Tomatoes especially do not like fluctuating temperatures-even with fleece or anything other protection it is too cold in an unheated greenhouse at night at present-far better to keep them growing slow and steady indoors-but the light is the real problem
My new max min thermometer in the greenhouse about 33 degrees C.
The Hot Water Bottle Experiment. The Black bowl with the thermometer in it is at about 20 C after an hour in the greenhouse the air temperature is around 33 C with the sunshine. Outside is around 8 degrees. To the left is my first milk bottle heater rather than paint it black I cut some plastic from an old compost bag and sellotaped it to the milk carton. When it became a little cloudy air temperature dropped to about 16C with the water in the bowl a couple of degrees warmer. It looks promising will have to see how well it performs overnight. I think i will need a good few to help the whole area but in combination with fleece i think i will have some additional frost protection.
That's a neat trick with the bottle, and I may give it a try. But my tomatoes and chillis are staying in the kitchen for a while yet.
What about direct planting in beds - is there any chance of germination for the broad beans and carrots I sowed a couple of weeks ago? It's not snowy here (Devon) but it drops to zero or below most nights, and the max temp in the daytime is about 5.
I have been growing "cut and come again" lettuces in my cold greenhouse in a grow bag for about three weeks now. They are coming along just fine, though admittedly a little slower than usual. I do this every year about this time of the year with success.
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Tomatoes especially do not like fluctuating temperatures-even with fleece or anything other protection it is too cold in an unheated greenhouse at night at present-far better to keep them growing slow and steady indoors-but the light is the real problem
That could be a very long time, Bunny.......
My new max min thermometer in the greenhouse about 33 degrees C.
The Hot Water Bottle Experiment. The Black bowl with the thermometer in it is at about 20 C after an hour in the greenhouse the air temperature is around 33 C with the sunshine. Outside is around 8 degrees. To the left is my first milk bottle heater rather than paint it black I cut some plastic from an old compost bag and sellotaped it to the milk carton. When it became a little cloudy air temperature dropped to about 16C with the water in the bowl a couple of degrees warmer. It looks promising will have to see how well it performs overnight. I think i will need a good few to help the whole area but in combination with fleece i think i will have some additional frost protection.
That's a neat trick with the bottle, and I may give it a try. But my tomatoes and chillis are staying in the kitchen for a while yet.
What about direct planting in beds - is there any chance of germination for the broad beans and carrots I sowed a couple of weeks ago? It's not snowy here (Devon) but it drops to zero or below most nights, and the max temp in the daytime is about 5.
I have been growing "cut and come again" lettuces in my cold greenhouse in a grow bag for about three weeks now. They are coming along just fine, though admittedly a little slower than usual. I do this every year about this time of the year with success.