Growing Tomatoes in a Heated GH

[Hudson_WY]

This year we started our seeds the first week of February under grow lights. We plant them in 3/4" soil blocks so there is plenty of room on the germination pad. It is much easier to germinate them in the blocks!

Then we move them directly into 4" pots until they are ready for the GH. The seedlings out grew the grow lights in six weeks from planting so "ready or not" we opened our Heated GH on the 13th of March.

The outside temperatures varied from -5° to 39° F (and still do) so we set the inside GH min temp at 55° and the max temp at 85°. On a sunny day the inside GH temp can reach over a 100° even though it may only be 25° outside. The max temp is as important too! We have to shield the seedlings from the inlet louvers so they don't freeze when the fan system kicks on. I also plug the louver vents with insulation during the night to help save on energy costs.

We heat the GH with a 45,000 btu propane heater regulated on a thermostat. It only costs us about $150 a year from the middle of March through November to heat the GH depending on the cost of propane. Our GH is very efficient with our triple-wall polycarbonate and silicone sealed cracks.

It is always a concern if the seedlings will get enough sun planting them in the GH so early in the spring here in Wyoming. Some weeks we get very little if any sun. The middle of March seems to be the compromise time of year in order to economically heat the GH and keep the seedlings happy with enough sun.

Without a GH we couldn't even grow tomatoes here in Wyoming. We only have a 45 day growing season and are at risk for frost every month of the year! We are in Zone 3 but now that we heat our GH we can get even an earlier start and almost keep up with zones 7 & 8!

[KarenO]

That is a dream setup! Awesome
KarenO

[Hudson_WY]

Update - March 25th

It is snowing today but most of the accumulated winter snow has melted. Our night time temperatures will still vary from 0-32°F but the day time temps are warming up between 30-50°F. The seedlings appear to be doing fine with the 55-85° min-max inside GH temperatures and by the looks of the stems - the plants are not leggy and must be getting enough sun. As soon as we get some blossoms we will increase the min temperature to 65°F.

We may have come close to finding the optimal growing season in Wyoming inside a GH that can be economically heated (for personal hobby purposes) and enjoy ripe tomatoes in May or June along with those of you in zones 7 & 8! At least we are having fun at our attempts!

Thanks KarenO!

[berryman]

great job.
Looking at the greenhouse, there are no vents on the side or top, just on the end. ?

Have you used the GH over the summer yet? I am thinking of a similar shaped structure.
thanks

[Hudson_WY]

Berryman, Central Utah is a warmer climate than here in Wyoming. I recommend that you visit local GHs to see what works in Central Utah!

I would never mount a vent on a roof in this climate unless my GH were a kit with very low ceilings and manual vents and that was my only option! My ventilation system is automatic and there is no way it would function properly 16' in the air covered with Ice and snow! Even with our steep roof - during the winter months snow can be on the roof for days and with our sub zero temperatures the vent would be frozen shut at times! Even on sunny days with sub zero outside temperatures the ventilation system will kick on to cool the GH. Can you imagine trying to open and shut manual vents 16' high in the roof not to mention potential leak problems?!

We have operated our GH for 8 years! We are the only GH in my area to my knowledge that does not require a shade cloth! I am able to maintain a min/max 55°/85°F with my automatic ventilation and heating system! Our system pulls cold air from automatic louvers mounted low on the north side of GH where the air is cool from shade created by the GH, trees and shrubs and pushes it out the south end with a powerful high mounted gable fan/vent. The isles in the GH allow air to flow from one end of the GH to the other. Side vents would be a waste as the plants would block air flow and the air would freeze the plants in early spring and late fall. We installed 4 operating windows at each end of the GH and the storm doors also vent. On hot days we can open all the windows and storm doors at both ends of the GH and if necessary. I can mount as many as 8 window fans to push and pull air. That hasn't been necessary but I do mount 2 box fans in two of the windows on the south end on hot days to help assist the auto ventilation system pull air when needed.

We also mounted two ceiling fans that operate 24/7 to keep the air circulating at all times! Our GH automatic heating and ventilation system works awesome!!

I recommend that you do your home work. You can certainly mount fans or vents on the sides or roof or where ever you want on your GH! Do not copy what I have done as it may not work in your climate - IMO. Visit GHs in your area that are similar in size to what you have in mind and see how they have constructed their GH. Ask the owners what they would do different if they were to build it again. That was the best source of information when we built ours. Good Luck!

[nancyruhl]

That is so beautiful. Congratulations. Your design is so well thought out and working wonderfully, by the pictures.

[Hudson_WY]

Thanks Nancy! We sure have been enjoying it!

[jmsieglaff]

What a great looking greenhouse. Those plants look happy and lush! Thanks for sharing pictures of your homestead!

[SteveP]

Extremely impressive setup. It is easy to tell it is a labor of love. Thank you for sharing it with us. Makes me all the more anxious to get my raised bed planted but are still about
3 weeks away.

[berryman]

Hudson, thanks so much for the reply. This is just the kind of info I was hoping for.
I could tell by the shape of your young plants that you knew what you are doing...I built a high tunnel years ago and it wasn't suitable for our weather, actually ended up smashed by a heavy spring snow. Also, the aesthetics of your gh is much more appealing to me than a plastic tunnel.
Anyway, beautiful job.

[Hudson_WY]

It is a stormy day but our tomato plants are just happy to be in Wyoming! All of our plants now have one to three of their first trusses and lots of buds per truss!

[pecker88]

Hudson, I figured I'd ask the Brandy Boy expert...

I see in your early seedling and latest pics, some of the PL varieties (assuming they are Brandy Boys) have downward curled and/or twisted leaves.

I just potted my Brandy Boys up to 1 qt containers using Fox Farm Ocean Forest (really rich) mix and they are exhibiting the exact same thing, downward curling leaf tips, some are also twisted. Otherwise, they look relatively healthy, as do yours.

Is this just specific to this variety? Thanks!

[Hudson_WY]

Hi Pecker88
IMO it is a characteristic of the PL tomato leaf plant not specific to a variety. It can be more pronounced after the stress of transplanting, higher temps and lack of water - IMO The plants shown are mostly Brandy Boy but there are BW Sudduths in there too. It seems that the PL plant grows with leaves that curl etc. even as it gets larger. I have not noticed that as much with a RL tomato plant.

[Randall]

I'm excited to see BWS and BB growing together. I'm a forever fan of BWS and I finally decided to give BB a try this year in the garden. I'm going to grow a row of each side by side and see how they compare!

[Gerardo]

Healthy, pretty, scenic, very nice! Those PLs are way more expressive than RLs, although for pouting no one beats those heart wispies.