It has now been over a year of experimentation with various sizes of greenhouses. The original fantasy was of increased food production, enjoyable fall and spring activities, plus expanded plant zones. >From a sustainable/ecology standpoint the greenhouse have both negatives and positives. As energy collectors they are ideal and do not create pollution or harm the environment. The only negatives seems to be in the manufacture of materials. Still, a greenhouse is good energy collector and produces less harm than a few trips to the store in an automobile. Anyway, it is time to compare my fantasy to reality. As time goes by this comparison will change but today we are looking at the initial honeymoon (first year of marriage). At this point i'm feeling that the greenhouse is a wonderful tool. The old problems with spring rains and a house filled with grow lights are gone. The problems with over wintering some perennials are now gone. I find myself spending more and more time working with plants in the greenhouse. Yesterday, i began adding thermal mass to moderate the temperature. This was accomplished by adding a 55 gallon drum of water to a small greenhouse. I can tell already that it has made a difference. Experience indicates this may not work as well in the larger greenhouse, but i've decided to go ahead and add a rainwater collection system. The plan is to build a simple collector will provide all the water needed for plants and influence the internal climate. I have tried Coleman's technique of putting a cold frame in a greenhouse and found it will start seeds in February. Unfortunately, February isn't a good time for tomatoes and the warm season seeds. Next, year i will try again with additional thermal mass and see if the tomatoes will grow. ---- jeff owens, [EMAIL PROTECTED], http://www.xprt.net/~jko underground house, solar power, self-reliance, edible landscape to leave ecopath: unsubscribe ecopath -> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
