Hotboxing from reclaimed items

[Shdwdrgn]

Along the same lines as the previous post, I am considering building a couple of hotboxes this Spring. I have a pile of old double-pane windows up to 54" square... more than enough for the space I'm working with. One thing I'm concerned with is that some of the windows may have an anti-UV coating on them. Is that going to affect the growth of new plants, or just help prevent them from getting burned?

 

[mandikl0721]

I won't claim to be an expert in the subject, but I don't think that the anti-UV coating will hurt your plant growth at all. If anything, as you said, it may help stop the plants from getting scorched. I know we've got some books with plans for building coldframes from old windows and I'm guessing what you're talking about is very similar. I don't think the books mention UV coating, but they are from the 70s or early 80s...

 

[Shdwdrgn]

Funny timing on your answer... I actually was just out today getting the base frame built for my hotbox. Might be a little later than normal to start such a project, but I am still at least two months earlier than I normally start planting.

I settled on using two narrow panes of glass which are 57 x 21 inches. I built the base with an inside lip for the glass to sit on, then the two panes will be propped up in the middle, and I can pull one side or both out of my way as needed. I still need to cut the peaks for either side, then the glass can just sit in place. I'll finish with a removable 1x2 across the length to separate the top edges of the glass.

The final box size is 60 x 40 inches, which is plenty of space to get plants started for my small garden. This year I hope to get stuff like tomatoes, cucumbers, and watermelon started early. It's very strange, but despite it getting warmer out each season, it still seems like my growing season is shorter. I used to be able to grow some rather large pumpkins, but last year both the pumpkins and watermelons were barely starting to fill in when it got cold.

 

[mandikl0721]

Last year we built a greenhouse and got some plants started early, but the ones we planted early either washed out by a spring flood or didn't actually start growing 'til about the normal time, which was when we planted the seeds and replanted some of the others. A lot of the starter plants died out in the greenhouse. I was told by a long term pro not to give up on stuff, as it was a bad year overall, but I'm not sure how much more greenhouse growing I'm going to attempt.

 

[happyflowerlady]

There were some old windows here when we moved in, and we have been thinking about maybe making a small greenhouse or hotbox area using the windows. I found a greenhouse that kind of foods up to the outside wall of the house, and it is kind of a frame like an awning maybe, but foods further down. So if we used the windows, and then made the folding awning frame over it, we could start plants, and then fold it up to the wall when it was no longer necessary.

 

[Marie]

I'm writing this with the assumption, that a "hotbox" is the same as a "Cold frame", just most aptly named ?

We recently had all our windows replaced (Original Edwardian wood-frame windows, 11 slash-windows, so 22 separate window panels) for better insulation, etc. I simply couldn't bear to just let them all go to the scrap yard, so I kept around 8 to make a row of cold-frames/hotboxes along my south-facing garden wall. (Made with old, weathered house-bricks from the outhouse I used to have in the garden). I love them, really proud of myself. hehe I'll take photos when I find my camera.

The rest I gave away to friends, family, and finally on Freecycle to any locals who could make use of them. I knew they'd come in handy one day, the windows and the house-bricks; I seem to have a problem throwing anything away..

Obviously, these windows had no anti-UV coating on them, but I can't see that it will cause too much of a problem for your plants. If you find after you've planted under the windows, that your plants aren't growing as well as expected, and you have no other explanation, it might be worth a trip up the scrapyard to see if they have some old windows you could take off their hands instead? Don't forget to come back to tell us how you get on, as it's useful to know for future reference.

 

[Shdwdrgn]

Actually I've had some bad luck with my tomato plants this year... Despite the plants doing very well and surviving several snows while in the frame, once I planted them in the garden they all stopped growing. I've been plucking off the flowers, and it's helped a couple of the plants start growing again, but I should be seeing large tomatoes growing by now, and instead I have a bunch of plants that are barely over a foot tall. I think this year is going to be a complete bust for tomatoes. On the other hand, my cucumbers and zucchini are doing great, as usual, so I'll at least get some fresh food.

Also of note, none of my seeds came up this year, except for radishes. So I'm confident that whatever happened to the tomatoes has nothing to do with the type of glass I had. The only change to my garden this year was that I laid down straw (not hay) over it this past Winter... I've never done that before, but it certainly did help with the number of weeds that popped up. I just wonder if there was something in the straw that may have also affected my other plants?

The hotbox seemed to work out well, and now that it is built, I can set it up quickly next year and have more time to get other plants going early. Maybe I'll even try a seed tray!

 

[Marie]

Was the straw bought from a retailer, specifically sold for the purpose of mulching your garden, because I can't see that there'd be anything wrong with it if this was the case..

However, if you bought / obtained it from a stable or something that kept horses, then there could be a number of things in it; from horse's medication, to traces of weed-killer from where the horses have been out (which could explain why your garden seemed weed-free in the spring?), or anything. If it was reclaimed straw, it's impossible to tell what could be in it to stunt plant growth or prevent germination entirely..