So I’m almost finished with my first greenhouse. Any advice from the experts on what I can grow year round in the planter boxes? I was thinking herbs and maybe peppers. Not sure if it will get too hot though. Any advice will be much appreciated.
by jokecase79
9 Comments
I don’t have much advice. I just want to say this is awesome and I’m very jealous. People will want to know what zone you’re in and the temperatures during the cold months. Do you have a plan of keeping the temp up during the cold months?
Jealous
In zone 7a (down state NY) it is way too cold to grow anything in a similar greenhouse during the winter months even using a dozen black water bottles to retain heat it’s still unfortunately too cold at night. To utilize this in winter as something other than a pretty shed we would need to add a heat source.
Stick a thermometer in there overnight and see what your dealing with
I’m in zone 6b Nwnj literally the town that borders pa and ny. 4 years into green house life. I normally start my seeds first week of Jan for flowers and 3rd week of feb for veggies. Once everything is big enough with water bottles and electric heat at night it helps and they thrive. You can also get a late summer fall crop with supplemental heat. If it’s a cold winter (those are rare now a days) you have to wait longer. I’m gonna get a small camp site log stove to let it go over night to test out year round growing with a remote (phone controlled) electric backup. My greenhouse is south facing so I have 25 2.5 gallon black water jugs as buffer. Name of the game is heat control. If you can keep it warm overnight your plants will be ok. If you dip to low they are doomed. Also I have a full solar setup so I have a 12 volt oscillating fan to buffer really hot days with an auto open roof vent and auto ridge vent. Cooling is easier than heating. Message me back if you want more details or check my post history. It should all be there and it was simple to build if you have common dc wiring knowledge. Good luck
Without heat all you can do is some cold-hardy lettuces/greens now and wait for spring to get serious.
Can you run electrical to it? If so, your options are much greater.
Since I see snow on the ground you will need heat to grow in winter. With out, night temps will match out doorctemps. Days will warm up when sun is out, but those walls will not offer any real insulation
Thanks for all the advice everyone! I’m in zone 7a, Reno Nevada. And I do plan on running electrical for heat in the winter. I also have an auto opener for my one window. Just not installed yet. It does get hot here in the summer so my question is, will I fry certain plants in the middle of summer in the planting beds?
Any lead on where you got this?