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Keeping out the cold - top tips for warming your greenhouse this winter

Winter can seem like a bit of a sparse time in the garden.

Cold weather doesnt make for the best growing conditions, and as plants die off and go dormant for the winter, many gardeners batten down the hatches, and find themselves twiddling their thumbs and waiting for spring to arrive.

However, with the right equipment, you can keep growing all year round. In this guide, we show you the best ways to keep your greenhouse warm during the winter months, allowing you to effectively protect your tender plants, and get a head-start on your planting ready for spring.

Along the way, well be looking at greenhouse heaters, greenhouse insulation and how to deal with some common problems, so you can benefit from a warm, nurturing greenhouse all year round.

Efficient heating

The best way to keep your greenhouse warm during the summer months is with a greenhouse heater. In addition to keeping the frost away on cold winter nights, it will also help to extend your growing season, maximising the variety and quantity of different plants you can grow.

There are a huge number of different models available, including electric, gas and paraffin heaters, and the right one for your needs will depend on the size of your greenhouse, and what you want to use it for.

From simple paraffin heaters designed to prevent the temperature from dropping below zero, to thermostatically controlled units designed to maintain a constant growing temperature all year round, theres something for every gardener.

For further information on choosing the right greenhouse heater, including advice on output, fuel and growing requirements, check out our expert guide.

Insulating your greenhouse

If your greenhouse isnt properly insulated, then its going to end up losing a lot of heat. In addition to increasing the risk of frost and cold damage to your plants, poorly insulated greenhouses are much harder to heat.

This will mean youll use more energy keeping them warm, pushing up the cost of using your greenhouse heater. Before you go out and buy a bigger greenhouse heater, make sure that its effectively insulated by following these top tips:

  • Replace any broken window panes
  • Seal around any cracks using a flexible sealant
  • Check the seals on your doors and window frames, and renew any damaged ones
  • Screen off any parts of your greenhouse youre not using with polythene sheeting to cut down on the area you need to heat
  • Cover tender plants with fleece blankets for extra protection

If your greenhouse is still freezing, you may want to consider adding a layer of bubble polythene to the inside of your greenhouse for extra insulation. However, its worth remembering that this will cut down on light, and impact on growth.

Troubleshooting “ damp and ventilation

If you do decide to heat your greenhouse, its important to remember that it will need proper ventilation. This is especially important if youre using a gas or paraffin heater.

Damp, cold conditions can also promote the growth of mould in your greenhouse. To prevent this, make sure you ventilate your greenhouse regularly, and open the windows/door to let the moisture out on sunny winter days.

Its also important to be carefully with your watering. Whilst greenhouse plants will need watering during the winter, you will need to reduce the amounts accordingly, so check the soil regularly.

As a final consideration, make sure that your efforts to insulate arent diminishing the light too much, as this can be damaging, and will hamper the growth of your plants. Bubble polythene and fleece both reduce available light, so its best to remove them when the temperature gets warm enough, and replace them at night.

How Keen Gardener can help

Head over to Keen Gardener, and youll find everything needed to keep your garden plants warm this winter, including greenhouses, greenhouse heaters and frost protection, all at fantastically low prices.