Stan, I went with a white 55 gal drum from Rural King, listed as “….
for use as rain barrel…”. It did have an acrid odor to it so as a safety measure, I filled it with water and 3 gallons of vinegar to soak overnight (on line said that would take care of most chemicals) then the next day emptied and refilled adding a gallon of bleach to again soak overnight. Smells like plastic now. I made an access lid, mounted the
pump, heater and air stones on a piece of tile and it’s ready to go (see pics). We had a cool front move in so I had to scramble to make a temporary “hoop style” greenhouse (parts of which will be used for a permanent one late summer). Temps did drop to upper 40’s overnight, but the small heater I used actually kept it too warm – it was 90 when I checked first thing in the morning – I’ll set it correctly next time. My timing was lucky however – ironically after many days of upper 80’s, they’re predicting a
VERY COLD front coming, in 8 or 9 days – temps possibly into upper 30’s!! The weather’s been a roller coaster – we’ll be in 80’s before then! But barrel will be in ground, heated and operational - well before then. I have a remote thermometer scheduled to arrive tomorrow so I can monitor temp inside the “
sealed” greenhouse. As of yesterday, every plant has tomatoes, ranging in size from just a little larger than a pea, to the size of an apple – all shiny green. I’m really optimistic I’m going to get a half decent production despite the setback late December / early January. Thanks again for all the help! GDG