10 Degree Proof Greenhouse - NOT!!

[lakngulf]

I have made it fine with my green house over the last three years. Kept tomato and pepper plants alive, could start new seedlings any time I wanted. Cold weather was handled with (1) keeping the grow lights on the small stuff, some mass heat build up from sun and (3) a one burner propane heater.

Last night, with temp outside at 20 the greenhouse was about 31. After the ball game and before I went to bed (11pm) I turned on the propane heater. Well, when I woke at 6am the temp was 10 degrees. The greenhouse was below freezing, a bucket of water had thin ice, and most plants succumbed to the temps.

Lesson learned: My southern greenhouse is not built for brutal (to us) 10 degrees.

[littlelizzy123]

I'm sorry. It's still a beautiful greenhouse that the rest of the greenhouse-less are drooling over...

[Bobberman]

I had the same problem last night in Pa. My solar greenhouse stays above 30 even when the temp is around 10 but last night it was minus 19 and my inside temp went down to 20 so most of my flowers died but not the cole crops and lettuce.

[evtubbergh]

Once I brought stuff indoors during a very cold spell and everything froze indoors because there was a power outage all night. My fish also died

And yes, some of us are still jealous

[Bobberman]

If I lived in Al. I would make use of water storage in the greenhouse you have now. I would say 4 = 50 gallon drums of water would maintain a above freezing temp with out any heat source. The 10 degree temp you just had would have not frozen your plants if you had the water in there! In pa. the average temp I have in the winter in my barrels is around 40 but in Al I bet the temp would be more like 48 in the barrels.