Dreaming of Spring Gardening in the middle of a Wisconsin winter

[21hens-incharge]

I am thinking I will be counting on straw to insulate some. I don't think I will heat the greenhouse. I am looking at more of a place to do plant starting. SO I guess that would make it more of a cold frame?

I could in the future add electric as the chicken coop is close to where I am looking at putting it and has electric........
That could be interesting...... I will look into how to heat the structure. At 8x8 it would not take much to keep it at a reasonable temp.

 

[birds4kids]

The weather zones thing is pretty vague, where I am is rated zone 5 but I always look for zone 4 plants, coldest this year has been -12 but I have seen mid 20s below and an average winter is only 48" snowfall so the ground is not well insulated. Construction guys said a couple winters ago when it was COLD with little snow frost went down 6feet in some places.

 

[politicalcenter]

I am thinking I will be counting on straw to insulate some. I don't think I will heat the greenhouse. I am looking at more of a place to do plant starting. SO I guess that would make it more of a cold frame?

I could in the future add electric as the chicken coop is close to where I am looking at putting it and has electric........
That could be interesting...... I will look into how to heat the structure. At 8x8 it would not take much to keep it at a reasonable temp.

I think that some heat will be needed. You will get those nights of frost when you are trying to get a head start and you will have warm days in the house with cold nights. But you don't need to go overboard. My big house got down to 33 last night. I know that is close but it was down to 19 and I am very cheap when it comes to heat. I also measure the temperature in the coldest spot in the house. The plastic had ice crystals about six foot up the plastic.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Looking at heating options and the most likely will be a small pellet stove for us. Now that being said I do have radiant space heaters already. They do not use a ton of electric but I would have to use 2 just to boost the heat above 32 degrees. I would also have to run electric out there.

Insulating will be a must as will a light source if I am going to try and grow year round in there.
For now I will make the structure as a spring summer fall plan and keep in mind that I may need to add heat.

Of course there is always the ever popular chick brooder lights LOL.

Don't want to go burning it down! OR melting the expensive polycarbonite.

Found this interesting mostly because it is here in Colorado.

Another option......

http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/commercial-propagating-mat/heat-mats-chambers

 

[politicalcenter]

Looking at heating options and the most likely will be a small pellet stove for us. Now that being said I do have radiant space heaters already. They do not use a ton of electric but I would have to use 2 just to boost the heat above 32 degrees. I would also have to run electric out there.

Insulating will be a must as will a light source if I am going to try and grow year round in there.
For now I will make the structure as a spring summer fall plan and keep in mind that I may need to add heat.

Of course there is always the ever popular chick brooder lights LOL.

Don't want to go burning it down! OR melting the expensive polycarbonite.

Found this interesting mostly because it is here in Colorado.

Another option......

http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/commercial-propagating-mat/heat-mats-chambers

I have found electric space heaters too expensive to run. I only use them in an emergency. Have you tried plug trays? I have several... and you can place 512 seeds in a space the size of a regular flat. It is very handy for saving space and keeping the heating bill down. They are perfect for tomato and other small seeds. I have a couple I have cut down to even smaller sizes. I have 176 broccoli seeds in a small one now. I use a back heating pad on low for the smaller trays. You could start several thousand seedlings on a shelf rack in the house and not use a greenhouse till later.

I use plug trays so that I can get the plants up in a small space and put them in cell packs and have one plant per cell and no empty cells.

I apologize but my computer is too slow to load videos and I don't own a cell phone. But I checked out the greenhousemegastore and I think you can do better on the heating mats. I found some mini greenhouse flats with a heating mat in the bottom at my local CO-OP for less than ten dollars but they have no thermostats. They have the seed tray, plastic cover, and mat.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I am just getting into starting seeds. I have not ever had a place to do it so always end up buying already started plants from a greenhouse or Home Depot. Not everything I want to grow is available when I am looking for it if at all in my area. That is the motivation for a greenhouse. Learning a ton about greenhouse growing and trying to learn from the mistakes others have experienced so as not to repeat their fails.

I have seen the plug trays. I am also looking at perhaps getting a seed starting area set up in the laundry room. I have the space but only one electric outlet in that room. Good thing I have an friend that does commercial electric.

I am agreeing that trying to start the tiny seeds may be hit or miss in a greenhouse without heat. I also agree it could be costly to heat it. Or worse yet burn the structure to the ground.

I am looking at some lighting options as the laundry room although large has only one TINY window.

This is kind of expensive in my under educated opinion.
http://www.amazon.com/4lamps-DL844s-Fluorescent-Hydroponic-Fixture/dp/B00HEYCRI8

Lots of research needed before I commit to a grow light set up.

Reading and learning a ton. I hope I retain some of it.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I had read that you can fill some plastic barrels with water, the sun heats them up during the day and then they give off the stored heat all night, so that's something I would try to keep a green house warmer at night. My use for a greenhouse in zone 4 would be to move my started plants out to it in March or April, because most can't be planted until June, and then I would use it in late fall to get a few cold season vegetables, until they finally froze.

I start my seeds in 4 inch pots, fill with soil, pack, wet down with hot water, put seeds on the surface, water in with warm water, cover with plastic wrap, rubber band, then put in a sunny window, after they develop true leaves I transplant as many as I need into cell packs, then they go under lights with a fan blowing on them for a couple of hours a day.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Sometimes I hate living in Colorado!

Since pot went legal here no one is carrying grow lights anymore. I guess they are afraid of being liable for illegal grow operations.

I am watching a couple youtube videos about lighting and plant starting. Looks like even a more commercial operation is starting seeds under regular fluorescent lighting shop lights. Is that possible without full uv spectrum?

Lord knows I have several sitting in the shop doing NOTHING. Would be good if I could use them.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have always used plain old shop lights with plain old florescent lights, been working for years, last year I bought new lights even. That's kinda funny about the pot.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Very glad to know I do not need to spend 200 on a light fixture to grow seedlings. Told you this is all newish to me.

I have been reading all day

bout lighting and greenhouse heating and different insulation methods and how to start seeds indoors.

Makes sense that I would only now find the vids where people actually say shop lights.

Wasted a lot of time looking for something I don't need.