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If you have electricity, you can use a little space heater, though that might be expensive. I did that a few years ago, and it worked well. The heater was on a timer, I just heated it at the coldest part of the day.
You could do do a propane heater, if you've got a fairly well ventilated greenhouse.
Finally, you could do what they did in the old days.They'd spread fresh cow manure on the floor of the greenhouse, and it would put out heat as it composted.
I guess a lot of it depends what kind of greenhouse you've got and how thick the walls are and how cold it gets where you are.
Thermal mass is the concept of using heat sinks of some sort to collect heat during the day, and slowly releasing it at night. I've seen columns or barrels of water used in this way by lining the north wall of the greenhouse with them. Obviously, for a small greenhouse this might be more difficult to accomplish.
They have what they call water walls, which collect heat during the day and release it at night.....might not fit a small greenhouse tho...havent researched them real well.
I dont heat my houses, I have two 17 x 100 and one 26 x 100. They are basicly used as cold frames to overwinter trees. In snowy weather may use a couple small propane heaters to keep snow from accumilating.
What are you going to grow? Like cancan, I don't heat my greenhouses unless I'm growing seedlings in them in the spring. I grow/harvest greens all winter in Zone 4/5.
If you have electricity, you can use a little space heater, though that might be expensive. I did that a few years ago, and it worked well. The heater was on a timer, I just heated it at the coldest part of the day.
You could do do a propane heater, if you've got a fairly well ventilated greenhouse.
Finally, you could do what they did in the old days.They'd spread fresh cow manure on the floor of the greenhouse, and it would put out heat as it composted.
I guess a lot of it depends what kind of greenhouse you've got and how thick the walls are and how cold it gets where you are.
I have been thinking about a green house once I move. I was thinking maybe solar/wind turbine for electricity generation and then heater to warm the thing.
New to forum: Have a small 6 x 6 plastic greenhouse. Tried a propane heater, but it did not last the night. Has anyone used milk jugs painted black & filled with hot water & antifreeze? I'm going to try bubble wrap also. Want to be able to grow carrots, greens, peas until about December.
Insulation is the cheapest route. For something as small as 6x6, 2 litre soda bottles filled with water and stacked along the walls, inside a layer of bubble wrap would be a possibility. Add something dark to the water to help absorb heat from the sun during the day.
Thermal mass is the concept of using heat sinks of some sort to collect heat during the day, and slowly releasing it at night. I've seen columns or barrels of water used in this way by lining the north wall of the greenhouse with them. Obviously, for a small greenhouse this might be more difficult to accomplish.
Great idea, we use the Thermal Mass concept in sun collector rooms (sun spaces) in our green designs. You have a solid masonry or floor of a dark color that would collect the heat from the sun during the day, and slowly radiate that heat back into the house during the night. It works pretty darn well. Water jugs are used quite often as well, although the water looses the heat pretty quickly.
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