# Winter porch greenhouse?



## seagullplayer (Nov 6, 2008)

We have a screened in front porch, this year I am putting plastic up so we can use it a few more days and to help block the wind from hitting the front door.

I am thinking about parting off one corner and putting up extra plastic for a greenhouse.
I can supply a small electric heater for really cold days, it faces south west, and so it will get sun. 

How warm would I have to keep it for it to be of any use?

What could I expect to grow?

Could I start tomatoes in the house then move the out there?

Would regular florescent lights work as grow lights if I already have sunlight most of the time?

Anybody got a website with this type setup?


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## mammabooh (Sep 1, 2004)

Seedspreader built a greenhouse at his back door a year or so ago. Here's the link for the info at his blog http://themodernhomestead.com/Blog/?p=293#more-293.

I know it's not exactly what you plan on doing, but it might give you some ideas.

If I remember correctly, he has been able to use it for a bit of heat on sunny days..they open up the kitchen door and let the extra heat come into the house.


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## meanwhile (Dec 13, 2007)

We have a screen porch on front of house, South Facing, brown wood walls. Last winter we used clear plastic shower curtains, hung them flat using strips of cut cardboard to nail in place. Then we put about 4 layers of cardboard on the floor. Also, on one side where the dogs liked to sleep, we put cardboard for a "wall" like a knee wall. By lunch time each day, we would be warm enough to open the kitchen door and window and use the heat from the porch to heat the house! It was totally amazing. It was only on the coldest days that we did not have enough heat there to open the door. We used the shower curtain over the screen doors too. I have not hung it up yet this year since we are doing some construction out front but we plan to do it again.

As for the greenhouse use of it - I don't think it would have worked since at night it gets cold out there. I did move potted seedlings out there once it warmed up a bit more at night. But, I don't think they would have started at first since, again, it was too cold. BUT - from about 11 am till about 3 pm it was very warm.

Good luck


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## meanwhile (Dec 13, 2007)

I looked at the photos from Seedspreaders green house. It looks like the poly plastic that comes on rolls? Maybe. We used the "crystal clear" type shower curtains since you can see completely thru them and we did not want to block the view from the porch. And more light comes through. I spent about $84.00 on shower curtain, from Lowes and they did last and we will be able to use them again. We used those flat type of nails that look like big fat tacks and have a wide plastic shield on them....plus we used cardboard to roll a border and that helps keep the plastic from tearing too.

Good luck


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## seagullplayer (Nov 6, 2008)

Cool beans.

My plastic rool is not working as planned, I may check the Dollar store for shower curtains.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

They sell a totaly clear plastic in the fabric section of Walmarts. What you can grow depends on just how much light you get. Here I even have to put lights on to get lettuce to grow. High output lighting is needed with the full sprectrum to get Tomatoes. For cool crops you will just need to keep it above freezing tho it will do better a bit warmer. In my freestanding greenhouse, I have solar barrels, but a small heater on low keeps it just fine.http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3455/3934787748_e5a65fa098_b.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3091/2831057536_2f33597935_b.jpg


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## Randy Rooster (Dec 14, 2004)

I used to cover my screened in porch with plastic in the winter at my old place. as noted earlier on here, it would get very warm there on sunny days and would actually help heat the kitchen that it was attached to. Only on the coldest of nites did we have to move plants into the house to keep them from freezing.

I just used the roll plastic- think it was the 4mm stuff from lowes and stapled it up to the outside with a staple gun. Worked fine for us.


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