| Growing vegetables in the summer using plastic 5 | | | | retain the energy from the sun more efficiently |
| gallon buckets is relatively easy to do since the air | | | | and will naturally transmit that energy back into |
| is warm and the sun shines bright. If you want to | | | | the air to keep a constant temperature for your |
| grow vegetables in the off season, it can be a bit | | | | veggies. Steel drums filled with water are the |
| more challenging to keep your plants from dying | | | | most popular as they are readily available, cheap |
| in the frigid temperatures. | | | | and perform well as heat sinks. |
| A standard greenhouse is designed to collect | | | | If you need additional heat during the day, you |
| sunlight during the day, and with good insulation, | | | | can add a small portable solar heat furnace to help |
| heat can be stored in heat sinks and used to | | | | supplement the existing systems. A solar furnace |
| warm your bucket garden throughout the cold | | | | uses the same principles as the heat sink by |
| winter nights. Heat sinks are essentially storage | | | | absorbing light energy to heat air passing through |
| units of water, stone or other insulating material | | | | the heat chamber. The cold air comes in, is |
| that collect sunlight and transfer it into heat | | | | heated in the hollow area absorbing the energy |
| energy. This energy collected during the day, | | | | and then travels upward to be piped into your |
| becomes the heat source and warms the air | | | | plastic 5 gallon bucket garden. |
| within your greenhouse when the sun is not | | | | Whether you use just a heat sink or supplement |
| shining. | | | | with a solar air furnace, your bucket garden will |
| Typical Heat sinks are colored black to absorb and | | | | thrive if kept warm in the winter greenhouse. |