Greenhouses are a great way to get the most out of home gardening. Greenhouses provide a great environment for plants to grow and also protect them from many elements that could potentially harm them. During the winter greenhouses can protect tender plants from freezing rains, frosts and high winds. However, during the freezing winter months some areas require greenhouses to be heated in order to provide great protection from winter temperatures.
Hard frosts and severe freezing temperatures can cause a greenhouse to be chilled enough that the plants inside may be injured or killed. This can easily be prevented by providing a heating element inside the greenhouse.
Industrial greenhouses obviously require expensive industrial sized heaters or large heaters that run off of gas. Smaller greenhouses used for personal growing can be heated by many other, less expensive methods that don’t require pricey fixtures, expensive heating bills and risks over heating.
Ways to Heat Greenhouses During the Winter
- Small Lamps with no lamp shade work great to generate small amounts of heat on freezing nights.
- Fill barrels of water and place them inside the greenhouse. They will be warmed by the sun during the day and generate heat at night.
- Small space heaters will help heat small greenhouses. They need to have a thermostat to insure they don’t over heat. They can be purchased at department stores for as little as $20. They will also dry the air so be sure to place an empty pan of water near by. Also, insure that the it is not placed near the visqueen and has a controlled thermostat so that it doesn’t get to hot.
- Shop lights are very inexpensive and can also be purchased at department stores. They provide a great source of light and heat for greenhouses during the winter. Shop lights use long fluorescent bulbs that are usually only a few dollars. They come in cool and warm. Use warm bulbs to help warm the greenhouse. They can also be hung with in a few inches of the plants to provide great winter protection with out scorching the plants.
- Heating mats can be a bit expensive but work great. Especially for young seedlings planted in greenhouses in the earlier part of the year. They work by heating the plant from the bottom and letting the heat radiate up the plant.
While these are only a few ways to heat a greenhouse, they are the most budget friendly. “Greenhouse heaters” that are found in pricey catalogs don’t differ much from traditional space heaters except in size and they require expensive amounts of propane, fuel or energy that can increase electric bills by hundreds of dollars. They heating units are great but can run several hundred dollars up to thousands of dollars and usually aren’t required for small or hobby style greenhouses.
