about cold frames how they use manure to help generate heat. Perfect timing!

Patandchickens and hwillm: thanks for the suggestion! I've checked out his Winter Harvest Handbook, but that was before we moved onto our farm and the book was too detailed to retain much knowledge -- which is a good thing now that I'm here. I forgot who the author was, and frankly the name of the title, but when I looked him up on Amazon I remembered the book. I'll have to give them both another try.

Also, I guess he's the same fellow who wrote The New Organic Grower's Handbook. Another resource I've heard of several times.

As a follow-up to my original post, I did hear about heat-coils of some kind that you can bury 4" or so under the soil surface, which should help, but I wonder if heating the soil would be enough to protect the plants themselves...

anyway, thanks for all of your suggestions!