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<\/a><\/p>\nI used tea light heaters in the greenhouse last year and was very happy with them. \u00a0They managed to keep the greenhouse at 40 degrees even when the nighttime temperatures dropped to 20 degrees. \u00a0Of course, that was just the ambient temperature in the greenhouse as measured by a thermometer that sits in the middle of the space. \u00a0I expect they do a better job of keeping the seedlings warm than the thermometer suggests because the heaters sit right underneath the shelves with the plants, basically acting as heating mats for them.<\/p>\n
I also like the tea light heaters because they seem safer than other heating choices. \u00a0The tea lights are enclosed by aluminum tins so the flame isn’t open and they automatically shut themselves off—sputtering to an end each morning when their 10 hours are up. \u00a0This year I added a brick to each side of the tins. \u00a0This supports the clay pots easier but also acts to absorb some heat and then release it slowly over time (just like the black barrels). \u00a0I can’t decide if the best part of this low tech method is getting to light the candles on cold nights (why is lighting candles so fun??) or seeing the calming flickering glow of the greenhouse at the top of the driveway. \u00a0Like our own little 1800’s nightlight.<\/p>\n The only downside is that you need to purchase the 10 hour tealights online. \u00a0The ones generally found in local stores go out after just a couple hours. \u00a0And once you get on Amazon to order 10 hour tealights, you’ll find all the items you wanted<\/span> needed in your shopping that cart that were going to order the next time you wanted<\/span> needed some things but were waiting to have enough items to get free shipping. \u00a0Of course, you forgot about all those items because maybe you really didn’t need them but now you remember that you want them and you have to all these discussions with yourself about wants versus needs and making responsible financial choices until you finally just say. \u00a0“Agh, just get it all!! \u00a0Plus these praying mantis eggs sacks. \u00a0Because I forgot I needed to hatch praying mantis eggs for the garden but I really, really do!” \u00a0Stupid Amazon.<\/p>\n Besides the paint and the tealights, I added another new low tech heating option to the greenhouse this year. \u00a0I read a lot about people heating greenhouses via compost, which was intriguing and everything from a whole lot of work….<\/p>\n to just very simple….<\/p>\n I already had an old compost bin in the backyard that we never used anymore. \u00a0Our chickens get all the kitchen scraps and the manure from the barn gets dumped into a pasture for them to break down by scratching through it for bugs and leftover seeds or grain. \u00a0So I dragged the bin into the greenhouse and filled it with fresh waste from the barn, wetting it down a bit between wheelbarrow loads. \u00a0In general, the barn waste is a perfect mix of carbon (straw) and nitrogen (manure). \u00a0But I also tried to alternate drier layers that include the hay dragged to the sleeping areas or close to the door with the really poopy hay that is one goat or sheep length away from round bales. \u00a0Basically that spot is where the hay goes in and the poop comes out.<\/p>\n The compost bin has a nice gap at the bottom and a removable lid so I used a garden stake to poke air holes in the bottom and middle of the pile to keep it aerated. \u00a0It’s not fancy but if it works it will emit some heat as it decomposes. \u00a0And leave me with some nice compost in the end. \u00a0Even it doesn’t work, it adds some more mass to the greenhouse to absorb heat during the day and release it at night.<\/p>\n With all the prep work done, I spent a couple days planting all my seeds and labeling them and setting them up in watering trays. \u00a0It felt good to be ahead of the game. \u00a0To duck into the greenhouse, out of the chilly winter wind, and feel the sun-warmed air on my skin. \u00a0To smell the earthy scents of the growing mix and the compost. \u00a0To see all those seed pots filled with hope and promise. \u00a0I could almost taste the first tomatoes when I stepped inside.<\/p>\n But I wasn’t the only one enjoying the warmth or the taste of summer. \u00a0Because a day later I found that something else had been keeping cozy in the greenhouse. \u00a0And that something else dug up all my squash and zucchini and cantelope seeds, eating them for a midnight snack and spitting out the skins.<\/p>\n Luckily that something else also liked the taste of peanut butter.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n