How does the soil warm up? Oleg Telepov. How to heat a greenhouse in the spring with your own hands Warming up the earth in a greenhouse

Warming up the soil

My Karelia, like the entire Russian North, is located in an area with excess moisture and lack of heat. Sometimes the earth warms up only towards the middle or even towards the end of summer, so the fruits simply do not have enough time to ripen. How can we, gardeners, help them?

First of all we must try improve soil thermal conditions. Warmth for the roots is comfortable for the plant. The root system can be compared to a foundation. A large, strong house is built on a strong foundation; on a weak foundation, it is better not to build anything at all. But sometimes we thoughtlessly accept recommendations that are useful in a different climate, thereby aggravating the situation.

Many northerners are fond of mulching, sprinkling paths, beds, and the ground around bushes with sawdust and peat chips. And in our climate, as a result of this, the access of solar heat to the roots of plants is completely blocked. I have seen more than once how, under a layer of sawdust or peat, ice remained in some places until the next winter. It is not surprising that plants lag behind in development and even die.
Our ancestors acted more carefully; they skillfully and diligently helped the earth to warm up and achieved good harvests even of heat-loving crops.

How to improve soil heating? These techniques are available to everyone.

The most important, in my opinion, is adding medium or coarse sand to clay and loamy soil, better than a homogeneous composition. Here it acts more like an accumulator: the deeper the sand is brought in, the deeper the soil will warm up, accumulating heat. Sand also improves gas exchange. A favorable thermal regime activates the activity of microorganisms, which helps plants quickly grow roots.

Deep ditches along the edges and in the middle of the site(especially on damp clay and loamy soils) help not only to warm up the soil better, but also remove excess moisture and lower the groundwater level.

Gives excellent results raised vegetable beds(at least 30-40 cm). At one time, when developing a site, I had to pour earthen piles up to a meter high. Everything grew wildly on them. But as soon as the piles were leveled, the plants immediately withered.

Drainage on site

On clay and loamy soils, since they do not allow water to pass through well, you definitely need drainage. In various publications, sometimes without thinking, the authors describe the same method of drainage something like this: “Dig a hole and lay small pebbles at the bottom.” So what's next? You can pour pebbles even to the very top, but where does the water go in spring or autumn? Nowhere. It will accumulate, the soil will acidify, the roots of the plants will become soaked and die. Drainage must remove excess water, only then will it work and justify the cost of its installation.

If you have dug a hole for planting a tree or bush, then you must make an inclined layer from it of the same depth towards the reclamation ditch and fill it with the same drainage material (with the addition of sand) as in the planting hole. This system has worked successfully for me for many years. I use sand of medium or coarse fraction, which I pour in a layer of up to 10 cm at the bottom of the hole and layering. With such drainage, the adjacent layers of soil also dry out.

If, due to high groundwater levels, it is impossible to arrange drainage with layering, due to the fact that there is nowhere to drain the water, it is necessary to plant fruit trees on bulk hills, much higher than the level of the main site.

To speed up the warming up of the soil in the garden, which brings the planting time closer, I cut deep furrows. It's not easy work, but it's worth it.

The literature describes in some detail installation of a warm bed. But for some reason the mechanism of their action is not really explained. To make a garden bed warm, you need, at a minimum, microflora and a “kitchen” to feed microorganisms, which encourages reproduction. Since ancient times, the first component has been rotted manure (preferably a mixture of cow and horse), which is literally teeming with microorganisms. The food source is cellulose: sawdust, shavings, straw, hay, leaves. Only if these conditions are met does the rapid development of microflora occur, accompanied by the active release of heat.

With the advent of black covering film on sale, the fertile layer of soil heats up much easier and faster. Its low demand is explained by its high cost.

Another effective and accessible technique is creating a microclimate. It is important that winds do not blow heated air out of the area. First of all, it is necessary to lay hedges of fast-growing trees and shrubs.

In my opinion, the listed techniques will not be burdensome for anyone.

V. Afanasyev.

A distinctive feature of warm beds is the increased temperature inside the soil, which promotes the normal development of plants, even when there is frost outside the greenhouse. This design allows you to start growing vegetables in the first spring months, regardless of bad weather conditions.

Solar heat warms the beds only by the beginning of May, in some regions and by the end of May. Artificially heated soil is suitable for planting plants as early as March, while the root shoots are in comfortable conditions, which contributes to their strengthening and plant growth. In addition, the heat generated by the earth helps warm the air in the greenhouse.

Advantages of warm beds:

Early planting and achieving maximum yield in the first summer months;
Getting good results even on relatively fertile soil;
Reducing the need for plant nutrition;
Increasing the fruiting period;
Reducing water consumption during irrigation;
Weed control.

Preparing a warm bed in a greenhouse is carried out in autumn or early spring. There are several options for heating the bed: electric cable, water pipes, biological compost. When using a cable, it is laid under the soil in advance and heated using electricity. These designs are highly efficient, but expensive to maintain.

Water heating is used using special pipes made of polymer material, which are laid under the ground.

Hot water flows through the pipes, capable of heating the earth. For biological beds, plant residues and manure from livestock farming are used. The heating element is the process of rotting, as a result of which the soil temperature rises. This is the most economical way to heat beds. Each method has its pros and cons. The gardener selects the most appropriate option based on his own views on growing plants.

Heating the soil in a greenhouse using an electric cable

Cable heating of greenhouse beds allows you to maintain the soil temperature as accurately as possible, which makes it possible to effectively grow plants.

The main advantages of an electric heating system include:

The ability to grow any, even exotic crops;
Increased productivity;
Ability to regulate soil temperature;
Easy to install cable system;
Long service life.

To arrange the bed, it is necessary to remove up to 40 cm of top soil. Next, lay thermal insulation material so that energy does not escape into the lower layers of the earth. Prepare a cushion 5 cm high with sifted sand, pour water on it and compact it.

To protect the cable from various rodents, you need to install a special mesh over the sand.

Next, lay the electrical cable on the mesh like a snake. The laying distance between the tape should be no more than 20 cm. Using special clamps, secure the wire to the mesh, cover it with sand and compact it, creating another pillow. Next, in order to avoid mechanical damage to the cable during excavation work, lay another mesh and cover the entire structure with earth. Thanks to this device, plants can be grown in greenhouses regardless of weather conditions, using additional lighting in autumn and winter. In return, the family will receive fresh vegetables at any time of the year.

A simple greenhouse with heated soil with your own hands

Water heated beds also have a number of advantages. Firstly, the condensate formed on the pipes additionally moistens the soil. This design provides uniform heating of the air in the room. To heat the greenhouse, you will need a gas or electric boiler; you can also use a small wood-burning stove made of brick or metal.

You need to purchase a pipe for the smoke to escape. The choice is made in accordance with the configuration of the heater.

To install a furnace or boiler, it is necessary to prepare a foundation; for a brick structure, a concrete foundation. A metal boiler can be placed on a sheet of asbestos and cement mixture. Next, the structures provide stability and attach the chimney, hermetically sealing the connection points.

Insulation of beds with pipes, necessary work:

Remove soil 35-40 mm thick;
Material for thermal insulation is laid at the bottom of the resulting trench; foam plastic is usually used;
Water pipes are placed on top and connected to the heating system;
Fertile soil is laid on top of the pipes.

This heating method is considered optimal, but it is necessary to ensure that the temperature of the water in the pipes does not exceed 45 o C, otherwise you can burn the roots of the plants.

Warm bed in a polycarbonate greenhouse: biological method

The biological method of heating beds is made using natural biofuel placed in the subsoil layer. Plant remains, sawdust and manure are used as filler, which is spilled with water for the rotting process. Such beds are the most economical design.

Warm beds running on natural fuel are usually divided according to the type of construction:

In-depth, when fertile soil is removed, a trench is dug, compost is laid and filled with soil on top so that it is level with the total mass of the earth;
Raised beds, the top layer of soil is removed from the surface and placed in special wooden boxes, which serve as protection against shedding and washing away of the soil during operation;
A hilly bed, laid without a box on top of the main platform;
A combined option, when the lower layers with organic matter are laid at ground level, and the fertile soil layer is fixed with a box.

To make a structure for a combined warm ridge, you need to mark out places for future plantings. Then carefully remove the layer of turf, putting the fertile soil aside. Next, you need to dig a trench up to 60 cm deep. To protect against freezing, foam plastic or closed plastic containers are placed at the bottom of the trench. Next begins the first layer of organic matter, consisting of large branches, wooden chocks, and large plant objects.

This layer will play a drainage role. Then a paper backing consisting of waste paper is laid.

After this comes a layer of finer organic matter, food waste, tree leaves, and small grass stems. Next, add ready-made compost, or semi-rotted manure, to begin the rotting process. We install a pre-prepared box into which we will pour fertile soil. Each laid layer must be thoroughly watered. We cover the last layer with fertile soil. Soil enriched with organic matter is perfect for planting tomatoes, pumpkins and cucumbers. The rotting process can warm the earth for 2 months.

How to warm the soil in a greenhouse in spring

Having a polycarbonate greenhouse, you want to start sowing plants in early spring. To do this, it is necessary to warm the soil and air in the greenhouse.

There are various ways to increase soil temperature:

Electric heating with air, a simple and affordable method, you need to purchase a heater-fan and connect it to electricity;
Electric heating of beds with a cable, an easy-to-install system that allows you to heat the soil to the required temperature and maintain it in this condition;
The infrared method, using special lamps, a feature of this option is the ability to heat only the plants without increasing the air temperature in the greenhouse;
Water pipes serve as an excellent heating element for the soil, beds and shelving while moistening the soil with condensation.

Warm beds in a greenhouse (video)

Greenhouses with artificial heating are able to heat and insulate the soil and air due to the energy-heating structure, allowing plants to be grown from early spring to late autumn.

Examples of warm beds in a greenhouse (photo)

What is the best way to heat a greenhouse in the spring? Which method is most effective and economical? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each heating method? Perhaps these are the most pressing questions for greenhouse owners or those who are planning to build such a greenhouse on their site. We will try to provide detailed and accurate information on these issues. Naturally, there can be no definite answers, because much depends on the tasks of the greenhouse being built, its size, materials and the capabilities of the owner himself. The main thing is to have as much verified information as possible and choose the best option for yourself. Well, the presented photo and video materials will help you decide on the right solution.

Ways to heat a greenhouse in spring

The greenhouse can be used year-round or seasonally, for example in spring. There are a lot of ways to heat a greenhouse in the spring with your own hands. They can be simple or complex, cheap or capital intensive, effective or insignificant. Below are all the most popular methods of heating a greenhouse, with their advantages and disadvantages.

How to heat a greenhouse in spring - a solar heating method

A simple but ineffective method for heating in early spring, which does not require additional costs. This heating method can be used during periods of active solar heat: late spring, summer and early autumn. In winter, this method is unacceptable, since the sun is not able to warm the walls of the greenhouse properly.
A greenhouse built from sections of polycarbonate or glass perfectly transmits the sun's rays, thereby heating the soil and air.
The heat accumulated as a result of the greenhouse effect gradually accumulates in the room, significantly increasing the temperature.
Based on this method, it is possible to build the so-called indoors. "solar oven" The essence of its action is that the sun heats up the stones during the day, which perfectly retain this heat and release it to the greenhouse at night. Thus, it is possible to maintain the temperature throughout the day.
You can regulate (reduce) the temperature (especially in the summer) in a greenhouse by ventilating it.
To maximize the use of solar energy when heating the greenhouse, its optimally convenient location is important - on the south side of the site. This factor should be taken into account when planning the construction of a greenhouse.
To reduce heat loss from a greenhouse, it is necessary to pay attention to the shape of the structure. The best options are spherical, arched buildings with rounded vaults.
To enhance the heating effect, you can also insulate the northern wall of the greenhouse, through which solar energy does not enter. To retain maximum heat in the greenhouse, its northern side is made opaque: covered with foil or painted over with white paint. This is one of the most affordable and easiest ways to heat a polycarbonate greenhouse in the spring.

How to heat a greenhouse in spring - a biological heating method

This heating method is low-cost, labor-intensive, and is used year-round, including in the spring.
The essence of the method is the preparation of “biofuel”, which releases a certain amount of heat.
Manure is most often used as a “biofuel”. As it decomposes, it releases heat, thereby warming the soil. Adding crushed straw to manure will ensure its better decomposition, which means the release of more heat. In the spring, in preparation for such heating, the manure is preheated. This is necessary to “start” the decomposition process. To heat it, the manure is placed in a loose pile, several holes are made into which hot water is poured. The stack is covered with burlap for 3-4 days, after which it is ready for use as “biofuel”.
Horse manure produces some of the highest temperatures when decomposed. Compost with the addition of horse manure is also used. When using pig or cow manure, be sure to add straw to it.

Bark, straw, sawdust, plant humus or ordinary household waste are also used as biological fuel. But, the soil temperature and heating duration in such cases will be significantly lower than with manure.
To biologically heat a greenhouse, the following technology must be followed: remove the entire layer of soil from the greenhouse shelves; spread manure (or other “biofuel”) in an even layer on the bottom, filling approximately 1/3 of the racks (in height); The manure is covered with soil on top.

The duration of maintaining the required soil temperature with this heating method varies and ranges from 2 weeks (using sawdust) to 4 months (using horse manure).
Artificially prepared “biofuel” is also used. Lay in layers: chopped straw, lime-ammonium nitrate, superphosphate. The ratio is 10:0.2:0.3 kg. Next, the layers are compacted and watered with hot water. Fertile soil is poured on top (about the same layer in height).
Biological heating has a number of advantages: it fills the soil with valuable nutrients, vitamins and microelements contained in organic fertilizers. Due to evaporation during manure rotting, the soil is naturally moistened. In addition, this type of heating does not dry out the air, unlike technical methods.
This method of heating a greenhouse is great for spring, when there are no longer severe frosts and you just need to maintain a certain temperature. When the “biofuel” stops its activity, it becomes warm outside and the greenhouse is either opened or the seedlings are planted in open ground.

How to heat a greenhouse in early spring

How can you heat a greenhouse when there is not enough solar heat yet, there are frequent frosts and the plants need a stable positive temperature. There are a number of technical devices for heating a greenhouse in the cold season using a number of heating devices.

It is rational to use the most complex and cost-effective heating systems in the winter, but if they are already installed in the greenhouse, they are also used in the spring.

If the greenhouse is used only in spring or autumn, there is no need to install large, expensive and complex heating devices for this purpose. It is enough to use simple and affordable means of heating the room to create a warm microclimate.

How to heat a greenhouse in spring - stove heating method

Stoves are the most ancient and proven method of heating.

This heating method is more suitable for the coldest time of the year - winter or early spring. During the onset of stable warm days, you can also heat the greenhouse from time to time, maintaining the required temperature regime.
Not everyone can make a greenhouse heated by a stove with their own hands. This requires technical knowledge and certain skills to ensure that the stove is as functional as possible, with good draft and high heat transfer coefficient.
As a rule, for convenience, stoves are installed at the end of the greenhouse and a horizontal chimney is laid around the perimeter of the room. This allows the heat to be evenly distributed over the entire area.
Stove heating of a greenhouse does not heat the soil. In this regard, racks with soil must be thermally insulated from the main soil on which the greenhouse is built. As an alternative, you can use biological heating of the soil (with manure) or technical heating (electric, water heating of the soil).
To heat the stove, coal, wood, coke, and household waste are used as fuel.
Stove heating can be improved and converted to water heating for a greenhouse. To do this, install a water heating boiler on the stove, the pipes of which are looped with the water tank, and the wiring is placed along the entire perimeter of the greenhouse. Circulating through the pipes, hot water heats the entire room.
Another option is a solid fuel boiler that runs on wood, wood waste, seed husks or waste oil. This is a very cost-effective way to heat a greenhouse.

How to heat a greenhouse in early spring - water heating method

In addition to water heating of the greenhouse using a stove, you can circulate hot water around the perimeter of the entire room using an electric or gas boiler.
Pipes can be laid not only along the walls of the greenhouse, but also below (under the floor), also providing warming of the soil in the greenhouse.

Metal or plastic pipes are used to install a water heating system. Currently, plastic is most often used as the most affordable material. In addition, such pipes are lightweight, do not rust and are easy to install.
Installing a special thermostat to radiators and pipelines allows you to automatically maintain the temperature in the room.

The disadvantages of this heating system include the complexity of installation work, fairly high economic costs and constant monitoring of the system.
A positive aspect of water heating of a greenhouse will be a consistently positive temperature of both air and soil in the room.
It is also practiced to connect the greenhouse to an existing heating system (for example, at home). If the boiler in the house is powerful enough and the greenhouse is located more than 10 m from the living space, you can safely connect. This method is very complex and expensive. In addition, it should be taken into account that the pipes leading from the house to the greenhouse must be insulated.

How to heat a greenhouse in early spring - air heating method

Air heating of a greenhouse, where warm air is used as a coolant, can also be done with your own hands.
This heating system is even easier to make than water heating.
The air, heated in the boiler, is distributed through the air duct system (as a rule, a perforated polyethylene hose is used).

Such sleeves, laid along the entire perimeter of the greenhouse, quickly and evenly warm the room and the soil. The main advantage of this method is the rapid heating of any area of the room.
The disadvantage of such heating is a significant decrease in humidity in the greenhouse. Therefore, you should constantly monitor the humidity so that the air does not dry out too much.
For air heating of greenhouses, heating and ventilation units installed on special supports or supporting structures of the greenhouse are used. Such devices warm up the air in the greenhouse well, and additionally use polyethylene sleeves to warm the soil. This combination of air heating methods provides maximum efficiency.
For large greenhouses, you can also use an industrial air heater that runs on solid fuel. It can be installed anywhere in the greenhouse without controlling the subsequent process. The automatic thermostat independently regulates the required room temperature.

How to heat a greenhouse in early spring - gas heating method

The gasified area allows you to use gas to heat the greenhouse.
How to heat a greenhouse with gas yourself so that it is safe and effective? You can use gas burners or air heaters evenly spaced around the perimeter of the greenhouse. Regular gas cylinders are suitable for them.
Gas heaters still require constant monitoring and supervision.
To ensure that carbon dioxide and the heat generated by the heaters are evenly distributed throughout the greenhouse, fans are also installed.
An alternative to such heaters can be a factory gas boiler. But, in this case, the high cost of this heating system should be taken into account.
The positive aspects of gas heating will be their convenient use for seasonal greenhouses (for example, in spring), the carbon dioxide and water released will promote the growth of plants in greenhouse conditions.
The problematic issue of gas heating will be the uniform distribution of heat throughout the room, access of air for ventilation (chimney) and constant monitoring of heating devices.

How to heat a greenhouse in early spring - electric heating method

How to heat a greenhouse in the spring using electricity? There are several options for electric heating that you can install yourself.
The main condition for electric heating is the presence of electricity in the greenhouse (or near it).
The easiest way to heat a greenhouse in the spring is to install electric heaters. By periodically changing the location of the devices, you can easily change the air flow of heat in the greenhouse.

The advantages of this method are the low cost of the heating system, ease of use and management. And electrical appliances with fans help to uniformly warm the building area and prevent the appearance of condensation on the walls of the greenhouse.
The disadvantages of such heating will be the unevenness of the heating area when using only one device; and the use of several devices in a large greenhouse will entail significant waste of energy and financial costs. In addition, the devices should not be too close to the plants so that hot air does not hit them.
Another heating method is to install a heating cable for the greenhouse. It is laid in advance, under a layer of soil. With this use of electricity, it is possible to save money, since energy consumption is much less than that of heating devices. The system is easy to use and allows you to evenly distribute heat over the entire area of the greenhouse, and not only the soil, but also the air is heated. This is especially convenient when the greenhouse begins to function only in the spring and the soil after winter is cold and unsuitable for plants.

How to heat a greenhouse in early spring - infrared heating method

For infrared heating, greenhouses use special infrared lamps, heaters and thermal film.

An economical way to use (compared to electrical appliances), infrared heating method quickly and evenly heats the soil and plants without drying out the air.
By installing a thermostat on infrared heaters, you can easily control the room temperature and maintain constant climate control.
Infrared radiation is harmless to plants and people.
The advantages of this heating method are the long service life (up to 10 years) of the devices, high returns at low costs and an easy way to install the system.

How to heat a greenhouse in frosty conditions - an emergency heating method

What to do if a cold snap suddenly sets in, but there is no heating in the greenhouse yet? There are emergency ways to heat a greenhouse space. Let's look at one example.
First way. To do this, you will need a barrel and porous bricks soaked in a flammable mixture. A barrel of bricks is placed near the greenhouse. Then it is necessary to mount and strengthen the pipe from the top of the barrel to the ceiling of the greenhouse. When the bricks are set on fire, the greenhouse quickly heats up and stays warm for about 12 hours.
The method is quite dangerous, applicable only in emergency cases and requires strict adherence to fire safety rules and constant monitoring.

Second way. It is used when there is enough sunlight during the day, but frost is still possible at night. Plastic bottles filled with water are used. They are placed in the soil around the entire perimeter of the greenhouse, without screwing the lids on. During the day they heat up from the sun's rays penetrating the greenhouse, and at night they release the accumulated heat to the soil. Additionally, valuable moisture evaporates, creating a favorable microclimate for plants.

How to heat the soil in a greenhouse

In the previous sections, some methods of heating the soil in a greenhouse were considered: heating with “biofuel” or bottles of water, warm air through special hoses, infrared devices, etc. Let’s consider other possible options for heating the soil.
A soil chimney is a device from a stove located outside the greenhouse. The chimney is placed directly into the soil inside the greenhouse. Thus, it heats not only the soil, but also the air.
A “warm floor” in a greenhouse can be easily provided by installing electric heating cables there. It does not take up extra space in the greenhouse; such a “floor” perfectly warms the soil, and therefore the air. In addition, automatic temperature control can be installed. Despite all the benefits and convenience, the system will require certain costs for the purchase and installation of such equipment.

How to heat a polycarbonate greenhouse

The choice of material for making a greenhouse is very important, as it directly affects the ability to retain and transfer heat indoors.
Glass transmits light well, but has low thermal insulation. Double-glazed windows are too expensive a material. The film is not durable and thin. Polycarbonate is the most optimal option in terms of thermal conductivity and light transmission.
For a greenhouse that is “launched” in the spring, single-layer polycarbonate will be sufficient. For a year-round greenhouse, take two layers of polycarbonate.
Polycarbonate greenhouses can be heated using all of the above methods.

conclusions

Before choosing one or another method of heating a greenhouse in the spring, it is important to decide on a number of factors:

Greenhouse size.
The material from which the greenhouse is made.
Operating conditions of the greenhouse (seasonal or year-round).
Availability of technical resources: gas, electricity, boiler power in the house, etc.
Financial opportunities.

Only taking into account all the above circumstances will it be possible to choose the most rational method for heating the greenhouse.

Having carefully studied all the methods of heating a greenhouse, familiarizing yourself with their positive and negative sides, determine for yourself the most suitable one, ensuring comfortable plant growth and complete heating of the air and soil.

If necessary, it is possible to combine several methods of heating the greenhouse. This is very convenient and allows you to change heating methods (if necessary) or combine them, if necessary.

Heated greenhouses, video

“Heating a greenhouse with wood”:

“Heating a polycarbonate greenhouse”:

“Greenhouse water heating”:

To print

Alexander Spitsyn 03/30/2015 | 5359

The strongest influence on the rate of plant growth and development is exerted by water, light, mineral nutrition and temperature. We will talk about the first three factors separately someday, and today we will talk about temperature.

When does a person say that it has become warm? Correctly, when the air temperature has reached a comfortable level. But plants are still not people, and opinions on this matter may be different. Not only air temperature is important for plants, but also soil temperature.

How to speed up soil warming?

The easiest way is cover the soil ridges with black spunbond or black film. Black color absorbs more solar energy, and the material itself prevents it from escaping at night. A strong greenhouse effect is created.

In my opinion, cover with spunbond better than film, since the latter deprives the soil of oxygen, which can be dangerous for underground inhabitants - worms and insects, and we need them alive.

Covering with spunbond is good to practice even in an assembled greenhouse, if it is not heated. The fact is that the cubic capacity of greenhouses does not allow for a significant increase in soil temperature in the spring. In addition, glass, polycarbonate and polyethylene coatings cool down quite strongly on clear and frosty nights.

Another way to speed up warming up the soil and stabilize its temperature at the required levels - this is the creation of a water buffer. This method is good for planting seedlings of tomatoes, paprika, artichokes, cucumbers and cabbage.

Creating a water buffer

Creating a water buffer is simple - we alternate the planted seedling bushes with dark one and a half to two liter plastic bottles dug into the ground at the same depth as the seedlings. We pre-fill the bottles with water.

From a school physics course we know that water has a high heat capacity. At night it will slowly release the accumulated heat to the soil, and during the day it will counteract overheating. The fact is that water reaches its maximum heat capacity at a temperature of about 37ºC and it is difficult to heat it to higher values without an electric kettle. So overheating will be just as excluded as hypothermia. There is one important point: the “water buffer” does not work well against frost without covering material.

I had one unsuccessful experiment. I planted tomatoes and cucumbers on the external (outside the village) plot. Thoroughly mulched the soil, placed dark bottles of water between the seedlings, but was too lazy to cover the top with spunbond. More precisely, I wasn’t lazy, but it was hot in those days. And then - once! And frosts. And all my work was covered with a copper basin. And all because I didn’t cover it with spunbond before.

But I wasn’t very upset - because now I can tell you about it, and you won’t do that. When planting heat-loving plants in regions where there is a danger of frost, a water buffer works better when covered with spunbond or, at worst, film. At worst, because under the film the plants will be deprived of rain watering and you will have to constantly water them.

To print

Reading today

Calendar of work Growing autumn radishes - planting and getting a harvest without hassle

Gardeners often believe that the most delicious radishes are obtained only after spring planting. But this is not always the case, because...

Plants Planting green manure in August - saving the garden from problems

Is it necessary to plant green manure in the garden and when is the best time to plant? Do these crops enrich the soil and what happens to them...

The ground remains very cold for a long time after emerging from the snow. Even on the May holidays, in seemingly hot weather, the earth still retains the winter cold... Is there a difference: sow in icy soil or warm soil? Of course have! In warm soil, everything grows several times faster. An effective technique is used for this: starting in April, it is useful to warm up several beds in advance. In addition, they generally warm up the soil in the area by raking off a layer of plant debris from the surface, which serves as a “fur coat.”

Warming up some beds - this event sometimes greatly increases the yield of the garden, not to mention the receipt of earlier vegetables. Not only when sowing seeds, but also when planting seedlings, it is better to prepare in advance a place with warmer soil than it will be in weather conditions.

We’ll place film tunnels in several places in advance (or simply spread film or lutrasil over the surface - this also warms up; both transparent and dark materials heat up the earth), even if we don’t yet know who will grow there: there will be a contender, it would be warm place. We have our sights set on vegetables: soon we will have mini-seedlings ready. And simply sowing carrots or planting potatoes under film or lutrasil will speed up the production of the first vegetables in June-July.

Does this mean that you need to cover as many beds as possible with film, preferably all of them?

No, we are talking about warming the soil only for early vegetables - this is only part of our garden plans.

But if you still take the entire garden under film, wouldn’t that be more advantageous?

There is no need for this: in the summer it’s already warm, sometimes even too much (remember the summer of 2010 with temperatures of under 45°C, when even the tomatoes were “screaming”!). We must proceed from the nature of vegetable cultures. Read more about this.

Sowing too early in the middle zone gives us little benefit, and there is no point in sowing vegetable seeds in cold soil: they will hardly develop anyway. Therefore, to obtain early greens and other early vegetables, they are sown in April under film.

There is another factor: many vegetable crops, so to speak, have a strictly limited growing season; they cannot go beyond a strictly defined number of months. Let’s say, if a crop has a normal development cycle of 3-4 months, then it will not be able to grow in our beds “until late autumn,” and in due time, somewhere in July or early August, the tops will simply stop It will wither, no matter how favorable the conditions are at that time (this is how potatoes behave, for example). This means that if out of these 3-4 months she “stalks” in the cold for 2 months, that is, she barely develops, then she will have only 1-2 months left, and she simply will not have time to grow extremely large. But if we wait for optimal conditions, the crop will grow quickly throughout 3-4 months and will be the largest. This property especially needs to be taken into account, firstly, in short-cycle crops: radishes, turnips, lettuce, peas, onions, garlic (for example, peas, although they are a cold-resistant crop, do much better when sown in early June than in early May ; if you sow nigella onion seeds in April-early May, the onion will be smaller than when sown in early June; the first lettuce sowings also produce small bushes compared to subsequent summer sowings); secondly, with early varieties of all crops. All early varieties (potatoes, cucumbers, carrots...) must be planted immediately in favorable conditions, they already have little time to develop, and if they spend half of this period in icy soil, they will not grow large. So, if late-ripening varieties of cucumbers in a greenhouse can grow for a very long time, then early varieties of cucumbers for open ground tend to quickly bear fruit and turn yellow leaves. Therefore, such cucumbers need to be grown either with the youngest seedlings (1-2 weeks old) or by sowing seeds - and always in warm soil, not earlier than the beginning of June. In addition, they do additional sowing of early cucumbers at the end of June, otherwise we risk having yellow tops without greens in August. Early varieties of white cabbage, having quickly formed a small head of 1.5-2 kg, hardly grow any further, so early cabbage should also be planted in warm soil. Early potatoes stop growing already in July, the tops turn yellow, so they should not be planted too early. Of course, there are vegetable crops that “grow endlessly”: tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, squash, pumpkins - you can handle them more freely, but still take into account their heat-loving nature.