The Greenhouse, Continued

I got several comments via this blog and email about the post I did about the greenhouse, so I thought I would add a couple of other things.

Temperature is a big deal.  We have three thermostats in the greenhouse, which I think is fairly common.  One controls the gas blower heating system (which looks like something you'd see in a warehouse or an old gas station!); the second opens the louvers to allow hot air out when it gets too hot; the third takes that process (cooling) one step further, with a huge exhaust fan.  Everyone thinks about needing to heat the greenhouse in winter, but very few people consider how hot these buildings can get, particularly in warmer months.  We maintain a temperature of around 60 degrees in winter, and tweak that occasionally.  As spring approaches, we gardually open all of the doors and allow the plants to start hardening off in what basically becomes a giant cold frame.

In a similar vein, we do a lot of moving of pots to keep them in their optimal light conditions. Not as big a deal in winter, but in summer, many things will simply fry if they're not shaded.  Before summer comes, we'll be installing some shade cloth panels in various parts of the ceiling to control light more.

The television show is called "Growing a Greener World," and is produced by Blue Ridge Public Television, out of Roanoke, VA.  It's on lots of PBS stations, but (of course) not in Atlanta, so once the episode is edited and ready, it will be available on their website.  I'm guessing that is months away.