Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
mossanimal

Small greenhouse thermal mass ideas

mossanimal
15 years ago

Hi... I'm new to this forum and I live in northern Wisconsin on Lake Superior where it is very cold but we get lake effect moderation and are considered zone 4b.

I just bought a Rion Ecogrow 6x8 greenhouse (6mm twin wall polycarbonate) that will get have an E-W orientation with full exposure to south sun. My goal is to grow earlier season tomatoes and peppers and to have greens later in the season. But, what I would like to find out is whether or not I can keep greens (lettuce, kohlrabi, kale, etc) going throughout the winter without supplemental heating by using a creative system of insulation and thermal mass storage. So I guess I'm looking for easy, cheap ideas for creating thermal storage in my little greenhouse. I plan to have some kind of masonry floor and I have access to 55 gallon steel drums. But I'm looking for something more efficient (55 gallon drums stratify).... something that won't take up a lot of floor space. I'm thinking vertical black plastic tubes filled with water and bundled up on the north wall??? Anyway... any good ideas or resources??

Best wishes...

Comments (4)