Will this extend my season?

jeffinjonestown · May 26, 2010

Hello,

I just got the go-ahead from the wifey and a carpenter friend to turn part of my deck into a sunroom. It is on the second story, would be about 11 by 11 feet, faces south, and has a roof. The idea would be to enclose it with glass and put three skylights (1.5 by 8 ft each) on the roof, which is south slanting. It would generally not have heat, but I could use propane heat to protect it by a few degrees if a late spring or early frost comes.

I currently grow my tomatoes, peas, and peppers (and 3 mini dwarf apple trees) on the deck even with the roof over them (I line them up along the edges of the south and west sides), and they do almost as well as the stuff in the raised beds in the yard, but not quite, and I'm hoping the skylights will help with this.

My thought was to protect from winds (which really hurt my plants a couple weeks ago) and against frost on those spring nights when the temperature dips below freezing for a couple or few hours. But is there a possibility that I could use this or alter the idea to extend the season by maybe a month or so?

dustdevil · May 26, 2010

If you grow in pots, bring them inside the sunroom to extend the growing season in the fall before TSHTF.

Medbury Gardens · June 19, 2010

As long as the frosts arent to heavy you wouldnt need propane heating in your sunroom, it will offer enough protection on it own.

May 26, 2010	#1
jeffinjonestown Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Jonestown, PA Posts: 91	Will this extend my season? Hello, I just got the go-ahead from the wifey and a carpenter friend to turn part of my deck into a sunroom. It is on the second story, would be about 11 by 11 feet, faces south, and has a roof. The idea would be to enclose it with glass and put three skylights (1.5 by 8 ft each) on the roof, which is south slanting. It would generally not have heat, but I could use propane heat to protect it by a few degrees if a late spring or early frost comes. I currently grow my tomatoes, peas, and peppers (and 3 mini dwarf apple trees) on the deck even with the roof over them (I line them up along the edges of the south and west sides), and they do almost as well as the stuff in the raised beds in the yard, but not quite, and I'm hoping the skylights will help with this. My thought was to protect from winds (which really hurt my plants a couple weeks ago) and against frost on those spring nights when the temperature dips below freezing for a couple or few hours. But is there a possibility that I could use this or alter the idea to extend the season by maybe a month or so?

May 26, 2010	#2
dustdevil Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: WI, USA Zone4 Posts: 1,887	If you grow in pots, bring them inside the sunroom to extend the growing season in the fall before TSHTF.

June 19, 2010	#3
Medbury Gardens Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Medbury, New Zealand Posts: 1,881	As long as the frosts arent to heavy you wouldnt need propane heating in your sunroom, it will offer enough protection on it own.