I don't have a veggie heat mat. The only alternative I have is a heating pad, the kind you use for a sore back. What are the dangers to using this pad? Will the pad get the roots too warm? I bought a grow lamp and it seems to have helped. The weather took a turn for the cold and I had to shut the windows on the back porch this morning.
just use it on low. be aware they are not waterproof though so you could easily short it out and ruin it. just watch it closely...
adam, his porch is unheated. the heat mat will at least keep the roots warmer. that said it would also be prudent to build a little "tent" around the plants to contain any heat generated from the heating pad if it gets too cold out there.
I have big boy tomatoes, yellow pear, squash, cabbage, kale, and bush beans. Started in soil blocks. Now ready to transfer to peat moss cups. the tomatoes are already in peat pots as are the bush beans. Seem to be doing okay but not growing much.
cabbage and kale will be fine off the heat mat. they actually will do better off it. they tend to stretch when they are too warm.
once it warms up they will probably take off and grow like crazy. I wonder how cold the night is where you are, we are still dipping below 0 oC some nights, here, up north.
We had low temps of 35 degrees and cold rainy days of 45 F. Today it finally turned of sunny and 65 F. Wed. supposed to be a high of 80 F. Supposed to get warm, but going to turn cold again by Saturday. Weather all over the place is why we have tornadoes. I live slap dab in the middle of Tornado Alley.
Had a heating pad, wasn't large enough for the plants...I bought an electric blanket years ago...worked perfectly..lost it..bought another last year..works just fine when I add plants...just roll it out as needed.
