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Black Krim · January 26, 2018

While I want a GH set up asap to use this spring, the cooling on a cold clear night will negate all the weeks of growing before the frost. And make a GH useless, for me. In seeking a solution .....

A few thoughts......

Keep small farm animals inside the HG; like rabbits, chickens, turkeys, goats. Mini horse. They provide a source of heat. I have no experience with a green house, so if high humidity then not a good environment for animals as their lungs are negatively affected by humidity. Perhaps only on the high risk nights. DH and I would bring the 4 dogs into our bedroom on a "four dog night"--the extra body weight of 4 big dogs made a noticeable difference.

A chicken coop design that is very successful in colder climes called the Woods Style is counter intuitive as it has one open side facing south. Storms roll in from the west or the NE, not the S, generally speaking for the northern US. The basic idea is a test tube laid on its side. It actually has a door and a vent, so the first half of the structure has air flow ( thru open end up to roof vent)but when the vents are tightly closed, air flow decreases and the air in the back is still. And warmer. This is designed for chickens. Like plants they give off a lot of humidity, but they produce far more heat than plants. Chickens can handle extreme cold if they are protected from drafts and their air is dry. This is my favorite coop design.

Here is a very good pictorial showing the design. My coops are longer.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/thr...e-coop.672804/

This may be in line with the idea of opening the door for a tunnel. The air exchange is slow and steady.

As for increasing humidity, NOT using humidity protected the tomatoes better, per a TV post. I think MrBig45 wrote about it in his growing cold tolerant varieties in the Czech Republic.

Another idea whirling in my head is a buried fire pit, like a pig roast type. Burns slow. Unsure of the full impact of the gases on the plants though. Or a wood stove, piping the gasses outside the structure but run as much piping thru the length of the structure as that pipe gets HOT. Running it along the ground makes the most sense as cold air settles and warm air rises.

Would like to hear what you think.

January 26, 2018	#96
Black Krim Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: New England Posts: 661	While I want a GH set up asap to use this spring, the cooling on a cold clear night will negate all the weeks of growing before the frost. And make a GH useless, for me. In seeking a solution ..... A few thoughts...... Keep small farm animals inside the HG; like rabbits, chickens, turkeys, goats. Mini horse. They provide a source of heat. I have no experience with a green house, so if high humidity then not a good environment for animals as their lungs are negatively affected by humidity. Perhaps only on the high risk nights. DH and I would bring the 4 dogs into our bedroom on a "four dog night"--the extra body weight of 4 big dogs made a noticeable difference. A chicken coop design that is very successful in colder climes called the Woods Style is counter intuitive as it has one open side facing south. Storms roll in from the west or the NE, not the S, generally speaking for the northern US. The basic idea is a test tube laid on its side. It actually has a door and a vent, so the first half of the structure has air flow ( thru open end up to roof vent)but when the vents are tightly closed, air flow decreases and the air in the back is still. And warmer. This is designed for chickens. Like plants they give off a lot of humidity, but they produce far more heat than plants. Chickens can handle extreme cold if they are protected from drafts and their air is dry. This is my favorite coop design. Here is a very good pictorial showing the design. My coops are longer. https://www.backyardchickens.com/thr...e-coop.672804/ This may be in line with the idea of opening the door for a tunnel. The air exchange is slow and steady. As for increasing humidity, NOT using humidity protected the tomatoes better, per a TV post. I think MrBig45 wrote about it in his growing cold tolerant varieties in the Czech Republic. Another idea whirling in my head is a buried fire pit, like a pig roast type. Burns slow. Unsure of the full impact of the gases on the plants though. Or a wood stove, piping the gasses outside the structure but run as much piping thru the length of the structure as that pipe gets HOT. Running it along the ground makes the most sense as cold air settles and warm air rises. Would like to hear what you think. Last edited by Black Krim; January 26, 2018 at 03:46 PM.