Goodbye Tomatoes

Get a few plastic drums and paint them black if they aren't already. Fill them with water (reseal them) to store the heat energy and place them in a sunny spot in the greenhouse. They will soak up the suns rays during the day and then radiate heat at night...

Make benches using these drums as the legs. It helps to save space and you can work on the benches when replanting, etc.

Were you using any heating in the greenhouse? That is a good run of 'maters!

I still have a couple ripening in the back bedroom I picked them green just before the frost got the plants. I hope to have the greenhouse up for next winter.

The greenhouse has 3 black barrels in it for heat. It is a palram 8x8x12. I lowered the head space to about 7 feet by hanging bubble wrap. Next year I'll try to use more bubble wrap on the walls. Crazy thing is it is 88 in there right now, 27 outside.

Find yourself a couple of those old kerosene brooder lamps for your greenhouse. They would have kept the chill above the danger zone.

birdlady said:

The greenhouse has 3 black barrels in it for heat. It is a palram 8x8x12. I lowered the head space to about 7 feet by hanging bubble wrap. Next year I'll try to use more bubble wrap on the walls. Crazy thing is it is 88 in there right now, 27 outside.

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That's my problem here. How do you control the heat if you're gone? I have seen an automated system, but it was expensive.

REM said:

That's my problem here. How do you control the heat if you're gone? I have seen an automated system, but it was expensive.

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I plan on putting a 4'X7'X12" open water tank in my greenhouse with a water bed heater under the liner to raise crawdads and maybe catfish. That should also keep temps above freezing.

REM said:

That's my problem here. How do you control the heat if you're gone? I have seen an automated system, but it was expensive.

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With out the automated system you can't. You can do things to help keep the temps from going to low or high, but really have to watch if you are manually opening the vents, and using a fan or heater.

The heat can be just as big a killer as cold.

And choose your tomato varieties wisely. Long keepers ripen late, but pick green stack inside and they slowly ripen. Arctic tomatos can handle more cold than florida tomatos.

Great ideas about catfish in barrels, heating the GH. Heaters for the very cold nights. Frost blankets directly on tender plants

Or go indoor and pay for summer every month. Great way to stay sane too. Garden year round.

So after meeting our new grandbaby and dealing with an ice storm, yesterday was the first day I had time to remove the frost killed tomato vines. What I found didn't surprise me. The top 5 feet of vine was black and wilted, dead. But the bottom 2 feet, which was hidden by the dead part, was still green with leaves. I cut off the dead part and think I will see what the plants do. I don't expect any more fruit, but may clone new plants, if they start growing again.

the web is full of automatic venting systems for heat in a greenhouse.... they run 25-50 bucks normally... use no power...

weldnfab said:

the web is full of automatic venting systems for heat in a greenhouse.... they run 25-50 bucks normally... use no power...

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I can get one for my greenhouse for around 47.00 off Amazon. However, there are days that both doors have to be opened too. By the middle of June I'd hung shade cloth, and in July it was torture in there.

I have a remote thermometer, that I glance at every time I go by and, open/close doors and vent as needed.