The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: suziequeue on May 14, 2013, 09:18:05 am
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I am SOOO determined that my cucmbers aren't going to succumb to the cold this year.
We normally have a late frost in May which killed all my tender little cukes last year and we've got snow forecast for this afternoon :o :rant:
So - I am planning to invest in a polytunel heater.
Does anybody have any experience/recommendations?
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Probably not much help, but we're going to put a couple of hens in ours (in a house) over winter. Apparently the body heat is enough to warm the tunnel.
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Great idea, would that work with my little placcy greenhouse too?
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Hens :roflanim:the little b...s would scratch up everything and eat what they hadn't killed. I spend a lot of time keeping my free range darlings out of both flower and veg beds. Odd bits of plastic and netting everywhere :chook: but they still seem to get in, no wonder they warm it up with all that activity. Hmm perhaps a big cage at one end, I still think they may do more harm than good.
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Word of warning regarding housing chickens inside the polytunnel.
The first year I tried it the covering was heavily scratched and torn probably by a fox knowing the were something inside. This year netted to waist height all round.
As for the heat issue I still found that the water was frozen on the odd occassion. Oh make sure that any overwintering items are well secured!
As for the heater, I have a propane one but due to the large volume required to heat it eats the propane even just on low.
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Hens :roflanim:the little b...s would scratch up everything and eat what they hadn't killed. I spend a lot of time keeping my free range darlings out of both flower and veg beds. Odd bits of plastic and netting everywhere (http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/Smileys/default/chicken.gif) but they still seem to get in, no wonder they warm it up with all that activity. Hmm perhaps a big cage at one end, I still think they may do more harm than good.
Yes - it would be a bit impractical with all my tomatoes and other veg planted out. :roflanim: :D
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Could you install a rocket stove mass heater? Not expensive to make and don't need to worry too much about carbon monoxide as it's not going to be inside a house
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:sunshine: :sunshine: :sunshine: :sunshine: :sunshine: :sunshine: ................................wishful thinking maybe????
Mandy :pig: