Greenhouses are a great way to keep your plants warm and safe, especially when the winter starts to turn cold. By giving your more sensitive plants this kind of shelter, you can be sure that they won’t frost over and that they will be given a better chance at thriving. This allows you to worry less about hardening off plants or preparing them for the winter. 

 If you would like even more protection for your sensitive garden plants, one of the best ways to do this is with a greenhouse heater. By controlling the climate in your greenhouse, you can be sure that the temperature is always what it’s supposed to be. This leaves less chance of error and less of the process up to circumstance. 

Backyard Boss Best Greenhouse Heaters in 2021

Why You Can Trust Us

I have worked with many gardeners over the years in my time as a landscaper and contractor. They have always said that one of the biggest challenges with gardening is climate control. Being able to give your plants the best possible chance at growth and allowing them to thrive is a massive challenge, especially in areas where the weather gets exceptionally cold. 

Many of these gardeners have suggested that the best way to mitigate this issue is with a greenhouse. Having some control over the climate that your plants are growing in can allow you to give them the best possible chance to thrive. I’m excited to share my knowledge on this with you and help you choose the best heater for your greenhouse. 

Best Greenhouse Heater with Digital Thermostat

Bio Green PAL 2.0 USDT Palma Greenhouse Heater

    This portable digital thermostat is perfect for smaller greenhouses that need a solid heat source

      Pros:

    • Portable
    • Digital thermostat
    • Stainless steel
      Cons:

    • Less powerful
    • Plastic components

Why We Like It: The Bio Green PAL 2.0/USDT Palma Greenhouse Heater is a simple, effective, portable heater for your greenhouse plants. It is a corded heater that can deliver enough power to heat a 120 square-foot space. This should be more than enough for a standard greenhouse and can give you the kind of power you need to be certain that your plants are safe when the weather gets cold.  

This heater also features a digital thermostat for the best possible control of the environment. Being able to set the temperature and forget about it is a great, low-stress way to control your plants’ surroundings. Plus, it has stainless steel housing and high-quality components for years of service. 

Who Should Buy It: People who want to be able to control the temperature in their greenhouse accurately without having to buy a lot of equipment. 

Best Budget Greenhouse Heater 

Comfort Zone PowerGear CZ285 1500 Watt Portable Ceramic Utility Heater

    This ceramic utility heater is designed to heat small spaces with a focused radiance

      Pros:

    • Portable
    • Two heat settings
    • Ceramic element
      Cons:

    • Less powerful
    • Plastic housing
    • No thermostat

Why We Like It: A greenhouse electric heater doesn't need to be expensive or complex. The Comfort Zone PowerGear CZ285 1500 Watt Portable Ceramic Utility Heater is a great example of a simple, budget-friendly option that can take your greenhouse needs and make them work for less money. The ceramic heating element delivers 1500 watts of power so it’s powerful and efficient enough for most smaller greenhouses. 

This heater also has an adjustable thermostat with two different heat settings. It is also durable enough to withstand a lot of use and its fan-forced heating will deliver the kind of spread that you need to evenly heat your growing area.

Who Should Buy It: People with smaller greenhouses who want to have enough heating power to keep their plants safe with a ceramic heating element without spending a lot of money. 

Best Infrared Greenhouse Heater

Dr. Infrared Heater DR-975 7500-Watt 240-Volt Hardwired Shop Garage Electric Heater

    This infrared heater is a small but powerful version of some of the larger infrared units

      Pros:

    • Small footprint
    • Digital thermostat
    • Infrared heat
      Cons:

    • Not portable
    • Needs 240 volts
    • Less efficient

Why We Like It: The Dr. Infrared Heater is a great example of how different types of heating can impact your plants. By using infrared heat, this unit uses less power and takes up less space in your greenhouse while still delivering the kind of heat you need. With 4500 watts of power, this heater is more than enough for a medium-sized greenhouse. 

One of the benefits of this electric greenhouse heater design is that it is meant to be mounted on the ceiling. This puts it out of the way and allows you to place it where it is going to give you the most coverage possible. 

Who Should Buy It: People who don’t want to take up a lot of room with their heater but still need it to deliver enough power to give them a lot of coverage. 

Best High-Powered Greenhouse Heater 

KING KBP2406 KBP Multi-Wattage Compact Unit Heater

    This heater is a large, powerful unit that is designed to be used in larger spaces

      Pros:

    • Built-in thermostat
    • Cast iron motor
    • Fan delay
      Cons:

    • Large footprint
    • Needs 240 volts
    • Too large for some greenhouses

Why We Like It: If you are looking for some of the highest power on the market in a small unit, the KING KBP2406 KBP Multi-Wattage Compact Unit Heater could be a good option. It delivers a 5,700-watt power rating and uses a forced air mechanism to deliver heat, no matter what size greenhouse you have. It features many different options for wattage and power so you can tailor the heat to your specific needs. 

This heater is also incredibly heavy duty. It features a cast iron motor that is designed to last as long as possible. This is a great feature for people who live in areas that have long winters or extended periods of cold. You don’t have to worry about your heater’s motor burning out or needing a replacement. 

Who Should Buy It: People who need the most power possible who don’t want to have to replace their heater when they’ve been using it for long periods of time. 

Best Wall-Mounted Greenhouse Heater

Simple Deluxe Wall Mounted Heater

    This wall-mounted heater features a remote control and infrared heat

      Pros:

    • Built-in thermostat
    • Remote control
    • Overheat protection
      Cons:

    • Less powerful
    • Not portable

Why We Like It: The Simple Deluxe Wall Mounted Heater is a great solution to your needs for rapid heating. This heater mounts to the wall or can be mounted on a potting table if that suits the setup of your greenhouse. It also features a remote control that allows you to adjust the mode and power incredibly easily. 

This is a perfect option if you want to be sure that your greenhouse stays warm no matter what kind of winter you are faced with. It also has many different useful safety features like an automatic shutoff which will turn the heater off if the constant temperature gets too high or if it has been on for more than two hours for worry-free use. 

Who Should Buy It: People who want a more elegant solution to their greenhouse needs that will still deliver the results they need. 

Large Greenhouse

Image credits:

Annie Spratt via Unsplash

When to Heat Your Greenhouse 

One of the most important things to understand about heating your greenhouse is whether or not you actually need to do it. Many times, people get greenhouses installed in their gardens or backyards because they want to grow plants that need a little bit of extra heat or humidity. However, sometimes it can be because of the area they live in and the kind of climate that they have to deal with when growing their garden. 

If you are regularly dealing with frost on your plants, you might want to consider getting a heater for your greenhouse. While there are different ways to deal with this issue such as putting mulch down or hardening off your plants, the best way is to simply heat the area where they are living. This is a direct, easy solution and if you get the right heater, it can really make a big difference with your plants during the winter months.

One of the other things you might consider is whether or not you are comfortable in your greenhouse. If you regularly work at a potting bench during the winter, you might want to consider getting a heater for your greenhouse so you can be warm while you’re working. Your plants are no good in the freezing cold but neither are you, so it’s important to keep yourself comfortable and loose when you are out working with your plants. 

Greenhouse Through a Window

Image credits:

Thomas Verbruggen via Unsplash

How is Heater Power Measured?

A question you might have about heating, in general, is how it is measured. Understanding how heat power is measured and what the different terms mean can help you choose a heater that will be right for your particular greenhouse and circumstances. Plus, you can choose a heater in the future should you expand your gardening operation and have a need for a bigger unit. 

In metric units, the power of a heater will be measured in wattage. More specifically, it is measured in watt-hours. This is how many watts will be expended in one hour. One way to think about it is if you have a 50-watt lightbulb, it will use 50 watt-hours of energy in a complete hour. That is how much it is putting out and how much it is using all rolled into one unit of measurement. 

In imperial units, you might see a heater listing the BTUs. BTU stands for British Thermal Units per hour and is a little bit easier to visualize. The way this is measured is in how long it would take to heat a pound of water by one degree. Naturally, the higher the BTU a heater is, the more powerful it will be. Understanding these measurements can help you choose the right heater for your particular greenhouse. The larger it is, the more energy you will need to heat it up. You also need to consider things like heat escape and how insulated your greenhouse is. Generally, it is better to have too much power from a heater than not enough. 

Greenhouse Tomatoes

Image credits: www.zanda.photography via Unsplash

How We Picked

All of the greenhouse heaters we chose are built to be used in smaller, indoor applications. They are designed to heat smaller structures so they are more energy-efficient and have less overall maintenance that needs to be done. This is in opposition to a traditional space heater that might be designed to heat a room or a place that has more insulation with radiant heat. 

We also looked for heaters that are meant to be run for long periods of time. If you are trying to heat a greenhouse, odds are you will need to be running the unit for hours at a time in order to maintain the optimal temperature. Many of the units we chose have automatic shut-offs and other safety considerations so you can simply turn it on and leave it without worrying that it will overheat. 

The Best Greenhouse Heater in 2021 - Our Verdict

While any of the heaters we chose could be a good solution to your greenhouse heating needs, the Bio Green PAL 2.0/USDT Palma Greenhouse Heater is going to be one of the best. The fact that it has a digital thermostat that you can set to an exact temperature means that it has the most options for almost any greenhouse and can be set to what your specific plants need. On top of that, it is a compact and well-built unit that will last a long time. 

Heating your greenhouse could be the difference between your plants surviving in the winter or not. Even if you take the most precautions necessary, you could still end up with frosted plants if the weather gets extremely cold. By introducing a heater, you can control the climate inside the greenhouse and keep yourself and your plants comfortable in some of the lowest temperatures of the year. 

Do you have a greenhouse heater that you love? Let us know about it in the comment section below!