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Category: Things That Grow In My Garden | Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 8:34 pm

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A few weeks ago my brother-in-law, who has an incredibly busy schedule, drove down from Birmingham to run an electrical line to my new greenhouse. Since I am one of the millions of handymen who do not go near electricity I was totally dependent on his expertise. It was getting critical as the temperature kept dropping lower and lower as we got deeper into December. Naturally I was very anxious to get my heater installed to protect my plants that are wintering in there. He installed a ground fault interrupter box in my shed to protect the line from overloading. I was thrilled when we flipped the switch and the heater came on.

Greenhouse ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden )

That night as the temperature continued to drop and he had returned to Birmingham, I checked the greenhouse and found that the GFI had tripped and all power was off. I reset the switch and the heater started up again. This happened again the second and the third nights too. I began checking the circuit three and four times a day and made some adjustments to the heater. It has a setting for 1500 and 1300 watts so I turned it down to the lower wattage. However, it again tripped out that night too. However, without any further adjustment it remained on the following night. That was over a week ago and it has not tripped since. I am holding my breath and 'knocking on wood 'that it remains that way. I still check it two or three times a night, just to be safe. First to the shed to check the switch and then to the greenhouse to check the temp.

Last night the temperature outside was 27F or -3C but 65F, 24C inside the greenhouse. In my visits to the greenhouse I was so consumed by the heater and what the temperature was that I did not take time to really look at the flowers. Yesterday I did take that time and was amazed at how beautiful everything is holding up. While it may be the depths of December outside it is still Summer in the greenhouse even if I still check the circuit in the middle of the night.


Begonia in Greenhouse ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden )


Boston Fern ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden )


Coleus & New Guenea Impatens cuttings ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden )


Begonia in Frog Planter ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden )


Older Coleus Cuttings ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden )


Foxtail Fern ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden )






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eileen wrote on Tue Dec 22, 2009 10:40 pm:

I wish I knew someone like your brother-in-law as my poor plants are suffering badly from temperatures as low as -12C. I can only hope that some will survive until the better weather comes around again.

Your plants are looking so good now that they have heat to sustain them. I'm really happy for you.

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Jewell2009 wrote on Tue Dec 22, 2009 11:02 pm:

Nice to see that you were able to take the summer inside. What a delight and fun also. My unheated breezeway gets down to 40F, but things seem to be holding their own. No flowers like your beauties though. :)

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daisybeans wrote on Wed Dec 23, 2009 12:31 am:

That's a great looking greenhouse, by the way! And the flowers would really give me a lift.

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kuntrygal wrote on Wed Dec 23, 2009 5:13 pm:

What a wonderful BIL. That is a nice greenhouse. And your flowers are still pretty! You will be ready for the spring!

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glendann wrote on Wed Dec 23, 2009 7:37 pm:

Love your Green House.Love the plants too.Its pouring down snow here so your plants made my day better.

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