Soil warming cables

To all who use cables:

During the time I gardened in the Northeast, I only made use of cold frames
and a small greenhouse to get a jump on the season. The cloches that Joel
Holland demonstrated on last year's tape impressed me so much, I was prepared
to use them this year to stave off  surface frost and cold air. Instead, La
Nina gave us our wonderful winter weather, which is about 85 daytime, 62 at
night at my latitude in FL. No need for any devices at all.

Now, when people on the list talk about heating cables, it always confuses me.
First of all, the ground in the North Country is frozen solid as granite right
now, and inpenetrable. Does one lay the cable in the fall when the ground is
soft? Doing so before Spring is impossible without the use of dynamite.

I would guess that growers lay cable during late March or early April, as soon
as the ground can be worked, but is still cold and frosty. If the cable is
buried only 6-8 inches beneath the soil surface, I would surmise that the
cables could be easily laid in a shallow trench on the soil surface and
covered with soil or compost to create an effective planting mound. The cables
would be in place with minimal work allowing the gardener to proceed with
direct start planting of seeds or seedlings.

Even though I live in a zone where the ground does not freeze, I would still
like to know the procedure, including figures on the expense. Do the cables
use AC current, and if you leave them plugged in, is there risk of overheating
the soil and damaging your seedlings? Are thermostats utilized? AGs have
aggressive (but tender) root systems and 6-8 inches of root growth happens
within the first couple of weeks after seeds germinate.Also, are soil warming
cables used in conjunction with cloches or other cold frame type devices? 

Please give me the low down. I'm sure others would like to know as well. 

Thanks for your help, as always!

Barb



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