Today I built a costco carport into a greenhouse

[Primalraindrop]

another thing if ur going to try and get a winter harvest.. the roots are most important. if u can keep ur roots from freezing.. ull be pretty good.. we used a reverse chiller.. using hot water and a 8inch tall box.. 6 feet by 12 feet.. with pond liner basicly like a huge cooler.. underneath.. then we used hot water to fill it.. and a pump to recirculate it. took a lot of work.. but man wen it was done. we could run our greenhouse in -15 degree F with no problems. the water stays heated threw the nights with the pumps.. and if it drops below temps the hot water releases and the over flow goes into the barrel the RES is sitting in. to keep the Res temps above freezing.

I am 100% interested! do you have some info online or pictures or step by step? I am the type of person that if i see it i can build it. Do you have pictures by chance? I am REALLY interested in seeing!

 

[2 Legal Co]

I am 100% interested! do you have some info online or pictures or step by step? I am the type of person that if i see it i can build it. Do you have pictures by chance? I am REALLY interested in seeing!

If you are going to build a GH for the coldest weather. One thing to remember is that the core temperature of the dirt 5-6' down is 50-55 degrees depending on where you are.

So, make room in the budget to rent a trencher and sink 3-4" closed cell insulation 'foundation insulation', at least 2' into the earth at the perimeter of the GH. This will keep the heat from bleeding out into the dirt immediately outside the GH.

The deeper and thicker you go the better it'll be in the cold weather. It actually creates a chimney effect, with the heat from the earth's core rising up into the GH. This relates to only needing to raise the temperature from 50*F to the temp. you need to grow at.

I'm also reading a bit on Aquaponics. The huge amount of water mass makes an excellent heat storage battery, but also the water from the fish is very fertile. Providing plant food as well.

The key to PH stability seems to be the size of the system. The more water you have in the system, the more stable the PH, as well as the temperatures.

My problem is; How much time and energy am I willing to expend on raising smoke and food? The grocery store is so much easier for the food and I can make all the smoke I need in one indoor run with T5 Lighting for most of a year. Realistically the aquaponics would be a year round endeavor. And with no legal way to sell the excess? Well, I guess I could eat more fish and raise vegetables. lol

 

[Primalraindrop]

Today it started to rain. Today i was thankful all of my ladies are sitting nicely in the greenhouse

 

[Primalraindrop]

update with pics.
I put a door on it.
covered the entire thing with plastic
piled dirt around it to add stability

Withstood 30 mph winds.

on to the round 2.
Im converting it to hold 6 30 gallon smart pots on each side. minus 1 spot for grow nutrients and other tools.
so 11 - 30 gallon smart pots. 4 are store bought and the other 7 i made and will not have bottoms to see if i can get a bigger root structure.
Or does it even matter when it comes to plants in a greenhouse in december january.

 

[Primalraindrop]

pics from inside the greenhouse and what not.

 

[Primalraindrop]

Some stuff still not finished.

 

[Primalraindrop]

Solar heating project round 1

Solar heating project round 1

This is my first attempt to see if solar heating would be a option in the greenhouse to keep it warm this winter.

What i have is a large pump I purchased from harbor freight
Black irigation tubing
Really big yellow plastic thing that can hold water

also i have a radiator from a car that im trying to figure out how i could rig it up or

If anyone had a idea for a cheap way to heat my greenhouse with water for cheap

so far it has gotten down to 50 degrees outside but only down to about 60 in the greenhouse. im curious to see what its like come febuary.

 

[2 Legal Co]

This is my first attempt to see if solar heating would be a option in the greenhouse to keep it warm this winter.

What i have is a large pump I purchased from harbor freight
Black irigation tubing
Really big yellow plastic thing that can hold water

also i have a radiator from a car that im trying to figure out how i could rig it up or

If anyone had a idea for a cheap way to heat my greenhouse with water for cheap

so far it has gotten down to 50 degrees outside but only down to about 60 in the greenhouse. im curious to see what its like come febuary.

Spend some time surfing youtube for the ratio of water to volume of interior for heat storage.

Also spend some time on DIY 'solar hot water heat' I think you've got the right idea for sure. You may need a small water pump. Make sure to insulate the pipes leading from the panel to your 'storage tank'.

Were you able to do the perimeter 'foundation' insulation? That gets you a much lower energy requirement.... raising the temp from 50*F sounds like it will be a large advantage.

Good luck, and remember to enjoy the fruit of your labors.

 

[Primalraindrop]

So far i put water in the big yellow barrel thing. it was cold prolly 50degrees right out of the hose last night. This morning i went out and turned on the pump to recirculate the water in one big circle around the greenhouse. this morning the water was very cold to the touch. By 5pm it was warm to the touch. possibly bath water warm. So i am curious to see what the temps do this evening. Seems to be working really really well! more updates to come.

 

[2 Legal Co]

What is RH situation?

Sorry... Relative Humidity...

 

[Primalraindrop]

I need to get a thermometer out there. but so far. when i go check it in the middle of the night its warm enough to be in a t shirt, getting chilly outside, and during the day it stays relatively cool. by relatively cool i mean 80-90 degrees. a little humid in there since i added the enormous barrel full of water. everything inside is SUUUUPER happy!!!

 

[2 Legal Co]

I need to get a thermometer out there. but so far. when i go check it in the middle of the night its warm enough to be in a t shirt, getting chilly outside, and during the day it stays relatively cool. by relatively cool i mean 80-90 degrees. a little humid in there since i added the enormous barrel full of water. everything inside is SUUUUPER happy!!!

I'm looking forward to hearing how late into the winter you can operate the GH. I've shut my shed for the year already.... not because of temps. just seasonally complete up there.

 

[Primalraindrop]

I'm looking forward to hearing how late into the winter you can operate the GH. I've shut my shed for the year already.... not because of temps. just seasonally complete up there.

Im gonna run it thru the winter.
I live in the valley and its very warm here still.

I will make sure to keep updates going

 

[2 Legal Co]

Just an FYI; Saw a vid on utube where they used insulation board laid flat on the ground 'outside' the GH. Covered the foam board with wood chips too.

They said the GH is now useable all the way to the wall,,, where before it froze a couple feet into the GH.

Sounds like you've got it well under control already, however.

 

[Primalraindrop]

Just an FYI; Saw a vid on utube where they used insulation board laid flat on the ground 'outside' the GH. Covered the foam board with wood chips too.

They said the GH is now useable all the way to the wall,,, where before it froze a couple feet into the GH.

Does that keep the ground warm. and in turn keeps the greenhouse warm. interesting what about if i were to run irigation lines back and forth in the ground? then run hot water thru them. I wonder how that would work.

 

[Littleleaf]

If you need cheap reliable heat. Check into a Rocket Mass heater. They can be built from junk/reclaimed bricks and clay from your yard.

I just built a prototype just from what I could find around the house. IT WORKS.

a few pics to give an idea of what your looking at.

 

[Littleleaf]

the beginning of one in a GH.

[YOUTUBEIF]U0V00ch5kIE[/YOUTUBEIF]

 

[Primalraindrop]

I have all of those things in my yard... hmmm what would i burn in it tho? wood? or? thanks for the reply little leaf. do you have more descriptive info. I want to build one today!!! also... there isnt snow here yet. It's actually 75 out right now. but the nights are getting a bit chilly

 

[Littleleaf]

Wood from FREE pallets or news papers, any wood product will work.
Go to the tube and put in rocket mass heat and there is a copious amount of vids.

I'm building a RMH in my house as soon as I get a few more FREE things from the dump. To finish my build. The only thing I will need to buy is the perlite. A pic of my prototype working.

also permies...com under energy is threads about RMH

 

[2 Legal Co]

If you need cheap reliable heat. Check into a Rocket Mass heater. They can be built from junk/reclaimed bricks and clay from your yard.

I just built a prototype just from what I could find around the house. IT WORKS.

a few pics to give an idea of what your looking at.

LL:
How long does it take to heat the 'mass'. I've looked at this as a possibility,,,,, but never touched one, nor have even seen one in person. Looks like a PITA to keep fed...sort of. That's the reason for the Mass heating question.

Thought about doing one in my fishing shack/doghouse. Think I may do a solar panel 'hot air', instead. And building a 'mass' into the shack for the cold nights. Lots of sun/solar gain at 7600 feet.

Probably will end up with a GH add-on, with barrels of water to absorb the heat. Growing season is short up there so a GH is a resonable project. I've pretty much decided that my 'tin shed' GH is too small of an environment to stabilize.

All of the above is Highly dependent on my supply of 'Round To-Its', however.