I've been wrapping my containers, including the fabric Smart Pots, in blankets cheap ($1.50) reed blinds I found at the Daiso Japan stores to keep them cool. We'll see how they work with temperature here in Southern California being broadcast for 95-106 degrees over the next 4 days. Daiso has a number of stores in California and Washington State. I don't know about the availability/price of these things elsewhere but if you have one of these stores nearby, it's a good place to find some cheap material. I personally think they look pretty good (more natural than a mylar, at least-- not sure how I feel about shiny metal surface on my garden containers :)). More to the point, the dried reed are light colored and hollow so should help block the direct sunlight from the container. Linked below is a picture of a container I wrapped in the reed blind blanket. I took the blinds, cut it down to size, wrap it around the container and tie things up with either strings or zip ties. I also have a few containers (plastic ones and Smart Pots) on concrete (these are the spots with the most sunlight in the smallish yard). I put a piece of one inch thick plywood between the concrete and the container. Maybe not the best solution but should help somewhat. Here is a link that might be useful: This post was edited by DHLCAL on Tue, Apr 29, 14 at 1:27

I considered shade cloth but I can't speak to how well it will allow thermals to pass through it. I can hang a piece of bird netting when I get to the farm this afternoon to see how it does blocking the sun. There are many different types of netting available with tighter weaves and larger strands if the sun is the problem. My concern is giving heat an easy way out of the greenhouse. Every greenhouse I visit in this part of the country has a real problem staying cool in the summer even with shade cloth and white painted glass Thanks for the reply Al

Hi I'm in Palm Beach county the northern limit of 10. greenhouser Afaid so lol. The only frost proof place is Key West. Doesn't do it every year and have only experienced one hard freeze .27 for four hours though it got to 22 by the lake. We once had a snow, 77/78 as I recall. What a sight that was lol. Has never done it again . Since I'm so close to the gulf stream I'm usually about 5/ 8 degrees above the inland parts of the county Last year the low was 37 while 42 the year before. Cold fronts usually last 3 days with each night progessively warmer. The coldest daytime I remember was 53. It's kind of interesting as in order to frost the cold air must come straight down the peninsula and it must be dead calm. and perfectly clear. Other wise the warm ocean raises the temps.as well as cloud cover prevents radiation. So the next day is always brilliant sunshine with an incredible rise in ground temps while the air can stay cool. My first attempt at heating the GH was using sheet plastic. Worked beautifully during the night with a low of 30. I went to work before dawn and was so thrilled the GH was toasty 60 lol When I came home it was 140 degrees inside while outside was 62 lol. I lost everything lol. My new system will work !! gary

In a chest type freezer the evaporator coils (cooling coils) are right under the interior lining of the food cavity then there is a thick insulation layer and the condenser coils are wrapped around the outside of the insulation immediately under the exterior sheet metal skin of the freezer. The condenser coils are tight against the exterior skin and the skin acts as a heat sink to help dissipate the excess heat energy to the outside air surrounding the freezer. The heat your feeling is normal operation.