6 steps to smoothly transition into the winter growing season

As the November and December months approach, it’s important to make certain that your structure is sound before you begin planting again. To ensure your greenhouse is operating at its most efficient level, without shelling out unnecessary expenditures, follow these steps to be in tip top shape for cool-season crop production.

Replace your covering

If you’re approaching the four-year mark where your covering should be replaced, make sure you take care of this so that you’re getting good light into the greenhouse on shorter days, says CropKing’s Technical Adviser Jeff Balduff. Click here for more on replacing your covering. 

Check all heating equipment

“One of the critical things – because we all know heating costs are a big part of everyone’s expenses – is to have an HVAC-certified technician inspect all heating equipment, making sure it’s all clean and burning correctly,” Balduff says. “And [that] all heater venting is secure, clean and sealed properly.” He also suggests to ensure that all vent caps are secure.

Calibrate environmental controls

Confirming that your environmental sensors, temperature sensors and humidity sensors are calibrated correctly is critical to keeping heating costs steady. If these sensors are off, even by a few degrees, Balduff says this can have a “detrimental effect to the crop,” especially if it’s colder in the greenhouse than the reading implies. “Most modern environmental controls have calibration features [that] you can adjust within the programming,” he adds. “If you have mechanical thermostats, you have to compensate in the settings for how much they’re off.”

Clean and lubricate

Take apart inflation fans, which can accumulate dust. If they’re not sealed units, clean and lubricate them for the new season.

Conduct a walk-through

“Do a visual inspection of the whole outside of the greenhouse and correct any tears in plastic or leaks in the baseboards, corners or around fans,” Balduff says. “Make sure [your] vent door closes tightly as it should, and is properly adjusted so it seals up.”

Winterize your cooling system

If you have reservoir tanks for the cooling system outside, they must be drained, and the pump must be stored so that there isn’t freezing damage, Balduff says. And if you happen to be shutting the greenhouse down for the winter, drain your irrigation equipment, too. 

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