Winter Greenhouse

Flowers in the Winter Greenhouse

In November the bulbs that were planted in September will be showing signs of growth. The containers are placed on the bench and during late December and January the bulbs will make a beautiful and fragrant display in the winter greenhouse. The jasmine is a plant that needs the cool greenhouse for flower buds to set and in February the fragrant jasmine will be the main feature in the greenhouse.

How To Build A Propagating Box

Heating costs are the major expense in operating a hobby greenhouse.  A cool or frost free greenhouse maintains a night temperature of 40˚-45˚ F (5˚ –7˚C). This is a suitable environment for frost sensitive plants and rooted cuttings. However, to germinate seedlings and root cuttings a constant bottom heat is required. A cost effective measure that I highly recommend is to have a heated propagation area and then maintain the greenhouse heat at the cool night temperature. Soil cable heating cables provide this constant bottom heat for germinating seedlings and root cuttings. Greenhouse gardeners are well known to take cuttings and collect seeds wherever they go, so the propagation box is always in use.

A soil-propagating box can easily be constructed by building a box six inches high around a number of flats. On the solid bottom put 2 inches of sand, and the soil cable is laid in looped form. This soil cable is covered with two more inches of sand and the flats are placed on top. The heat travels through the sand and provides an even heat to the trays or flats.

Automatic soil cables have a preset thermostat of 21˚C (71˚ F). The required length of cable is determined by multiplying the square footage of the growing area by 3. These soil cables are available in lengths of 3m (10’), 5m (17’), 8m (26’), and 10m (33’). Soil beds and cold frames require a longer cable. The longer cables are not automatic and require a separate thermostat, which has the advantage of various temperature settings.

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