When you start seeds way before the last frost, like several months, in a cold frame greenhouse, you’ll need to get creative. Even though I have electricity in the greenhouse, I’ve decided not to heat it. I didn’t want to add electric heat and skyrocket my energy bill, and I wasn’t keen on a propane heat option. That felt too risky, and I couldn’t shake the feeling of a fire. I do have a small wood stove, but I know who I am, and I won’t keep it running all night. I’d have to trudge outside more often than I’d like in the freezing cold during the middle of the night.
So, I came up with a clever idea: I’m building a greenhouse inside a greenhouse! I’m reducing the amount of space to keep warm and using special heating pads designed for seed trays. Check out the step by step process on my YouTube channel.
Today, the overnight temperature was going to be below freezing. I just planted seeds a week ago and have a few baby seedlings, clover, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli. A lot more seeds are planted that are still germinating and I didn’t want to lose anything because of the cold snap.
I ordered these heat pads that connect to each other, so there’s only one cord I need to plug in. Good thing because I only have one outlet out here. I only needed three of the four pads today. After I figured out how to get them all hooked up, I put the seed trays on them and covered the trays with clear plastic domes. Then, I covered the whole thing in a blanket. I was worried that the mats would be too hot, but they worked perfectly and warmed up just enough without getting too hot.
That night, I just hoped that everything would survive the night.
Spoiler: They did! They survived and even thrived… so far!