I give up... Greenhouse heater?

[1Bee]

I'm out of space inside, but the forecast is still too cold for toms in my unheated growhouse.

Heater recommendations for small spaces, please?

[Small pumpkin]

Heaters are expensive no matter what type. Just cover your plants with fleece. All mine are in the polytunnles covered at night.

[burnie]

I still haven't sown all my tomato seeds yet, plenty of time yet, that warm spell lured people into thinking winter was over, I don't plan to have any tomatoes out before the end of May up here.

[MyWifesBrassicas]

This is the first year that i've sown things early (apart from chilli's) and I have to admit that I'm not fully geared up for it, no window space and OH hates it.
I'm not going to invest in a heater, I've created a hotbed which made things easier from a frost point of view, but i reckon everything i've grown doesn't look that healthy.
Sorry, I'm not much help

[nickdub]

I'm out of space inside, but the forecast is still too cold for toms in my unheated growhouse.

Heater recommendations for small spaces, please?

May be a second-hand electric fan heater ? not likely to cause a fire, easy to set the temp and the air movement will help the plants stay healthy.

[greenishfing]

Because my greenhouses are down at the allotment electric heaters aren't a possibility. I've got an old paraffin heater but generally find it more trouble than it's worth. A pain in the neck to set up, smelly and I 'm always frightened it will set something alight. When I was little girl my grandad had a small coal burner (something like a Raeburn) with a door and a chimney that went out through the roof in his large greenhouse ( and an easy chair at the side of it). He grew amazing tomatoes and his greenhouse was an amazing place to visit. It was always lovely and warm in there as he had a business delivering coal. A greenhouse like that would be my dream. I generally just use acres of fleece and bubblewrap.

[fluffybunnyuk]

I put in a cheap dutch style wind turbine made in china, and 4 2nd hand solar panels(37/60degree) for a friend. It gets a peak of 1.2kw per hour charging the batteries. Its enough to run a 800w oil heater on an inverter with minimal heat output in winter to heat a small cladded greenhouse. Cost was £300 and it produces over £150 of electric at 16p/kw a year

[annie8]

Have cracked and run a cable from the garage to the greenhouse and put a fan heater in there. Will see how it works tonight but not keen on bringing 40 tomatoes in and out for the next week. One of the plants fell over and put earth all over the kitchen plus it knocked the top of the plant off which had flowers on it.

[fluffybunnyuk]

make sure the extension lead is fully uncoiled. fan heaters draw alot of juice.Make sure it doesnt go over 2kilowatts. If you can get a waterproof box to hold the connection thatd help. Remember to use an RCD at the mains point you plug in.
Argos do a masterplug RCD 1 socket adapter for £10 thatd be suitable. Dont plug the fan directly into the RCD,the RCD wont operate correctly.

[fluffybunnyuk]

mains-rcd adapter-extension lead-waterproof box-fan
Also You MUST test the RCD by pressing the test button EVERYTIME BEFORE operating the fan. Your life, and the cable depends on it operating correctly. Operating the fan without a working RCD is asking for a well-turned box with brass handles.

[rary]

If you use a fan the air movement will keep the frost at bay

[Derbydal]

iv'e got 6 large old clay plant pots that I put a night light candle in the bottom of one and turn one over and place on top ,the candles cost next to nothing and last about 8hrs, also grass cuttings in a tub will give you heat ! atb Dal.

[bario1]

My toms have all been out in the greenhouse for weeks now, no issues. They've had a sheet of fleece thrown over them on colder nights but that's it - no mollycoddling!

[DannyK]

Before you rush out to get plug in RCDs check your consumer unit. Modern ones are required to have built in RCDs. They're the yellow switches marked RCD.

If you have modern unit there is no need for plug ins and I found that when I tried using plug ins they kept tripping those on the consumer unit.

I've used domestic fan heaters for years but you have to be careful as they can scorch plants melt pots. They also need to be kept dry.

I managed to get a used Bio Green eBay, new they are very expensive. It's built like a tank. The air throughput is very high so it is much safer and also useful on fan only.

[annie8]

My toms have all been out in the greenhouse for weeks now, no issues. They've had a sheet of fleece thrown over them on colder nights but that's it - no mollycoddling!

I would have just done fleece and bubble wrap but have noticed the tops of some tomato plants are looking a bit yellow and curling so was worrying that it was signs of cold damage.