How my outdoor plants survived the long, cold night

Whatโ€™s your strategy for protecting your outdoor plants from the
cold?

In 2020, we bought this greenhouseย on Amazon for our large potted plants.

For a couple months, it was amazing! The plants thrivedโ€”even with
freezing temps outside.

But then Snowmaggedonโ€”and single digit tempsโ€”took out half of the
plants.

This time would be different!

My formula: 2 space heaters + temperature/humidity sensor + smart
plug + extra tarp =

LIFE!

Adding the extra heater was essential, but it also can get too
hot.

Monitoring the temp in real time letโ€™s me make decisions. Like โ€ฆ

  • When to turn heater 1 and 2 on or off
  • When to put the extra tarp over the greenhouseโ€”and when to take
    it off

Using a smart plug letโ€™s me use automation.

After experimenting, I learned heater 1 needs to stay on and
heater 2 needs to cycle.

Here are my two simple automations:

  • Greenhouse gets to 70 degrees – heater 2 goes off
  • Greenhouse drops to 65 degrees – heater 2 comes back on

It got to 10 degrees outside last night. Greenhouse never dropped
below 62!

For your Smart Homeowner list

Whatโ€™s something you can monitor that would bring you peace of
mind?

Attic, crawl space, garage, fridge or freezer?

Take a step towards a smarter home with this hub and 2 sensor
starter kit

Best,

Travis

P.S. Grabbed a beer out of my back patio fridge last night and
noticed it was really cold. Moved a temperature sensor in there
and have been watching the temp fall. About to move the mini
fridge inside to save my beer! ๐Ÿ™‚

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