Greenhouse Heaters
Most gardeners would really appreciate a large greenhouse for our garden but for most of us this is unlikely to happen as they can prove to be rather expensive. Most of us settle for something a little smaller and some of us have to resort to those tiny shelving units sold as mini greenhouses. However there is one thing that all these have in common, they will all need greenhouse heaters of one type or another.
Greenhouse heaters are generally relatively cheap items that can pay for themselves many times over within a few years. There are a number of different types available and much depends on how cold it gets in your area on, and the size of your greenhouse, on what type of heater would be best for you.
One of the best greenhouse heaters that I have ever owned was actually just an ordinary electric space heater that was designed to run using the minimal of electricity (about the same amount as a light bulb). Although it didn’t keep my greenhouse very warm it did keep the frost away and, as any keen gardener will know, frost can cause ireprable damage in a greenhouse.
Purpose made greenhouse heaters are, of course, far more suitable for the purpose. I had a limited budget and therefore my choices were limited but today they are considerably cheaper than they once were (and my personal finances are much better) so I am looking to buy myself something special.
Ideally I would like a heater which was thermostatically controlled, reasonably cheap to buy and certainly cheap to run. Hold on I have just described my old household space heater! Well the truth is that many gardeners have realized that this type of heater is perfect for a small greenhouse.
Maybe I would like to have my greenhouse a little hotter and in which case my present heater would not be suitable in the slightest. Forced air greenhouse heaters look interesting as this will force the air to move all around inside my greenhouse. The hot water systems and steam ones look a little too much for my tiny building and they are also rather expensive to run with coal and oil increasing in cost just rercently.
After thinking about it I may be better sticking with my present greenhouse heater and buying one of those really clever systems that are similar to under floor heating systems. Obviously by directing the heat only to those plants that require it would mean that the rest of the greenhouse could remain cool and my current heater would still be perfect for keeping frost at bay. Cool, I shall go and investigate 
Tags: Greenhouses