Here in Belgrade Montana, it is not uncommon for temperatures to dip below -20 °F for a week or two at a time. Our official hardiness zone is 4, but zone 3 plants survive. Our mean number of continuous frost-free days are less than 85 and the median temperature is about 46 °F. The makes for a very short growing season. The Greenhouse is heated on a thermostat set at 40 °F. The thermostat is attached to a small Pelonis ceramic heater. This rarely turns on during the day. In fact, on a sunny day, the automatic vents crack open, even when outside temps are only 10 °F! The low cost of heating the greenhouse means that the season can be extended to almost ten months!
The panels I have purchased from The Greenhouse Catalog make the greenhouse much easier to heat than when it was covered with plastic sheeting. The panels are easy to work with, and very rugged. They transmit high-quality light that the plants really thrive in. The fig bush and grape vine are two years old. Last year, we had about 20 figs. I had never eaten a fresh fig before. Last year I trained the Himrod grape vine into three main branches. The south-branch is over 17' long! I first noticed the flowers in March. There are almost 50 clusters of grapes this season.
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