Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Kleftiwallah on March 31, 2013, 17:26

Title: Which veggie. . .and black plastic.
Post by: Kleftiwallah on March 31, 2013, 17:26

 

Which veggie benifits most from bottom heat produced by a heater cable in the border of a greenhouse?

 When warming up the soil in an outside bed (using black plastic sheeting) and is it better to to have this in contact with the soil or a small air gap between soil and plastic sheet ? ?   ???
Cheers,   Tony.

Title: Re: Which veggie. . .and black plastic.
Post by: bravemurphy on March 31, 2013, 18:19

Personaly i dont think it matters wether the sheet is touching the soil or not it will warm it up.

Just make sure its well weighed down cos if the wind gets under it a bit could be a good few yards away and upset the person whoose plot it lands on :-)

Title: Re: Which veggie. . .and black plastic.
Post by: fatcat1955 on March 31, 2013, 18:39

I would have thought the soil in a greenhouse border would be warm enough.

Title: Re: Which veggie. . .and black plastic.
Post by: sunshineband on March 31, 2013, 18:52

Even if you stretch the plastic tightly there will be an air gap anyway.

And it warms the soil just nicely  ;)

Title: Re: Which veggie. . .and black plastic.
Post by: gremlin on March 31, 2013, 19:47

In my opinion plastic only warms the soil if it is already dry.  I once used  black sheeting on wet soil and when I removed it a few weeks later the soil was still cold and wet. The uncovered soil nearby had dried out by itself and was fit for sowing.

Title: Re: Which veggie. . .and black plastic.
Post by: Salmo on April 01, 2013, 00:27

See RHS advice

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=695 (http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=695)

They say that black plastic should be in touch with the soil.

Title: Re: Which veggie. . .and black plastic.
Post by: Kleftiwallah on April 01, 2013, 10:36

Thanks to all, especially Salmo. 

As I've already streached black plastic on top of a metal mesh on one raised bed, I'll ensure the next raised bed I cover that the plastic is in contact with the soil and compare results when it's time to plant.