Tools Solar
'Pit' Greenhouse
Tools Solar
'Pit' Greenhouse
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A
neighbor was so kind as to give me a large stack of unused mobile
home trusses made of 2"x2" stock which I readily attached together
with a few screws. I shoveled out a walkway 24" wide, and 36" deep
into the earth, leaving easily workable growing beds at ground
level. The same neighbor had pieces of plywood lying about which
he wanted hauled away, and I used these to line the walls around
the walkway. I used two sheets of foil lined insulation board on
the north wall to increase the illumination, and covered the exterior
of the wall with plywood and polyethylene film, before berming
it with earth.
No additional heat source was ever installed, but the greenhouse works great for extending the season on both ends, spring and fall. Some hardy plants such as Swiss Chard continue to flourish throughout the winter without damage in our zone 7 growing area. It is a thrill to go into the structure in the coldest days of winter and bask in the warmth. Unfortunately the voles apparently feel the same way, because they burrow into the beds as well. I am considering sinking a barrier of some kind around the perimeter to discourage these underground interlopers, though they probably feel the same way about me. I will also construct an enclosed entrance way over the steps, rather than use plastic film to cover them as I did this first year. jb |
   
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