A greenhouse outfitted with one of the best greenhouse heaters and other accessories is a fabulous way grow plants all year long. Quite simply, a greenhouse turns a short growing season into a year-round growing paradise. A well-designed greenhouse—with the right greenhouse accessories and equipment—can provide the perfect growing environment for all kinds of plants.
If you are planning to add a greenhouse on your property, this round-up of the best greenhouse heaters, equipment and accessories will come in handy. If you just purchased or constructed a greenhouse, consider adding these greenhouse products to make it a true indoor growing paradise 12 months a year.
The Best Greenhouse Heaters
The inside of a greenhouse naturally stays warmer than the outside temperature. But during colder weather, most greenhouses need a heating boost. Add more insulation for most greenhouses during winter months.
A greenhouse heater is among the must-have greenhouse accessories to keep temperatures inside the greenhouse from getting too low. This is especially true in climates where winter temperatures dip well below freezing for months at a time.
Best Greenhouse Heaters: Heavy-Duty
One of the best greenhouse heaters is the Bio Green Phoenix Heater. This versatile heater is perfect for most backyard greenhouses because it offers high-end features at an affordable price. The energy-efficient Phoenix Heater has three different heat output levels—low (3,412 BTU), medium (6,149 BTU) and high (9,554 BTU). That’s plenty of heat to keep approximately 180 square feet frost free, even in the coldest weather. We also recommend insulating the greenhouse in the winter months.
The heavy-duty built-in fan is powerful enough to efficiently distribute heat throughout the greenhouse. (Even in the hard-to-reach corners.) During the summer months, the quiet but powerful fan can be used alone (without the separately controlled heater) to create air circulation that helps cool the inside of the greenhouse.
The Bio Green Phoenix Heater has a built-in thermostat so it’s easy to control the greenhouse temperature. Set the precision thermostat to anywhere from 32 to 79 degrees Fahrenheit. The versatile heater comes with floor mounting brackets and hanging chains to make it easy to install in the perfect place.
The Bio Green Phoenix Heater is backed by a 3-year guarantee. It sells for about $300 from Amazon.com.
A Great Heater for Smaller Greenhouses
For smaller greenhouses, the BioGreen Palma Heater easily keeps 120 square feet free of frost. This small heater puts out 5,118 BTU using just 1,500 watts of power.
This floor-standing heater has a high-circulation fan to evenly distribute the heat. The stainless steel heater casing and energy-efficient German engineering will provide many years of worry-free use.
With the available Thermo 2 Digital Thermostat and external sensor cable, the BioGreen Palma heater can measure the ambient temperature in the greenhouse and turn the heater on and off automatically.
The BioGreen Palma heater and thermostat sells for about $150 from Amazon.com or directly from BioGreen.com.
Greenhouse Accessories: Shelves and benches
In addition to adding the best greenhouse heater you can afford, a greenhouse needs shelves and growing benches to fully utilize its potential growing space. Even if your greenhouse kit included some shelves or benches, extra wire shelving enables you to grow more plants in your greenhouse space.
Benches can be also constructed of 2 x 4” lumber for the frames, and 1 x 2” or 1 x 3” slats make a good top. Providing gaps between the slats gives water a chance to drip down to ground level. That helps to prevent pooling water and mildew growth.
Another good option is a Heavy Duty Greenhouse Shelf Kit. These aluminum shelves have heavy duty brackets that can attach to many types of greenhouse frames.
Remember, greenhouses are typically 6-8 feet tall. If you are not growing some of your plants on racks, shelves and benches, you are not utilizing all of the vertical space available.
Planters and Growing Containers
All kinds of pots, planters and growing containers can be used to grow plants in a greenhouse. Websites that specialize in greenhouse supplies and greenhouse accessories sell everything from plastic pots and trays to hanging baskets and ceramic pots.
One of the newest type of containers now available is the sub-irrigated container. These planters use the natural “capillary action” of soil and potting mix. Instead of watering the potting mix at the top, water is added to the reservoir at the bottom of the container. Then the water is wicked up into the potting mix, where the plant roots can use it.
The City Jungle is a high-tech looking sub-irrigated planter that works great in greenhouses. It provides an excellent growing environment for herbs and vegetables. Flowers and other tropical plants also grow well in this self-watering planter.
The tough plastic City Jungle planter is 2 feet long by 1 foot tall and 1 foot deep. It is large enough to hold 9 gallons of potting mix. The two square feet of growing area is large enough for two full-sized tomato plants or other large plants.
Add water is to the reservoir with a watering can or hose through the square hole in the front wall. (See photo above.) The water reservoir holds an impressive 4.5 gallons. A trellis can be added to the City Jungle planter, which makes it perfect for growing tomatoes, cucumbers, and other vining plants in a greenhouse. The trellis extends to 6 ft. tall.
The City Jungle growing container on Amazon sells for $69.99. The trellis sells for $39.99.
You can also buy the City Jungle with Trellis for $99.99. Other Self-Watering Planters are also available.
Greenhouse Watering and Irrigation
Watering a greenhouse full of plants can be a labor of love. But it can also become an unbearable chore. This is exactly why Greenhouse Irrigation Systems are popular. A wide variety of automatic watering options are available.
Greenhouse accessories providers have done a terrific job of putting together irrigation kits that contain virtually all the components needed for a custom do-it-yourself watering system. Determine what kind of watering your plants need— for example, drip irrigation or micro-sprayers. Then find the kit that best meets your needs.
Hydro Cup Watering System
Even when plants are on an automatic watering system, there are always a few plants that prefer a little more hydration. Fortunately, there is an easy way to provide extra water directly to specific plants in your greenhouse.
The Hydro Cup Watering Stake delivers water below the surface of the soil directly to the plant’s root zone. Just remove the cover and fill up the cup with 2.5 liters of water. The water will slowly seep through the terracotta stake. Not a drop of water is wasted.
Hydro Cup Watering Stakes are great for thirsty plants such as tropical flowers and fruiting plants. Use these watering stakes in large pots and planters. (They are also perfect for watering plants indoor plants while you are on vacation.)
A set of four Hydro Cup Watering Stakes is available for about $70 at Amazon.com.
Best Greenhouse Heaters and Accessories: Grow lights
Additional light is needed during the winter months to effectively grow plants year-round in a greenhouse. Use supplemental lighting to artificially extend the daylight and enhance the intensity of the natural winter light.
Fortunately, there are many different types of greenhouse lighting. Hang four-foot-long LED Grow Lights (that resemble the old fluorescent tube lights) from the greenhouse roof. Or use a Grow Light Strip Kit can to add light right where plants need it. And many other high-tech lighting options are available.
We’ve assembled a selection of supplemental lighting choices. Click here to check pricing and availability.
Automatic Vent Openers
An automatic vent opener is great for letting heat out when the temperature inside the greenhouse gets too hot. These devices are an extremely popular greenhouse accessory because today’s solar-powered automatic vent openers do not use any electricity.
These devices are both ingenious and quite simple. As the greenhouse temperature warms up, so does the heat within the cylinder mechanism of the opener. The increase in heat activates the vent to open. When the temperature inside the greenhouse cools down, the vent automatically closes.
Quite simply, and automatic vent openers are among the smartest greenhouse accessories you can buy.
Vent openers are available at Amazon.com.
Other Greenhouse Accesories
There are lots of additional accessories for greenhouses. One example is a handy combo thermometer-hygrometer that tells you the greenhouse temperature and how much humidity is in the air.
That’s an awesome addition to any greenhouse! Check here for more Greenhouse Accessories on Amazon.
If you haven’t selected your greenhouse yet, read Backyard Greenhouses for Every Budget.
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