Greenhouse – Regulating Temperatures

My greenhouse has become a favorite place for me to work on most days. From watering, seeding to transplanting there is a lot of activity in the greenhouse.

But I am struggling with keeping my temperatures within an acceptable range.

When it was cold I had to add a heater to keep the temperature above 40.  I let the temp drop into the 30s one night and lost the tomato plants I had in the ground.  This of course is a manual process and adds the cost of electricity to my gardening efforts.

IMG_6682
heater on a metal chair so I don’t burn the place down

When the temperature gets too hot I have another problem.  The greenhouse will heat up in a hurry and the extreme temperature will kill off any tender seedings, and even some things in the ground.

I have a window that opens when the temp gets above 75 degrees and will leave the door open for ventilation.  I have a small fan in the greenhouse to help with air flow, but it is not really big enough to keep the temps down.

IMG_6408
what a great invention – opens and closes around the 70 degree mark

Today I added a shade cloth that is supposed to block 70% of the sun’s rays.  Too early to tell if it will be helpful, but got to try something!

IMG_6683
10×20 shade cloth covers most of the greenhouse

I also have a thermometer that registers the high and lows.  This is helpful as a reactionary tool, and give me some insight as to what is happening in the greenhouse.

IMG_6684
I can set the indicators to show the last low (green) and high (blue).  Actual temp is red arm. 

These are my attempts and regulating the temperature in my greenhouse.

I would love to hear what methods you use to keep things around an optimal temperature.  Drop you comments below if you would……

 

Leave a Reply