On Feb 4, 9:14 pm, "Zootal" wrote:
Last fall we built in 8' bench in the warmest corner of the garage and
hung 2 banks of adjustable grow lights. Now have multiple flats of
perennial cuttings happily growing under lights on heat mats. They're
thriving and when the ground is finally workable, I'm going to be way
ahead of the game. An adjacent deck is the perfect place to harden
plants off before they migrate to the garden. Will start annual seeds
next month. The lights & mats were well worth the investment and I
can't tell you what a pleasure it was to go tend my indoor garden last
week when we were snowed in...

Nancy T

I'm maybe 30 miles north of you, I live in the thriving metropolis of
Lebanon

I have a nice slab in my back yard, maybe 10' x 20'. I'm seriously
considering putting some sort of greenhouse on it. I got a late start with
the garden last year, and we didn't start getting tomatoes and stuff until
towards the end of the season. Half my pumpkins were green when the frost
killed the vines. If I could get just 30 days jumpstart, it would mean a
whole months worth of stuff - and at the rate we eat squash and tomatoes and
stuff, that amounts to quite a bit of $ savings. Mmmm...I can already taste
those purple tomatoes, the yellow crooknecks, the tomatillos...drools...

We're out towards Walterville near the MacKenzie - think our weather
is very similar. Our tomatoes didn't really start ripening last
summer until well into August. They were late, but great. It wasn't
so much the late start, but the cooler temps - particularly at night -
that delayed ripening. Everybody had green tomatoes for what seemed
like forever here last year and it didn't seem to matter whether
they'd planted well developed plants or 6 pack seedlings.

We designed & built a small (8'x 3.5' ) shed style greenhouse 2 years
ago in a sheltered area up next to the house. Gets what sun there
is. Glad we have it, but even with the heat lamp, it's just too cold
in there to germinate seeds. In a larger greenhouse, like the 10 x 20
you're talking about, heaters and vents would give you a lot more
flexibility. Envy you the slab - we just don't have a good location
for a big greenhouse on our property. If you do try a greenhouse,
would suggest you still consider investing in the heat mats - they
make all the difference in the world germinating seeds.

Nancy T