From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Ironton, ohio

Do we all use soil heating cables at this point? Do they provide any kind of temp increase inside hoop house? How long before and after transplant do we leave them on? Are heat cables plus heat lamp for chilly nights the common practice?

2/4/2020 8:23:48 PM

Central NY

1. Yup...(those getting early starts)
2..yup
3.leave on til July
3. Yup (although big weights have been achieved without heat lamps)

2/4/2020 9:41:32 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

I wish I could use heat cables. but my garden is just too far from the house. To get the earliest start, I set the hoops with rebar stakes in the fall and get the plastic on as early as possible. I found where I can get 20 gallon black garbage cans. I plan to experiment with one this spring, keeping it full of water in the hoop house to hold in heat through the night.

2/4/2020 10:20:55 PM

Lakewood, WA

I left my soil cables plugged in throughout the season since it chills out at night here, particularly in September. The soil heating cables are temperature controlled, so if your soil is warm enough, they don't come on.

2/5/2020 12:04:24 AM

Georgia

Dalton, just do yourself a favor and get remote thermometer that will allow you to see the temp from your house. Assuming that your house is within 150ft plus or minus from you garden. The one I bought at Lowes last year, kept track of the daily high and low. So when I got home from work, I could tell if I was cooking them. It is amazing how hot a hoop house can get on a upper 50s/low 60s degree day with full sunlight.

2/5/2020 1:04:55 PM

Plymouth, MN

Soil heating cables do very little to increase hoop house temps overnight. I use a heat lamp plus insulated cover (e.g. blanket over the house) once the sun goes down on chilly nights.

2/5/2020 2:01:09 PM

Deer Park WA

We use thermostatically controlled heating cables in our hoop houes and leave them on all year as well. They do not add heat to the houses but do give the plants a big boost!

2/5/2020 9:46:37 PM