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Minnesota([email protected])

I've been planning on planting a couple of my A.G. plants outside by this Tuesday. Wednesday through Sunday the forcast here is for lows down to 35 degrees pretty much every night. This make me nervous. I use hoop houses, but no artificial heat source. Do the hoophouses typically stay a little warmer at night than the outside temp.? I suppose I could use candles at night. Anyone else have similar concerns? Any suggestions are appreciated.

5/2/2010 9:26:53 PM

Honesdale Pa USA

Hoophouse will hold more heat and protect better than you think. To be safe use the hoophouse plus a 5 gallon bucket or another second covering.

5/2/2010 9:42:39 PM

Breslau, Ontario, Canada

You can place a blanket/comforter right over the hoop house...holds the heat in a little.

5/2/2010 11:07:24 PM

Bloomington, IN

May 18 last year my area experienced a mild frost. I put cardboard boxes over my pumpkin, tomatoes, peppers and every other sensitive plant that I had enough boxes for. They all pulled through just fine. I heard those styrofoam coolers at wal-mart work good too.

5/3/2010 12:31:19 AM

Minnesota([email protected])

Great suggestions.
I think I'll plant them out on schedule, and be prepared to give them extra protection.

5/3/2010 12:40:17 AM

Joliet, IL

doug, i do not know well they would work but here is a link to 10 hour hand warmers you can buy in bulk. maybe a hunting or fishing store near you carries a similar product. i have no idea how many would be needed, but you gave me an idea on how to protect my individual tomato plants if i put them in the ground later this week and a unexpected possible freeze came later this month. i just took 2 10 hour warmers that i have for sporting events and duct taped them to the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket. i also taped a thermometer with the probe facing up at ground level so as to get the air temp reading tomorrow morning and not the soil temp. i napped way too much today and am still up late so i figured for the good of science, i would go do a trial run tonight. i just put the set up out in the patch in a wide open area and i will get the reading at 6 am tomorrow and see what the temp shows. i do not have a high low thermometer on me right now to give me the hottest and coldest readings. i will only see the temp tomorrow before i go to work. i took a pic of the warmers and the set up and will post them in my diary. i imagine the smaller the container like a 5 gallon bucket, the more effective they would work. we will see tomorrow morning which will be a 6 hour test cuz it is midnight here right now when i put it out in the patch.

5/3/2010 1:01:55 AM

Minnesota([email protected])

Thanks shazzy! Your experiment could save some plants in the future. I look forward to the results.

5/3/2010 1:20:48 AM

Joliet, IL

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/lab/msg0509501214238.html

hey doug, looks like i am not the only to think of this. i just googlee hand warmers to protect plants and came up with this thread above. they do not post results but with some trial and error, the best method will work i am sure. they do kick off some good heat and i just checked and in 45 minutes it raised the air temp 3 degrees on a 56 degree night at 12:45 pm. the key is how many you need. i am re-thinking that a couple taped lower in the bucket closer to plant level may be the way to go. i will let you know in the morning before going to work. time to sleep. lol.

5/3/2010 1:46:38 AM

Ohio

shaz, doug,
there is a few guys that have tried the hand warmers and looks like with great results. I have used them every year since 2005 in my hoops (the body warmer type the heat longer) and they work great. Every now and then ,maybe because of no body contact on the warmers you might need to shake them back up again to get them going, sometimes they stop heating after a few hrs, so check them once in a while.

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=104556

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=33812

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/MsgBoard/ViewThread.asp?b=3&p=114182

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/MsgBoard/ViewThread.asp?b=3&p=227401

5/3/2010 5:53:42 AM

Joliet, IL

2 degrees warmer at 5:30 am doug. that was 5.5 hours. the packs had no where near the heat they had when i taped them on last night at midnight. but if it was hovering around 32, that 2 degrees would make all the difference in the world. the only thing i do not know is how warm it actually got at its hottest point. i think Boz has it right with the bigger body warmer. it was a fun experiment. for only showing a 2 degree difference, i could easily feel the initial heat in the bucket compared to the air temp when i turned it over. this bucket was not in a hoop house either. it stood alone similar to what my tomatoes would be doing. i imagine the bucket trick with in a hoop house would pick up the temps a bit. also maybe add to your hoop house a 5 gallon bucket of hot water from the house with a lid on it and place that wihin the hoophouse as well. this slowly dissapating heat will help to not pull the heat out of the upside down bucket with the warmer in it. just some ideas doug. best of luck and thanx for chiming in Boz cuz this info might help to save peoples plants this week when that cold spell hits. if it is going to hover around 32 degrees in your area at night this week, maybe go and pick up a couple body warmers or hand warmers for some peace of mind.

5/3/2010 6:51:47 AM

Western NY

We hit 32 for a low the morning of June 1 last year. Fair game for frost for a while yet, don't get too comfortable.

5/3/2010 8:28:10 AM

Bristol R.I. USA

Get yourself a few candles and make sure no danger of fire if candles get knocked over for some strange reason. Totally get your greenhouse tight. Then light the candles and watch for at least 20 minutes before you get the technique down. The candles will warm the area with the help of the hoophouse. Also you can get a thin cooler and put over the plant to insulate it and protect it. That should help if the frost comes.

5/3/2010 8:42:01 AM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

I have frost problems almost every year due to my valley being a trap for cold air. 5 gallon buckets or cardborad boxes without any extra heat work OK. They trap the heat from the soil. I have to get some plants in the ground today and tomorrow and we have forecast for 30's for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

5/3/2010 9:01:34 AM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

Cheap beer cooler and a hot gallon of water

5/3/2010 1:07:29 PM

Rhode Island

be sure to drink all the beer first.

5/3/2010 6:26:22 PM

Wilmington.Ma.

I add a few river stones around the plant ,
Sun warms them during the day,give off heat at nite.
In hoop house!!

5/3/2010 6:47:15 PM

Minnesota([email protected])

Shazzy,
I checked out your diary. Thanks for running the experiment.
Those hand/body warmers will be one option to go with.
Thanks for all the replies!

5/4/2010 12:07:12 AM

Joliet, IL

i think the beer cooler with a gallon of hot water is the best option after reading this thread. shoot, you can always set the alarm for the middle of the night and fill another hot gallon jug and replace them out. no problem on running the experiment. if was fun.

5/4/2010 6:19:30 PM

Hanover,Ontario,Canada

The candlies work great if you put them in a used plastic jug partially filled with sand to hold up the candles. Cut the top off a windshield washer jug or something similar. A 1" wide by 6" candle will last all night and add some nice heat to the hoop house plus some CO2 as well. Gives the patch an eery feeling at night to see the hoop houses all lit up. Dave

5/5/2010 3:13:52 PM

Minnesota([email protected])

Thanks Dave. I may try the candles if frost threatens.

5/5/2010 10:28:39 PM

Cameron,ontario Team Lunatic

We use blankets on the real cold nights. We also have water jugs inside our hoophouses to heat up during the day. This helps keep the plants warmer at night. They are placed within 4-5`of the plant. Candles are a good additive as well. Good luck.

Phil & Jane

5/6/2010 9:54:36 AM

Hanover,Ontario,Canada

I was just into the local hardware store and bought some Emergency Candles. Apparently they are slower burning. They are 7/8" X 7". Dave

5/6/2010 2:24:57 PM