To vent or not to vent?

[TorontoJoe]

Now imagine over 100 of these things in the windows....

[TorontoJoe]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

I don't vent my greenhouse at night. I actually try to make it more humid inside by leaving a lot of water in open troughs. Cold winter air is very dry, and the humidity is beneficial. If you are using a heater, it will be drying out your air, anyway.

I concur that venting in the hot sun to prevent overheating is a very important concern. The temperature inside can rise up to 50 degrees F above the outside temperature in full sun.

We're both zone 6. The greenhouse thing is new to me and everyone seems way!!!!!!! more concerned about it getting too hot than the other way around... At the same time we need light but I wonder if it's just as well then to keep the temps up but on the north side of the house out of the direct sun until the sprout up? No real need for sun - yet they'll still be toasty warm

[KC.Sun]

Another issue you have to account for is that if it gets too hot, it will cook your seeds. Nothing will germinate if that happens.

[TorontoJoe]

That was mentioned above. Temperatures not at all the subject of this post...Temps are managed.. Really, only trying to understand the factors relative to fresh air flow...

[greenthumbomaha]

Yay, another northern fig grower. I overwintered 3 gallon figs in a sunny window this year. They are leafing out like crazy and have the brebas starting. A neat way to organize is to get a small folding table - I have the Lifetime personals - to hold the bottom of a clear underbed type storage box by the windows. It holds more than you imagine and no drips.

Works for seedlings under domes too.

[TorontoJoe]

Originally Posted by greenthumbomaha

Yay, another northern fig grower. I overwintered 3 gallon figs in a sunny window this year. They are leafing out like crazy and have the brebas starting. A neat way to organize is to get a small folding table - I have the Lifetime personals - to hold the bottom of a clear underbed type storage box by the windows. It holds more than you imagine and no drips.

Works for seedlings under domes too.

Interesting. Most fig-growers I know let their plants go dormant in winter. Do yours go dormant in the sunny window? Cuttings I root year round but once established and they drop their leaves drop in late fall, the potted trees go in my garage in the dark and the in-ground trees get covered up....

I've found the best resources on fig growing at ourfigs.com and figs4fun.com

[oakley]

I don't think anyone wants to be discouraging but we have experience with that set-up
and it is difficult. Been there.
Many have lost plants in just a few hours with fluctuations in temps. Cold nights and hot
days early-mid Spring.

In deciphering your questions i think you have thought this through and may have great success if regulating temps and have the time to check on things. It will vary just about every
day in your early Spring climate.
Maybe consider using a fan just during the day starting around 10am on sunny cool days for
6 hours on low to create air flow. Let it warm up, fan off, at sunset.

Overcast cool days, heat and fan? Hot days open the flap for fresh air.
Still quite a bit of temp fluctuation for any veg, especially tomatoes.

They are often best used in a cool basement or garage to keep temps consistent with a
light set up or in a back unused room. Keeps things contained a bit.

[TorontoJoe]

Please be discouraging! I'm don't want anything sugar-coated. That's why I'm asking. I'll definitely be monitoring conditions. My temp controller actually has high low temp alarms. But I hear what you're saying. I can't afford to get this going only to lose everything later in the spring. I'm starting to think this may be a test run. I have enough seeds to double up. I'm going to do this but will find a safe indoor location as well. If everything goes well I'll just have more plants to give away to family and friends.

I will post my results with detailed pictures of setup for those interested

[slugworth]

How about a solar powered fan?
It would work the hardest when you need it the most and be off on cloudy days and at night.

[TorontoJoe]

I found a lamp timer. Im going to put it into the base housing along with the heater and mount the fam up near top.

Now that it seems i dont need to add much cold fresh air this just got a lot easier.

I'll take some pictures of the setup and post them so everyone can see what im doing. Its a bit difficult to explain

[Father'sDaughter]

I have used that same style mini greenhouse for several years, but just for hardening plants for a week or two before plant out.

As others have said, the biggest danger is over heating, and with it I've found, comes major condensation problems. Even on cooler days, I unzip at least one side of the door before the sun hits it. If I forget, things get steamy and over heated very quickly.

While more mature plants can recover from these conditions if regularly corrected with venting and cooler air, delicate new sprouts may not be able to survive.

Give it a try and see how it goes, and also go with your plan to have back-ups just in case. And if the ones started in the green house don't make it, you'll have it available for hardening off the indoor starts when they outgrow the window sills.

[AlittleSalt]

Originally Posted by KarenO

I think your wife needs to learn that there are many worse ways you could spend your time and that seed starting is only for a few weeks per year. promise to keep it tidy and perhaps you won`t be banished
I think it will be difficult to maintain a semi-consistent temperature in the small greenhouse for seed starting. I think it would work for hardening off if you can keep it cool enough.
KarenO

I saw this reply and had to add my 2 cents

I'm the one who cleans the house. The areas I use end up cleaner than they were before, win-win.

My wife tells her friends that I've turned our house into a greenhouse again. Some laugh and some are all OMG.

To reply to the thread - It looks like it works to me.