Hi RedBaron - Thanks for the comment
!
SalsaCharley,
Thanks for the warning on the solar cover! I've read a bunch about the clear solar bubble covers working well as greenhouse covers, and I've read some complaints from the owners of the blue solar covers that they don't really heat up the pool water - but just basically keep what heat is there in the pool. So I'm hoping that I don't have too much of an issue with overheating. Also, there will be a lot of airspace between the cover and the plants (not like setting a cover directly on a lawn) which should mitigate overheating a bit.
But I'm aware of the potential for problems, so I'll be monitoring the temps before I put any plants in there. The AutoPilot desktop CO2 (plus temp and humidity) monitor I have has a feature to log data every half hour for 24 hours so once things are done, I'll close up the Blue House and see what's going on with the temps - and compare the data to the weather underground reports for the same time period.
I'm planning also to use a digital electronic temperature controller (like the one used for my humidity chamber) to control an incandescent bulb and fan for temp control. If it gets really warm, I can take the bubble wrap off the windows or leave the doors open and pull up the side skirts.
Thanks again, though, for the warning! I've accidentally fried plants before and it's not a pretty picture
!
BTW, have a post into the "how to post photos" sticky and hopefully I'll get things figured out so I can post my photos before too long.
Anne