Last Updated on April 16, 2024 by Real Men Sow
Debating what options for heating your greenhouse might work for your garden? There are many ways to keep heating your greenhouse, ranging from having a wood-burning stove to spending tens or hundreds of thousands on natural gas or propane. There are passive and active means of heating your greenhouse.
If you want your plants to thrive in winter, summer means that your vents should be open. If you love kale, but want more, you should consider how busy you will be as a gardener if you invest in a heating system to heat your greenhouse. Winter won’t be boring!
What hothouse heating options are available for gardeners? There are many! Some even come free. Here’s a quick overview of some methods that may work for you. It all depends on where you live and how cold it is there.
Methods of Heating Your Greenhouse
Heat Sinks
Heat sinks are able to absorb heat and then release it when it gets cold. This is an excellent low-energy, cost method to create small greenhouses.
Plastic Bottles
If you fill a plastic container with water and paint it black it will work as a heat absorbent. You can place several plastic bottles around the greenhouse to gather energy over the course of the day and then release it back into your greenhouse. Although it might not seem like much, it is enough to make a difference even if you don’t live in the Arctic. It’s actually a useful tool for those days that are still quite long.
Concrete Slab Floor
This acts as a heat sink on a thermal mass floor. While some people don’t want to pave their greenhouses, it is possible. However, concrete slabs can help you manage the environment better. While everything can run wild out there, a greenhouse is defined as a controlled environment.
Insulation
Insulation is the most important aspect of heating. If your structure is not sealed properly, you will heat the outside instead of the greenhouse.
Bubble wrap
This is one of the best ways to insulate a greenhouse. Bubble wrap is the best insulation material because it can be found almost anywhere. Moreover, the bubble wrap’s air pockets act as perfect insulation. And most importantly, it’s transparent and allows in light.
You can save some packaging bubble wrap by having spares. However, it’s a good idea to keep in mind that gardening shops now sell a special horticultural-grade bubble wrap. It is stronger and can withstand more snow, wind and rain than regular bubble wrap.
Important Tip
Clean your windows before you tape/tape on the bubble wrap. This will reduce the amount of light that is lost.
Heating
We now know some basics about insulation. Here are some ways to heat a greenhouse. There are many types of greenhouse heating, depending on the size and purpose of your greenhouse. While some gardeners prefer to keep temperatures above freezing in order to grow their plants, others prefer to keep them warm and active throughout the winter.
Cheap Ways to Heating your Greenhouse
Clay Pot And Candles
This will take you far, but only for a brief time. Tealights placed in a small greenhouse will help keep it warmer. However, the risk of an open flame is dangerous and the heat generated is limited.
There have been clever arrangements where the pot is suspended on a chain. While this may seem to be a good idea for a greenhouse, we’ve also seen chains that heat up enough to become a fire hazard. One tea candle can produce around 30 watts of heat. This can quickly add up to a lot of tea lights in a greenhouse. This is a great way to heat up an area in an emergency or when you need it, but it doesn’t work well as a reliable and affordable heating source.
Compost
It Is sustainable and efficient. You will notice steam if you walk near a compost pile during winter. If not properly maintained, a compost pile may even spontaneously combust!
This method has been used for nearly a century. It is possible to pipe heat into a compost pile if you live near one. This is a good idea for anyone who has a large allotment. In some cases, you might be able to coordinate with your neighbors on a large compost heap so that you all can use the heat in winter.
You can make floor heating by digging into the ground if you don’t have much compost or a large amount of soil in your greenhouse.
