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Cattle Panel Greenhouse - Overwintering Container Plants
Posted on 10/4/24 at 8:51 am
Posted on 10/4/24 at 8:51 am
Built a 8' x 12' greenhouse using cattle panels from Tractor Supply covered with 6 mil Greenhouse plastic.
Goal is keeping container plants alive through winter freezes. Plan to have a 700W Oil Filled radiator heater and small fan running to keep temps above freezing. Location is Mandeville, LA.
1) Anyone tried similar or should we temper expectations?
2) Any of the container plants below OK left outside?
3) Any other tips/suggestion for winterizing below? i.e. addit'l mulch
Fabric pots & container plants:
--Couple of Hibiscus
--3' Olive tree
--Several blueberry & rasberry plants
--Meyer lemon & some type of satsuma
--Couple blackberry bushes
Thanks!

Goal is keeping container plants alive through winter freezes. Plan to have a 700W Oil Filled radiator heater and small fan running to keep temps above freezing. Location is Mandeville, LA.
1) Anyone tried similar or should we temper expectations?
2) Any of the container plants below OK left outside?
3) Any other tips/suggestion for winterizing below? i.e. addit'l mulch
Fabric pots & container plants:
--Couple of Hibiscus
--3' Olive tree
--Several blueberry & rasberry plants
--Meyer lemon & some type of satsuma
--Couple blackberry bushes
Thanks!

Posted on 10/4/24 at 9:07 am to SwampCollie
I have a similar sized greenhouse I built with 2’ of pine and the rest dual wall polycarbonate that I found on Craigslist.
I find the best thing to do is get a cheap 1500w ceramic heater and a good thermostat. The thermostat on the heater is useless because it is too close to the heater and you’ll be very wasteful or fail to keep warm enough. You want it a few feet away and not in direct fan path.
Amazon has a 120v 15a external thermostat for under $20 that solved these problems but mine failed year two when temps were under 10F. Huge disaster. For this year, I built my own external thermostat with a large solid state relay. Was half the price as the last one and should last forever.
I find the best thing to do is get a cheap 1500w ceramic heater and a good thermostat. The thermostat on the heater is useless because it is too close to the heater and you’ll be very wasteful or fail to keep warm enough. You want it a few feet away and not in direct fan path.
Amazon has a 120v 15a external thermostat for under $20 that solved these problems but mine failed year two when temps were under 10F. Huge disaster. For this year, I built my own external thermostat with a large solid state relay. Was half the price as the last one and should last forever.
Posted on 10/4/24 at 9:17 am to SwampCollie
My hibiscus did not bloom much this year.
I'm considering letting them fend for themselves this winter.
I'm considering letting them fend for themselves this winter.
Posted on 10/4/24 at 11:43 am to SwampCollie
Mandeville - you can can keep blueberries, blackberries, raspberries outside - they are cold tolerant at much higher latitudes than south LA. Satsumas are cold tolerant into the higher 20s in containers. Just so you know, raspberries don’t thrive in south LA heat & humidity - don’t expect good success with them.
This post was edited on 10/4/24 at 5:58 pm
Posted on 10/4/24 at 12:02 pm to SwampCollie
quote:the only things you have that need protection are the hibiscus and the lemon. Everything else is fine outside (or in the ground)
Couple of Hibiscus --3' Olive tree --Several blueberry & rasberry plants --Meyer lemon & some type of satsuma --Couple blackberry bushes
post a pic of your greenhouse I’d like to see how it came out. I’m going to close in a wing of my barn (and replace the roof area) with translucent panels to make a greenhouse for ferns, tropicals, seed starts, etc
Posted on 10/4/24 at 2:01 pm to SwampCollie
I use two 250w heat bulbs like these from Tractor Supply connected to a temperature switch set to come on below 45 degrees. My container plants thrive on this setup.
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