Getting ready to break ground on an earthship using concrete block. Have to build it in three 24x32 sections. Half will be block and living area. Plan on building a masonry stove too. The planter boxes in the greenhouse area is a bonus to me. Made plans to be able to grow 12ft/4m tall plants. I am using 4x6 southern yellow #2 on 2 foot centers. Using fiberglass rebar too.
I'm building a smaller 20x10 passive solar green house right now. I'm jealous of your setup. Great job. Using earth bags on the south side to help with solar retention.
Awesome job Curtis, mega cool greenhouse and great idea with the poly!!! I've been watching your videos for several years now. THANK YOU so much for all you have done, all the content you provide and your insights. You are an inspiration to many people the world over- keep up the great work.
I enjoyed the tour of the greenhouse very much, the effort you have made to optimize your growing season is impressive. I'm new to growing food so I was not aware of Passive Solar Greenhouses until now, and it looks as though there are a few different heat storage setup options available that are much more accessible in design that even I could consider using. Storing heat in water is looking my favorite at the moment, so looking out for a very cheap/unwanted solar water heating panel. Video idea? I'd be interested know how you manage your composting bins and if you plan to optimize those in the future. Keep up with the good work and videos.
I think this is one of your best videos. I just built a greenhouse last December. I'm learning all the things I would have done differently. Yours is cool looking. Keep the good information coming.
Thanks for sharing, i'm hoping to build one in a couple years and its always good to see what other people have built and what they would change if they could do it again.
You can't store any more heat underground because you limited your thermal storage by putting insulation underneath. If you had left it open below, you could have driven more heat deeper into the earth for even more storage.
For every 6" of dirt you get a months heat stored? Mine`s been running for 7 years and i can tell you the amount of heat stored will be the amount you put into it minus any losses. If someone designed this system for you, i would ask to see the calculations as its not going to be upto the task. Your phase change description needs a little clarification. As plants transpire, liquid water is evaporated from the leaf surfaces.In order to evaporate, ie change phase from a liquid to a gas (water vapour in this case) it has to gain energy. The (sensible) energy is taken from the leaf surface, this is how plants keep themselves cool. The energy gained is now in latent (hidden) form, it raises the RH% but doesnt affect the temperature. When the moist air enters the tubing it drops to dewpoint almost instantly, the RH% rises and the water condenses out inside the tube. During this phase change (gas to liquid) the latent energy is converted back into sensible form and the result is slightly warm water. This is only related to greenhouse cooling. When the system is heating the greenhouse, the cool air picks up both sensible and latent heat from the ground. There`s no condensation occurring in the tubes because the air doesnt drop to dewpoint, it warms up ( due to the sensible heat gain) and this causes water to evaporate resulting in a RH % increase (latent heat) If you monitor the greenhouse RH% in winter or cold weather, you will likely see mid 90`s RH% or higher, especially at night, when the system is running. This must be addressed, not only to prevent valuable sensible heat being lost from the mass, but also to reduce the risk of mold growth in the greenhouse, rivers of condensation and less light making it through the glazing. The guy you were thinking of is Jerome Osentowski :) He collaborated with John Cruickshank on many installations. John was inspirational during the design phase of my system and many others before he passed away in 2011. btw, your cover inflation blower should have a diffuser over the outlet to protect the outer skin. You should be using the drier outdoor air (not moist greenhouse air) to feed the blower or you`ll have gallons of water trapped between the 2 covers. Condensation bewteen the two covers will also reduce your light levels by 50%.
that is a very beautiful greenhouse :) i want to have one similar to this one day, not necessarily for food production, but simply for growing nice plants and spending a lot of time outside
Cool! I am excited that you built this greenhouse with the climate battery. Excellent! I am interested in the humidity situation and if you have had any mold or mildew issues - specifically down in the bottom of your buried tubes? Thanks for sharing your work and your successes, it's very inspiring!
Since you are using so much water to grow your food, would it not be more economical and safer to set up an auqaponics system with bell siphons, so that you would not have the work of watering it regularly and could use the caught water (from the water catch system you are planning) so that they would not have the contaminants found in regular house water?
You are putting so many good ideas to work, what I want to know, How many people do you have on your team and when do you sleep? Do you sleep? Awesome work!
"passive" means there are no motors or fans or electricity etc. A passive greenhouse would operate only with convective energy, self opening vents operated by gas filled cylinders that move automatically with temperature change, and evaporation etc. So your greenhouse is a brilliant and wonderful "active" solar greenhouse. For a commercial operation an active solar greenhouse is pretty much mandatory unless it is a very mild climate.
+Urban Farmer Curtis Stone Sure Curtis. But passive just doesn't fit you or the greenhouse. But if you called it a Thermodynamic Solar Greenhouse, now that fits. You could patent it, sell copies of the plans, and recoup your investment:))
+Don Rad I think I like passive solar greenhouse better thanks. Not looking to make a buck, just share my experiences and help a few people along the way, thanks.
Johnson Rocson -- Um, no. "Solar" refers to the heat source. "Passive" or "active" refers to whether the movement of heat happens automatically (passive) or it takes power input to do so (active). What Curtis is doing in this greenhouse is great, and it clearly works, but it is active and his doubling down on his incorrect use of the word passive does not help anyone's understanding.
I do like this video and I thank you for sharing it, but your title is misleading. Passive greenhouses involve no moving parts, active climate management systems involve heaters, heat storage systems, any moving part. You are lucky to live in a cool climate where heating is your primary concern, cooling is much more challenging.
Hi Curtis. Ive been watching your videos and getting so much knowledge from them. Thank you for sharing. Working my way through your book currently too. Again, Thank you. Question: Do you know roughly what your electric costs are for running you passive solar greenhouse?
Great vid and walk through Curtis.... love the setup and it would be great to have one out here on the East Coast ;) Tks for sharing and producing all your videos!
LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!! I wonder if you can push the tomato pots to the back wall in winter to get any production then? I hope that the increased production recovers your $30k soon. Great to know how soon it happens. Keep rockin it!!!!!
Maybe during a slower season, place pots on a cart with an overhead bar to tie to? Then they could be moved at will. I love the options that you have with this space!
+John Beckman I think for the home gardener, it could work. I sure as hell wouldn't do it, but that's my context. Whatever works for anyone else is entirely up to them.
im in south carolina usa, my people came here and founded Ehrhardt SC. they came here from hamburg with the last name Ehrhardt. know any Ehrhardts in your area?
How do you get the heat back out of the ground? Do the keep the fan that is connected to the underground going in the winter to use the stored heat? Why do you need a thermostat on it? Wouldn't continuous air circulation through the ground tubes keep the greenhouse cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter?
Has the blower -- and it creating a firm smooth surface -- helped with any wind / snow / hail load issues doing plastic film instead of polycarbonate? Interested in how it behaves in wind vs. your other hightunnels.
Curtis, I'm surprised how close our ideas on a greenhouse are, I went 36" minimum with icf, got me 5" of foam. I buried perforated pvc pipe to transfer heat from the top of the greenhouse to under my slab, could you explain a little more how "6 inches = a month" my pvc is buried in 1x4 sand stone under a 6" to 8" slab. I am wondering what I can expect in the way of heat exchange, do you notice a change from the hot air in to the cold air out, is it easy to feel the temp differance? I was thinking of using a similar fan set up, does it seem to move the air the right speed for heat exchange. my greenhouse is primarily for heat, its 18x28 and is leanto style that comes against the house over the second floor windows, commercial grade (like a lowes) with polycarbonate. if your interested in more details let me know. jim
+jim dunker ton I can't explain the technical reasons for why 6" of ground give one month of heat. I'm not a scientist or that versed to much in the technical reasons of exactly why that is.
Thank you for the great info, I will be dedicating myself to be a full time farmer. Your works has helped tons keeping up mu motivation. What kind of plastic did you use and where did you find it? Success my friend
Thanks Curtis, Excellent video where did you buy your greenhouse products from. Did you use SIPS for your back wall? Have you thought of putting a vestibule at the doors for the winter time (cold shock).
Can you give some links for building a thermal battery for a greenhouse? I would prefer a large water tank that would heat up using solar panels, plus recirculating warm air from the top of green house. please any links or suggestions. thanks
Really nice job here man!! One question though, do you have a syphon on your heat storage systeme? Cause condensation + ventilation = legionnellosis (that can be pretty dangerous) Hope the best to you cheers
François has a point. If You have condensation down there in the pipes, there must be an evacuation for this water. Otherwise the bacterias like Legionella (naturally present in water) might proliferate in the stagnant water, inducing risks of diseases.
If the tubes are installed correctly there wont be any standing water, stagnant or otherwise. You`d have a much greater chance of contracting it from potting soil or an overhead misting system ;)
legionnella's growing range is between 32~42°, under 20° they are dormant. i didn't hear that there was issues with canadian pit system. usually legionnella proliferate in heat sinks, cooling towers, and water heaters that don't reach the desinfection temperature (50~60° ). If the green house temp is around 25°, it's not really a thrieving place for those pathogens
Would you change anything about the basic design besides the over engineering you mentioned? Specifically in the heating system. Would you say it's worth the money spent, minus the engineer fee?
+keith weed It's different for every crop, but I don't direct seed microgreens in the same why I do most other crops. However, all of those details are in my book. Best of luck.
it's cool Greenhouse, Curtis! Вut for me personally much more interesting your hoophouces. it's super cheap and very simple is very useful. Сan you do a little video about that?
i really like the green house and thanks for the tour. the only thing i was shocked by was the blower for the roof.. for the rest i never seen that roof design. i would put in a one way valve and set the blower on timer and experiment with the interval.. maybe 1 min off 1 on or 2 off one on. maybe you already looked in to it since this video is from the spring :p greetings from dutch guy in germany
Great video Curtis, what did you use on the outside of the greenhouse (solid side not the poly side) Also do you still use your RHD truck for farm work? or is it just the new van now?
+Russ Jones We used smart board on the outside for finishing, which I am happy with. We still have the mini truck. We use for the van for delivering to big and further away customers. The truck we just run in the main season as a beater farm vehicle for doing dirty work.
Many thanks again and again for sharing. any tips for such a greenhouse in a Mediterranean climate (Palestine)? that would also include Aquaponics. any major things to make different? like aspect, ventilation, materials, size, or other design interventions. thanks in advance.
and did you try or consider an ebb and flow shelves for watering instead of hand top-watering? I'm thinking about it mainly to avoid losing any drop of water for a dry climate like ours. + from doing wicking beds I find them to be the most water-efficient and headache-free.
HI. I am based in Mauritius, and interested in starting a hydroponic set up on the rooftop of my garage + store house. I have never done plantation before and hope to grow commercial sometime soon. Will your course help for the Mauritian conditions, markets and available materials? Also, if i do enrol for the course, is the material available online after the 10 week period
hey Curtis, what is the name of the plastic that you have used for the outside of the greenhouse, is it different from normal greenhouse/hoop house plastic
HI, you mentioned the fan running 24-7 in the double side of the polythene walls with the 2 connector pipes balancing the cushion on the roof, could you just tell me how you released the air when it reached it capacity, hope this makes sense
+Urban Farmer Curtis Stone Thanks Curtis - I watch all your videos, based in Fiji and wish to start the microgreens here, looking doing some research on companies that deliver here this has been a major issue - thank you again for all your help, I have picked up a lot of useful information just watching and re- watching your videos - I hope to be part of the family making the world a healthier place. Vinaka as they say here.
I wonder if you can help me. I live in Malaysia where it can get very hot and humid. The highlands grow a lot of vegetables that you grow in Spring. I don't live in the highlands but would love to grow kale, Swiss Chard and Snow peas etc. I need to know how can I build a small house where the tempretaure imitates your Spring or Fall weather. Can you help teach me how to build one please? Thanks, Annie
I was wondering what the climate battery comments were about. If you have condensation between the poly, Ive heard that you need to draw the air from outside.
+Tom Robertson _Hey Tom, just google "climate battery". Basically you use hot air in the summer to heat the earth underneath and take the cool soil to cool the air in the greenhouse. In the winter, the heated soil underneath is warmer than the surrounding soil and can heat the greenhouse for free. It is most helpful at night when there is no sunlight to generate heat. The soil acts as a "battery" to store heat energy and the system dampens the wide temperature swings that result from seasonal changes and day/night solar gain differences. Very cool application!
+John Beckman I was wondering on the form of thermal mass. chinese put a lot of masonry on the N wall. Ill be using water dincr I cant dig. It's a wonderful greehouse Curtis has.
Yes, very cool project. Since he could dig, it made sense to place tubes underneath and use air to transfer the heat. "LDS Preper" also did several informative videos on his geothermal greenhouse. Good luck with your system!!!!!!!!!!!!
These systems dehumidify the air during cooling, the bulk of the heat stored is thanks to transpiration by the plants, which are always forgotten in discussions even though they play a vital role. The system humidifies the air when it returns the heat to the greenhouse. This is an issue as a large percentage of the energy is in latent form (water vapour) which serves to increase the RH% but doesnt raise the greenhouse air temperature. Sooner or later the guys that have installed these multi thousand dollar systems may invest another hundred or two on some sensors.
Urban Farmer Curtis Stone Right on, here's a link. www.byexample.net/homestead/greenhouse/passive_solar_greenhouse_plans.html I'm looking at implementing this into a design I'm working on which is inspired by your greenhouse actually. Clerestory windows seem to be helpful with managing excess heat in the summer (via ventilation) as well as increasing winter light transmission in the winter. I'm going to put a steeper angle on the north roof slope to reflect more (diffused) winter light directly towards the plants on the back shelves.
All that engineering, and you didn't change the angle of the roof from a traditional peak? First step to a solar greenhouse is finding your angle of incidence to the sun's arc in your part of the world. Being in Kelowna, you'd be really close to my angle, which I remember a book saying 10+ latitude= 10 + 54 = 64 degrees, which I calculated to be a 2:1 slope, and is pretty steep! You complained about having to design and redesign the tiered planting setup you have in there because you lose light at certain times of the day or year. This angle is meant to capture the greatest breadth of light throughout the day, all year. Your SGH looks beautiful, has many key design elements that I shall use when I build my own, but... that roof man. No way to fix that now though. Pretty epic geothermal system though, I wonder how much that cost to get installed over the top of the foundation? How often did they say it would have to be repaired? I imagine it's less intensive to repair than the water-heated floors, but still a big problem if something goes wrong. Of all the over-engineering you complained about, you have many systems that probably would not have all been incorporated into a non engineered design. I can see the benefits, although the cost might seem unnecessary at the start, you now have probably one of the best solar greenhouse in Canada, and it will grow for decades... I'm still jelly.
Yep. I'm the best engineer ever, as I don't cost 10 grand! I'm also not an engineer. At all. The best I know is what I've been reading off a book from the 70's , and what the internets can provide me. It turns out you're still doing the closest/best SGH I've found IRL or online, so keep it going! ATM i'm trying to watch all your videos... there's just so much knowledge in them i need to thank you for. As a newly aspiring farmer, you are exactly what a guy like me needs. Somehow I've got two urban plots started for the first time this year, but there's a big gap between having a dozen rows planted once and having a market garden or two on rotation. I appreciate your videos and I appreciate your reply! Bella Coola says hi!
were you privy to the fact that low light cause increasing intakes of nitrates and nitrites. The levels can get so high that the greens should not be consumed
Curtis can you do a video on the benefits of no till vs tilling. I had an argument with an idiot who thinks that roto tilling is like the holy grail of farming and that one should till all the time. I think tilling is fine for the initial prep of plot but after that you dont need to till.
+The Molynator I did one last week called to till or not to till. I don't get into the science, more just from the practical side. My advice is, don't waste time on idiots. Best.
Wood is the best material for such structures. Do not use steel due to electrochemical corrosion, price, good thermal conductivity and ecology. Good, corrosion resistant steel is expensive. Wood is cheap, has very good mechanical properties... I have coral culture in wooden tanks ... Algae scrubbers from wood and also greenhouse from wood... --- I am an material engineer so I know what I write ...
