If you’re new to greenhouse gardening, you’re probably wondering how to keep your backyard greenhouse heated during the winter season. This is only one of the many questions that newbie greenhouse gardeners ask. After all, who doesn’t want to make sure that their plants are placed in an environment that provides the ideal temperature for their growth?
Check out some of the commonly asked questions about greenhouse gardening.
Does a Greenhouse Need to Be Heated?
You need to insulate your greenhouse if you live in an area where the climate is cold.
Is an Unheated Greenhouse Frost-Free?
Although an unheated greenhouse can keep overnight temperatures warmer than the temperatures outside, it doesn’t guarantee that the plants inside it stay frost-free during the coldest of winters.
How Do You Keep a Greenhouse Warm?
You can keep your tender plants warm during those cold winter nights if you insulate them with a bubble wrap, use a thermostat, use heaters, ventilate your greenhouse, circulate air, or keep your plants off the cold ground. Bubble wraps with bigger bubbles provide better insulation. Be sure that all of the windows and doors are covered to retain the heat inside the greenhouse.
If you plan on using heaters, KlimaHeat would be a great choice because it heats up as soon as you turn it on. It’s best to monitor the greenhouse temperature with the use of a thermostat. Make sure that the temperature levels are kept between 24˚C (75.2˚F) to 28˚C (82.4˚F).
The best way to avoid cold and hot patches in your greenhouse, as well as inaccurate temperature readings, make sure that the air inside it is evenly warmed with the use of air circulators. While you’re at it, make sure that you open your greenhouse vents regularly to freshen the air and prevent the growth of molds, mildew, and fungus. Close the vents before the evening so that you can keep your plants warm through the night.
Is Greenhouse Gardening Worth the Investment?
Yes, it surely is. There’s nothing more sensible that growing your plants in a secure and protected area that features the best growing environment for your fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Investing in a greenhouse may require an upfront cost, but you’ll quickly recoup the value of your investment and then some.
Here are some of the best reasons why greenhouse gardening is worth the investment:
It protects your plants from inclement weather
With a greenhouse to shield your plants from heavy rains, high winds, blizzards, hail, and other harsh weather conditions, you can rest easy knowing that your tender plants won’t be affected. Unlike traditional outdoor gardeners, you won’t need to come up with emergency preparations to ensure your plants’ safety against inclement weather.
You’ll eliminate the need for a garden shed
Aside from housing your precious plants, your greenhouse can also serve as a storage space for all of your gardening needs, including seeds, tools, equipment, and accessories. You won’t have to build a garden shed!
It keeps the beneficial bugs in and the destructive ones out
Since a greenhouse allows you to take full control over what comes in and what goes out, you can have the option to enhance your plants’ growth potential by letting in some of the insects that are beneficial to them. These include bumblebees, ladybugs, aphid parasites, aphid predators, beneficial nematodes, fly predators, leafminer parasites, mealybug destroyers, whitefly parasites, thrips predators, spider mite predators, soldier bugs, praying mantis, pirate bugs, moth egg parasites, and many more.
Conversely, a greenhouse can also allow you to keep the destructive insects and animals out. These may include cabbage maggots, caterpillars, cutworms, Colorado potato beetles, Mexican bean beetles, flea beetles, tarnished plant bugs, Japanese beetles, scales, rabbits, deer, raccoons, squirrels, voles, and groundhogs, etc.
Save money on grocery shopping
Since having your greenhouse allows you to grow your food, you can be sure that you’ll enjoy a steady supply of your favorite fruits, vegetables, and herbs all-year-round. What’s more, you won’t have to worry about the fluctuating prices of fresh produce that are usually influenced by transportation costs, as well as the weather. Best of all, you’ll get to save more money on grocery shopping.
You can extend the growing season
One of the best things about having your greenhouse is that you can easily extend your crops’ growing season. Keep in mind that the levels of temperature and humidity inside your greenhouse are entirely under your control. This means that you can keep your plants’ growing environment consistently warm and humid – perfect for enhancing plant growth regardless of the weather or the season.
You’ll get to grow more plants
Greenhouse gardening will make it easy for you to grow out-of-season plants or plants that aren’t native to your area. If you live in a colder region, your greenhouse will allow you to grow tropical fruits and vegetables that you otherwise couldn’t.
Final Thoughts on How to Keep Your Backyard Greenhouse Heated
Knowing how to keep your backyard greenhouse heated should be enough to convince you of how convenient and practical greenhouse gardening is. Purchase your greenhouse today and discover the wonderful benefits of growing your plants in a greenhouse!