Loading...Thursday, February 16 2012
Good Morning
I'm struggling for a subject this morning. I know, can you believe it? I still have greenhouses on my mind. Used to be that I never thought about a project this much before. I jumped into it feet first. It boggles the mind this getting older crap, well perhaps taints works better than boggles. Whatever, it's just more words and little to no action. I need to make a plan. I'm pretty good at making plans, but I'm better shooting from the hip.
Well here is what I'm thinking. From years of experience, reinforced by the new books on earth-sheltering, a philosophy I'm wholeheartedly endorsing, the new Tusas greenhouse should be dug in and built on a southeast facing slope. With the considerable efforts required to build the greenhouse I'm thinking it should be as close to the water line as feasible.
Okay I just strolled outside with the camera and did a quick survey of the proposed greenhouse site.
(Photo name)Best-south-slope-view-from-moms02-16-2012. As I cross the road which leads back in the woods, the site for our earth-sheltered greenhouse is just ahead. The site is a hundred feet south of both Mom's house and ours, sort of centrally located. After digging the waterline between my parents' water well and our house roughly 500 feet, I can pretty much estimate where the difficult digging for this new waterline will be.
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(Photo name)Best-south-slope-02-16-2012 I don't know exactly how deep the topsoil is right here, but I'm hopeful it is deeper than say, the south-side of our house where bedrock is exposed in most places. Bedrock on the surface makes great roadbeds, but I wouldn't want to bust through much more of it than I already have in my lifetime here on the ranch.
The bedrock being so close to the surface in most places is a major factor in making a decision to not have a home-attached greenhouse.
(Photo name)Best-south-east-slope-02-16-2012. I mostly like to do smaller projects. For this greenhouse, the effort to get water to it and the quality of the site I believe suggests a fairly large greenhouse for this site. What is large? Well I am still pondering this. The way the cold sink works in the earth-sheltered greenhouse design, suggests to me long and narrow. I'm also investigating an odd shape, say a crescent, shown below as the blue portion of the diagram. A couple of factors need to be considered in the design of the structure for instance the type glazing, whether it be glass, or plastic.
Best-east-south-slope-02-16-2012 One of the neat features of an Earth-sheltered structure is, if well thought out, the majority of the building is re-covered with natural grasses and plants. Basically the glazing will be exposed and a door, that's it.
(Photo Name)Best-south-slope-near-turbine02-16-2012. Proximity to the other buildings ought to create a feeling of community up here on the hill. I've had another pipe dream of a centrally located biomass burner boiler system used for heating several buildings in a cozy setting. Now envisioning a central greenhouse is even more inspiring for me.
(Photo Name)Best-south-slope-02-16-2012GH Looking west toward an area I hoped to build four single room cabins and may still. I am concerned for my future. I can't let the recent emotional setbacks keep me from doing what I can toward creating a brighter future for myself and my family.
(Photo Name)South-side-Clara-house-02-16-2012 This house desperately needs more southern exposure. It is my intention in the very near future to remove all three of the trees in the photo above. Once I see what the winter sun is going be be like I would like to do something like add more windows to this side of the house.
Anyway, this is what I come up with when I can't come up with anything to write about. I hope it was close to as good for you as it was for me.
Made me want get dressed and get the heck started.
Brian Rodgers
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You may want to look up our old friend John Burns. He sucessfully did greenhouses in EL Cerrito for many years, ate and sold his produce. He can be found most mornings with his entourage at the Spic n' Span, aka Charlies. JD
Yep, I’ve seen him and we’ve spoken. He is pretty well burned out on growing organics. I also saw Joe CdeBaca in the local (I hate to say “has been” parade because I was there too) in the aisles of Wallmart.