Off Grid World – Get Free Home Heating With an Attached Greenhouse
Greenhouses are amazing for their traditional purpose – growing plants and extending the growing season in cold climates, but did you know a greenhouse can also be used to heat your home? A greenhouse attached to a home works as a passive solar heater by collecting solar energy during the day and transmitting heat into the home. Some homes are built with attached sunspaces, conservatories, or solariums, which are a similar idea, but are primarily intended as extra living space, whereas a greenhouse is intended for plant growing. Heat that is collected by the greenhouse during the day can be transferred into the house through windows or vents, or with fans for increased heat flow. At night, the windows or vents are closed to retain the heat in the house when temperatures drop outside.
$300 Underground Greenhouse Grows Food Year Round; An Extraordinary Walipini
From vertical farms to solar-powered “farms from a box,” we’ve seen how farming technology has grown leaps and bounds in recent years. But for those who prefer something a little more rustic, growing food from a hole in the ground is as low-tech as you can get. A walipini, meaning “place of warmth” from the Amaraya Indian language, is an underground greenhouse with a transparent (usually plastic) covering that stays warm by passively soaking up the sun’s heat and absorbing the earth’s thermal energy. Fruits and vegetables can be grown year-round, making it ideal for communities in colder locations that can’t usually grow their own fresh and local produce during certain parts of the year. The farming method isn’t exactly new.
Does Your Community Need a Public Greenhouse?
One of things my town has going for it is that it provides community gardens (not just sports fields). Unfortunately, there’s so much demand for these gardens, there’s a long waiting list. Of course, it’s understandable why there is a demand for these plots. They make growing food easier and more enjoyable.
Market gardening success step-by-step
Think you can't 'bootstrap' a successful small farm business anymore? You can start up, market and manage a successful small farm enterprise, even starting with few resources of your own! Hi, I'm Scott Kelland. My wife Suzie and I own New Terra Farm near Ottawa, Ontario. Over the past three years, I have helped hundreds of people learn how to create a successful, sustainable market gardening business on their small farm.
Sustainability in the City: A Perspective on Food » Love & Wild Honey Love & Wild Honey
What does it mean to be sustainable in an urban environment? Let’s start by defining what we mean by sustainable for this purpose, so we are all on the same page. From an etymological stand point, the word sustainability is derived from the Latin sustinere; to hold. Using the root of this word as a baseline, I think it is important to define sustainability as the ability to “uphold” something. In this case, we are looking at sustainability in food systems in the city. The World Bank does a beautiful job at putting this idea into more eloquent wording.
Northlands Winter Greenhouse Manual by Carol Ford
A Must-Have Manual! I've wanted to build a greenhouse for years. This manual is exactly what I've needed. The narrative lays it out pretty simply: dig down a certain distance, fill with certain materials, etc. The specifications and calculations, which I'll use later, make it possible for me to do it right.
$300 Underground Greenhouse Grows Produce Year-Round, Even in Severe Climates
By Carolanne Wright Contributing Writer for Wake Up World With staggering food prices and shortages looming, there’s no better time to grow your own produce. Sadly, most greenhouses are expensive to build and impractical to heat during cold, wintery conditions. Thankfully, a solution is found with the Walipini.
How to Make Your Own Coldframe
A coldframe—simply an enclosed area with a clear top to let in sunlight—is one of the easiest ways to extend your growing and harvest season. All you need are a few basic supplies and your imagination. (Imagine: crunchy fresh lettuce for the holidays!) Here’s what to do. Start at the Top The only essential for the frame’s cover is that light gets through. Almost any transparent material will work: glass, fiberglass, polyethylene, or flexible greenhouse coverings—the differences between them are insignificant.
