Door in Side of Greenhouse instead of End?

[R.R.]

I'm not sure which I like better, the kitchen or the green house. LOL

Me neither LOL!

 

[ChanellG]

Our temps are rarely above freezing this time of year. Too expensive to heat 24.7. I will be starting the heat in mid march. That is when the lows are up to 24f.

Sheeesh! How do you stand it? Does the entire community take a vacation until it warms up again?

Your greenhouses aren't that big. I just used a candle to heat mine about (5x5) during a recent freeze. You should get a couple terra cotta flower pots and a jar candle and try it out for a couple days to see what temperature you can get. My leaky greenhouse with the ripped vinyl cover stayed 10 degrees above the outside air temp with one heater and using only one pot. If you can get the temp above freezing you could add water to help raise the heat further.

 

[CanadianLori]

It takes 15k btu to heat the green one. Forgot to mention that it cost me over 200 dollars last February to heat it those 28 days. Can't afford that!

 

[zigs]

Like the his and hers rifles

 

[CanadianLori]

Like the his and hers rifles

Bbs, only if a rat shows

 

[zigs]

Real Rat or the ex?

 

[CanadianLori]

Real. Both exes are already departed.

 

[ChanellG]

It takes 15k btu to heat the green one. Forgot to mention that it cost me over 200 dollars last February to heat it those 28 days. Can't afford that!

You should try the bubble wrap trick.

 

[CanadianLori]

I have insulation on the floor, bubble wrap from ACF greenhouse supply around the walls and the window film added to all of the peaks and the door. More or less double paned now. I have insulation stripping around the door opening. I did try storage of mass in the form of gallons of water but this only helps in early spring or late fall. The winter it just provides me with big ice cubes.

The problem is that we aren't just looking at a 10 or 20 degree raise in temperature needed. The lows are -5 up to -20 F, so in order to heat a greenhouse that size takes a lot to get it up by 37 or possibly 50 degrees to stay just around freezing, let alone a comfortable spot for seedlings or plants.

When the sun is out, well you know, it's lovely without any added heat but the minute the sun goes down, the inside gets nasty cold. Insulation or no.

In my small greenhouse (6x4) when the lows get up to 32F, I can use two dietz kerosene lanterns and raise the temperature by 8 degrees. I tried them in the big one but they only raised the temperature in the bigger one (6x8) by 3 - 4 degrees. So I resorted to a natural gas heater that can pump out 20K btu and heats it up in no time but the bill - oh, my not good.

So, I only start heating it mid march and for now I have an area in the basement that is set up the same size of your greenhouse (actually I also have one of those that I bought at TSC Stores-also available at Big Lots in spring) which I move outside come the real spring.

Here is my larger greenhouse today.

This might better explain the issue about how many btu it takes to heat it. Snowball fight anyone?

 

[Idaho_Kev]

Hi CanadianLori, if you are thinking about portable greenhouses, this is what I use. They're extremely easy to place over the plant and warms the air and soil inside it. Obviously they don't have a built in heater on them, but I'm sure it will be helpful to place them inside your current greenhouse now to grow your cold hearty crops. Once it starts warming up, you can use them for extra heat to warm your plants in the spring, summer, and end of fall.

 

[CanadianLori]

At one time I took net umbrellas (don't know the proper name- those things you place over plates of food to keep the flies off of it during picnics) and covered them with plastic.

Maybe I will start some lettuce and resurrect these little plastic brollies.

thanks for the heads up
Lori

 

[Idaho_Kev]

I've never tried using a net umbrella, but it's worth a try. I gave these plant protectors a shot when my neighbor recommended them to me. They're called Grow it Now Miniature Greenhouses. I like them because they have different sizes of plant protectors for each stage of planting. In Southern Idaho, we have a lot of cold weather and very short planting seasons, so us Idaho gardeners are always trying to push the season. Based on the picture you posted, your winters look similar to ours. Can't wait for it to warm up. Good luck on your garden this year!

 

[CanadianLori]

I've never tried using a net umbrella, but it's worth a try. I gave these plant protectors a shot when my neighbor recommended them to me. They're called Grow it Now Miniature Greenhouses. I like them because they have different sizes of plant protectors for each stage of planting. In Southern Idaho, we have a lot of cold weather and very short planting seasons, so us Idaho gardeners are always trying to push the season. Based on the picture you posted, your winters look similar to ours. Can't wait for it to warm up. Good luck on your garden this year!

Yours are much sturdier. I will look for them.

 

[LIcenter]

Getting back to your original question. Greenhouses of your type are very lightly engineered. By cutting a hole in the side would cause a structural integrity problem.
You would then have to beef up the opening to a degree that the opening would never function to your liking. Doors are placed at gable ends because there is a low to no load factor involved.

 

[CanadianLori]

Oh goodness, I didn't word that very well. I would never cut into my greenhouses, I was just wondering if there exists a greenhouse that is much wider at the entry side because of the shape of my side deck and perhaps copying it.

Sorry for the confusion.