Cold weather has arrived and we have two spot lights in the greenhouse. It is keeping it about 10 degrees warmer than the outside temperatures. We have a small camping heater to use when it gets very cold. The daytime temperatures on sunny days are not a problem because when the sun hits the plastic the temperature rises.
This is the cold frame built around the keyhole garden that sits on our patio. I will post more pictures on this.
This is our little potting shed, I took this just before dawn.
The inside walls of the potting shed. The Grandchildren helped me to paint the inside and they had a blast.
This is the very end of December and I have new plants emerging. This is a tray of Thyme that I planted last month.
These are heirloom onions that I started early and will wait until closer to spring to plant more. I just wanted to see if I could grow some during the winter.
The side window is now built
It is hinged at the bottom so it lets down. Now the greenhouse has three windows and the top lifts up to let the hot air out if needed.
Our Tiny Greenhouse before the side windows.
Cold weather came upon us quickly so we had to move the plants inside before we completed the greenhouse.
So this is how it started
Each frame was built, plastic was stapled on and then brought over and attached to the other frame.
The area for the door and windows were built when the frames were built and were added later. The roof is hinged at the back and can tie down in the front. This allows the roof to be raised for ventilation.
The door was added and the side windows will be added later. I will post those pictures when completed. There are small ropes attached to some hardware to hold down the front of the roof in case of a high wind. The greenhouse is screwed to the wood fence and metal posts were hammered down to the front sides and then screwed into the frame. This was done to keep it from blowing away during a high wind.
I love the little window in the door. It is hinged at the bottom and the window hangs down. There is a screen on the other side of this window.
The window opens from the top and lays flat against the door.
The shelves have wire so light can get through to the bottom vegetables.
The lettuce are growing well
The cabbages are slowly making heads
We will use two heat lamps which are like spot lights that we will use to keep the inside of the greenhouse from freezing. When it gets very cold we may use a small camping heater, I will post what we do as we advance into more freezing temperatures. We also have a small electric heater that has a very good thermostat. I will have to decide which will cost more to use, the electric or the camping heater.
It is Middle December and I have planted a few seeds and put them under a long grow light that we have out in a small shed. I will transfer them to the greenhouse after they are ready to transplant to larger containers. I planted cilantro, which I normally grow all year long. Some onions, a few early tomatoes, broccoli, basil and lettuce. I planted two cucumber seeds just to see if I can grow them in the greenhouse during the winter.
More to come
