John wrote:
>Jeff, I have seen your house picture on your web site but how big and what
>design are your greenhouses?
Hi John, I just got back from a series of short courses on
sustainable living/forestry and feel very psyched so
ignore my excess enthusiasm.
We have three greenhouses and all are being used actively.
One is about 8x16 (attached to house). Another is 8x12 and
my current infatuation is 20x40. Each uses a different
design (experimentation is fun) <grin>. Materials consist of
glass doors, translucent roof panels, and plastic sheeting.
I don't have a favorite material at this point. There seems
to be a driving need for space. The bigger the better. This
may be an addiction only associated with those in cold rainy
climates.. I'm not sure.
As for design the arch allows frugal use of materials but
recycled glass works best on flat wood framing. The biggest
size and lowest cost seems to be associated with arches and
plastic sheeting. That is what our 20x40 is made of.
>Other than more thermal mass what mistakes
>have you made.
I don't think the lack of thermal mass is a mistake if one
does not have a specific objective. For me the goal was to
do the work myself (took most of the summer) and learn by
experience. But for someone who wants to grow a tomato crop
it would be a mistake to build a greenhouse without some form
of heater. Most growers used fossil fuels to do this but i'm
more into pit houses and water containers. These can be
added later.
>I am planning a 16 by 20 on the ssw side of my house in an
>area that presently averages 5 feet below floor level so it will be more
>building up and filling than digging though I see stepping down in levels
>away from house. With zone 4 climate I plan a masonry stove under floor
>heat sys tem under part and the more I think about water storage would be
>good too. Being a remodeler I am pretty good at collecting old sliding door
>glass Probably 15 panels around at present, scratched by dogs but good
>enough for greenhouse. Still in planning stage
That sounds fantastic. The classical old greenhouses were
split level and used the earth as a heat storage. Today we
have additional resources (such as plastic water tanks and
interior sheeting) so the old designs should be able to
stretch into zone 4. I'm in zone 7 where things are a little
easier. We considered adding a wood stove but now think a
passive design might be enough. The locals who have wood
stoves say they are used to melt the snow off and not for
winter heating. I don't know why this is but suspect feeding
a stove all winter got old.
The one thing i have learned and would share is that all
aspects of building and using a greenhouse can be fun. It is
difficult to make any mistakes if enjoying the process is the
objective. The range of possibilities is great and most
problems can be solved later.
Sigh.. spring is the best time of the year. Our fruit trees are
now in bloom and the birds are all returning to demand nesting
sites. The greenhouse is full of plants begging for dirt and i've
got a huge stack of interesting reading. If you are lucky i won't
dump all this stuff to ecopath and bury everyone.
----
jeff owens, [EMAIL PROTECTED], http://www.xprt.net/~jko
underground house, solar power, self-reliance, edible landscape
eco lifestyle discussion: subscribe ecopath -> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
