Heating up the soil

Hi I’m Jimmy from Tilden Lake. Despite the fact we live in the middle of a forest on a big rock, my two young lads and I enjoy growing giant pumpkins. After last years harsh winter, we had a difficult time getting our soil temp up. So this year I buried gutter heating cable before the snow came. My questions are, when should I start heating? How long can I leave the cables on? (Would a timer be helpful, don’t want to burn out cable)

thanks in advance, just joined Gvgo at the Bracebridge Fair this past fall. My boys and I placed 5th and 7th for giant pumpkins in our first two fairs.

Jimmy Golden

2 answers2 replies

4 Comments

Phil & Jane Hunt - GVGO

Feb 15, 2020

Yes our cables are soil heating cables. Not sure if you can get these anymore. Ours are thick grey cables, like the gutter cables, only with a small thermostat on it.

You are growing in a tough spot. Then your right to put them into the ground in the fall. That way you can get that early start. Put up your hoophouse (@ 8' x 6' or 10' x 8') in early April & let the sun melt the snow & thaw out the ground in your planting area. I put a little humic acid dry granular powder on the snow to help melt the snow quicker in the spring. Wood ashes will do the same thing if you don't have any of the humic acid. Once the soil warms up & dries, then you can plant your seedling. This might give you an extra 2 weeks or more. Once the plants go into the hoophouse, we use small electric heaters inside that we turn on for any nights below 50 degrees. This, along with the heating cables help the plant get a good start.

Just curious, how's the walleye fishing up there in your lake?

John Butler

Feb 15, 2020

Replying to

I use 60 ft gutter cables in a 4 x6 ft zig zag patern about 6 " deep 6 to 8 inches apart. I turn them on 2 days before planting. I put them in the ground in the spring after tilling. The soil goes from 55 degrees F to 70 in 24 hrs I leave them plugged in until the soil outside the cable heats up to at least 65 degrees . get a soil themometer and do some testing in the sping.

good luck

Phil & Jane Hunt - GVGO

Feb 14, 2020

We put our heat cables in @ mid-April. We turn then on @ a week before the plants go into the ground in Early May. Turn them off in early June, once the soil warms up. Don't let the cables touch each other or they will fry your lines. Some growers use thermostats on their lines. Our older heating cables only heat till 72 degrees. Never used gutter cables before, so maybe one of the other growers could chime in with their experience using it.

Welcome to the GVGO.

Cheers,

Phil & Jane

Jimmy Golden

Feb 14, 2020

Replying to

Much appreciated. You must have cables designed for heating the soil. I’ll have to look into that. It would be great to be able to dig in April but ground is solid. North of North Bay in the bush is a challenging growing area. Thanks folks JimG