SKR8PN's greenhouse journal and Zombie FYI thread

[xpc]

I am going to TRY to do this WITHOUT any other heat source. I put 3 cups of rock salt per 5 gallon jug. That "should" bring the freezing point down to about 27-28 degrees I am not to concerned about the heat transfer of the salt water, just the frost protection.

Now that you have it all closed up are you getting any heat gain? Of course you won't get any serious heat until the winter sun moves down the horizon but still thought that 750 gallons of water maybe heating up.

I think once it is warmed up it will take weeks with no sun for them to cool anywhere near freezing especially if you shutter the windows at night. I could see that thing making a couple of hundred thousand BTU's per sunny day and that's only with a delta of 50 degrees. Then again you will probably lose 10kbtu per hour when the sun goes down.

I have been buying all the 5 gallon buckets walmart has available when I go there and have 50 of them now.

 

[SKR8PN]

Latest update on the greenhouse. The jugs are working fine so far as a heat source, but it hasn't gotten really cold here yet either. We do not have any heat turned on in the house yet, and so far the greenhouse is staying withing 3 degrees of the house every evening. Right now the house is 68.7, and the greenhouse is 66.5 air temp and the soil temp is 68.9. RH in the house is 43% and in the greenhouse it is 67%, but I just got done watering it.





So far I have discovered that the west end of the back bed is wanting for light because the Oak tree is still leaved out. Hopefully that will improve during the winter months. I have been venting the greenhouse manually, using the sliding glass doors with the screen doors shut. It is working OK, but I need to devise some sort of an automatic system for spring time growing. I am also thinking about a drip watering system that I can use with rainwater.
So far it has just been a big learning curve/experiment and I couldn't be happier with it!!

 

[SKR8PN]

Today is a clear sky, but only 40 degrees out at 11:45 am. Very light breeze out of the east/northeast.

11:45 AM.
With the greenhouse closed up, the inside temp is 81 degrees and climbing rapidly! I SHOULD have built this as an attachment to the house and used it as an auxiliary heating supply!! The inside temp easily hits over 100 degrees on days like this. This time of the fall, the sun is hitting the bottom three rows of the jugs. Water temp of the jugs getting sunlight ranges from 83- 86 degrees. Next row up the temp is 76-80 degrees and the top rows are 68-72 degrees. The temps vary from end to the middle, with both ends being cooler than the center jugs.

 

[TanksHill]

Thanks for the update. Glad to hear things are going well.

g

 

[PamsPride]

 

[SKR8PN]

Sat. Nov 6.......10:00 pm......
THE BEST YET!!!
Outside temp is 29.1 degrees.......
Greenhouse is 62.9 degrees!!
Soil temp in the greenhouse is 59.4!
Me thinks the lettuce and the 'maters are pretty happy about now!!

 

[Wifezilla]

 

[framing fowl]

So we've got soil temperatures and water temperatures but what's growing in here about now?

Just curious as winter gardening is on my mind right now. I'm hoping to get lettuce and spinach into my little plastic greenhouse tomorrow or next Saturday.

 

[Wifezilla]

I have some spinach, cilantro and chinese cabbage growing in a raised bed under plastic. The perimeter is lined with 2 liter bottles filled with water. We have had a lot of freezing nights and even some snow. I figure if I can winter garden, and that guy in Maine can winter garden, most people can.

 

[SKR8PN]

So we've got soil temperatures and water temperatures but what's growing in here about now?

Just curious as winter gardening is on my mind right now. I'm hoping to get lettuce and spinach into my little plastic greenhouse tomorrow or next Saturday.

Three different varieties of lettuce, spinach, and two tomato plants. We are eating cherry 'maters till i think their coming out of my ears!!