A greenhouse has a thin skin that does not hold in heat at night.
If you have a homemade greenhouse, chances are that your greenhouse is smaller and made of plastic. Homemade greenhouses are typically inexpensive and quick to assemble. However, the greenhouse may also be difficult to heat on cold days or at night when the temperatures drop below freezing. It is possible to use a portable heater to heat a greenhouse, but all heaters run the risks of burns, gasses and fire hazards. There are number of other ways to heat a greenhouse safely. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Locate your greenhouse on the south-side of a wall or other structure. The southern side of a fence or home's wall receives more direct, intense solar energy than the other sides of the home. During the day, the greenhouse receives the most solar energy if it is located here. The southern-facing wall absorbs energy and radiates it back into the greenhouse at night, creating a warmer microclimate.
2. Fill large plastic rain barrels with water. Paint the rain barrels black and place them in your greenhouse. During daylight hours, the black paint causes the rain barrels to absorb solar radiation. This heats the water inside the rain barrels. At night the water releases this solar radiation to warm the greenhouse.
3. Cover your greenhouse's outer layer with bubble wrap. During daylight hours the bubble wrap allows solar radiation to pass into the greenhouse. At night the air pockets trapped inside the the bubble wrap act as an insulator to hold the warm air inside the greenhouse.
4. Create a compost bin directly inside your greenhouse by piling refuse into 3-foot diameter tomato cages that you locate throughout your compost bin. A well-tended compost bin can grow as warm as 160 degrees F. You can use the ambient heat radiating from the compost bin to warm your greenhouse.
Tags: your greenhouse, rain barrels, bubble wrap, solar radiation, daylight hours, During daylight, During daylight hours