The Year Round Solar Greenhouse

Comprehensive coverage of passive solar greenhouse design including material selection, building methods and how to store thermal energy using a variety of simple and innovative strategies. Over a dozen case studies provide real-life inspiration, capped off with how-to guidance for building a durable, energy-efficient greenhouse. Variations include underground and aquaponic greenhouses and integrating solar panels to grow off-grid, year-round.

Build your own passive solar greenhouse for year-round food production in any climate

Grow vegetables year-round in a greenhouse powered only by solar energy Originally developed in China to feed millions, Chinese greenhouses are earth-sheltered, solar-heated, east-west oriented, intelligently glazed, and well-insulated. They have proven highly effective in growing warm-weather vegetables and fruits like green peppers and tomatoes in cold climates through fall, winter, and early spring using passive solar energy as the sole heat source. The Chinese Greenhouse is a full-color comprehensive guide to these passive solar greenhouses for self-sufficiency and growing year-round in soil or aquaponic grow beds with no additional heat. Coverage includes: How to design, build, and operate a Chinese greenhouse How to improve performance via short-term and long-term heat banking How to provide additional heat to make your greenhouse operate even more effectively How to cool the greenhouse during the summer. Become a more self-sufficient gardener, growing and harvesting a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables year-round, with your own Chinese greenhouse.

The Earth-Sheltered Solar Greenhouse Book is the first to promote the benefits of both passive solar energy and earth sheltering in greenhouse design. This combination results in greenhouses which need no additional heating. The captured sun's energy and that which is stored in the earth is enough for successful year round harvest. It takes you step by step through the construction of an inexpensive greenhouse which may be built with either newly purchased or salvaged building materials for pennies on the dollar. It explains the author's unique Post/Shoring/Polyethylene construction methods and design techniques. The Earth-Sheltered Solar Greenhouse Book has 230 pages with nearly 200 illustrations, photos, diagrams, lists, charts and drawings. It contains all the information you need to free you from the pesticide, herbicide, fungicide, waxed, and E-coli laden, genetically modified and irradiated supermarket produce.

Unlock new growing opportunities and increase your property value with an outdoor conservatory. In this illustrated guide, Roger Marshall shows you how to build our own greenhouse using simple, easy-to-follow techniques. Covering everything from selecting a site to glazing glass, Marshall includes tips on laying a foundation, construction materials, ventilation, and much more. Whether your goal is to stretch the growing season or create a lush space for a year-round hot tub, you can build the greenhouse of your dreams.

Offers information on the greenhouse biosphere and provides practical instructions for constructing, maintaining, and improving a solar greenhouse

Provides practical guidance on how to build a solar greenhouse to fit a particular site, climate, and budget

With a revolutionary new “Climate Battery” design for near-net-zero heating and cooling By the turn of the nineteenth century, thousands of acres of glass houses surrounded large American cities, becoming a commonplace symbol of the market garden and nursery trades. But the possibilities of the indoor garden to transform our homes and our lives remain largely unrealized. In this groundbreaking book, Jerome Osentowski, one of North America’s most accomplished permaculture designers, presents a wholly new approach to a very old horticultural subject. In The Forest Garden Greenhouse, he shows how bringing the forest garden indoors is not only possible, but doable on unlikely terrain and in cold climates, using near-net-zero technology. Different from other books on greenhouse design and management, this book advocates for an indoor agriculture using permaculture design concepts—integration, multi-functions, perennials, and polycultures—that take season extension into new and important territory. Osentowski, director and founder of Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute (CRMPI), farms at 7,200 feet on a steep, rocky hillside in Colorado, incorporating deep, holistic permaculture design with practical common sense. It is at this site, high on a mountaintop, where Osentowski (along with architect and design partner Michael Thompson) has been designing and building revolutionary greenhouses that utilize passive and active solar technology via what they call the “climate battery”—a subterranean air-circulation system that takes the hot, moist, ambient air from the greenhouse during the day, stores it in the soil, and discharges it at night—that can offer tropical and Mediterranean climates at similarly high altitudes and in cold climates (and everywhere else). Osentowski’s greenhouse designs, which can range from the backyard homesteader to commercial greenhouses, are completely ecological and use a simple design that traps hot and cold air and regulates it for best possible use. The book is part case study of the amazing greenhouses at CRMPI and part how-to primer for anyone interested in a more integrated model for growing food and medicine in a greenhouse. With detailed design drawings, photos, and profiles of successful greenhouse projects on all scales, this inspirational manual will considerably change the conversation about greenhouse design.

BLACK+DECKER The Complete Guide to DIY Greenhouses contains building plans, information, and tips to help you build and run your own greenhouse from the ground up. Laser-focused on building greenhouses for the home gardener, it's the most complete title on DIY greenhouses you'll find anywhere. Featuring full-color step-by-step photos and comprehensive how-to instructions, the book features full plans for structures that are designed to extend the gardening season. From ornate, Victorian style greenhouses to basic cold frames, you're sure to find a project that meets your needs and fits your space. In this new edition, you'll find several new plans to expand the range of options, including a geodesic-dome greenhouse, a custom greenhouse with a fieldstone foundation, more kit greenhouses, and even a super-efficient greenhouse built completely from upcycled building materials- the greenest greenhouse you'll find! BLACK+DECKER The Complete Guide to DIY Greenhouses gives an updated look at new materials and products, along with tips for siting and orienting, helps you make good design choices. Complete sections on heaters, ventilation and watering systems show you how to set up and operate your greenhouse for maximum benefit. Building a greenhouse, even a relatively complex "stick-built" style is a surprisingly easy DIY project and one that is sure to delight any gardener in your family.

FULL-COLOR EDITION QUOTES FROM THOSE WHO KNOW: THE OPENING OF THE FIRST BIODOME GARDEN IN OTTAWA - AUGUST 27, 2014 "On August 17, 2014 the Brewer Park Community Garden (BPCG), situated across from Brewer Arena, celebrated the grand opening of Ottawa's first Biodome Garden project. To commemorate the day, the Park hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony along with an afternoon of events, including a barbecue and tours of the Biodome and gardens... When asked about the inspiration for the Biodome Garden, Oster credited the ever-enduring spirit of his co-project leader, Guy Souliere and the pages of Patricia Watters' book, The Biodome Garden Book..." "The completion of the Biodome Garden marks an historic moment for Ottawa. The project is the first structure of its kind in Eastern Canada, making it an exciting achievement that sets a high standard and precedence for future similar structures to be built in the Region." "It is the hope of the Brewer Park Community Garden that this innovative project will be replicated many times in several different forms across the City and Ottawa Region. Its replication could shape the beginning of a much more healthy and sustainable food culture across Ottawa." --SPACING MAGAZINE "Even before the advent of biodomes, experimentation had already begun with domed enclosures that could sustain year-round gardens. At the forefront was Patricia Watters, author of the “The Biodome Garden Book,” the premier book on passive-solar biodome greenhouse gardening. (WHOLE LIFE TIMES MAGAZINE) “May as well start off with the most comprehensive food production system that I have ever come across. A wonderful lady named Patricia Watters has written a book on how to construct a system that not only produces produce, but also fish, (a great protein source) in an environment that does not require sprays or the traditional heating and electrical expenses associated with green house systems." (GEOFF LAWTON - PERMACULTURE INNOVATOR) FOR PHOTOS AND INFORMATION ABOUT THE BIODOME GARDEN PLEASE GO TO: www.biodomegarden.com

Details techniques for constructing each component of a solar greenhouse

Here is a revolutionary approach for heating rooms and generating hot water. Author Gaelan Brown has worked with engineers and compost scientists to refine methods of composting that can heat greenhouses, barns, buildings, and hot water, all without combustion. It seems almost too good to be true: make high-value organic compost while generating reliable combustion-free heat. But it works, and this book is your practical introduction. With detailed case studies of large scale engineered systems and plans for constructing small DIY systems, you'll find step-by-step illustrations and photos to guide you through the process. A review of calculations to help you estimate the heating capabilities of various approaches and other planning tools make this book invaluable for compost heat recovery on any scale.

Design and build a hoophouse or polytunnel, and grow abundant produce year-round in any climate Growing in hoophouses – also known as high tunnels or polytunnels – reduces the impact of an increasingly unpredictable climate on crops, mitigates soil erosion, extends the growing season and keeps leafy greens alive through the winter, and enables growers to supply more regional food needs. The Year-Round Hoophouse is a comprehensive guide to to designing and building a hoophouse and making a success of growing abundant, delicious fresh produce all year, whatever your climate and land size. Chapters include: Hoophouse siting, size, style, frame construction, and tools Bed layout, soil, crop rotations, and extensive coverage of various crops for all seasons Organic solutions to pests and diseases Disaster preparation Tested resources for each chapter. The Year-Round Hoophouse is ideal for farmers who wish to move into protected growing, as well as beginning farmers in rural and urban spaces. It is an essential reference resource for professors and students of courses in sustainable agriculture, as well as interns and apprentices learning on the job.