Honestly these videos help me understand what to and modify my greenhouse when I get it. I live in Alberta so these videos have been helping me comprehend a bit more how to work with this idea. Thanks for the updates!
Your greenhouse is absolutely phenomenal. I live nearby Springville and look forward to a time when I can buy enough land for a greenhouse like this; with a sole purpose of growing tropical fruit for my Sweetheart! Thanks for sharing your videos of the greenhouse. It gives me hope that is achievable here in Utah! 🙂
Looking good man! I'm nearly done with the Fish Hut on mine, and then I can plant my trees. I've been posting updates on IG, I need to upload them to UA-cam.
In hindsight, I would have lined the entire North Grow bed wall with black barrels and built a grow bed above them. Thanks for the advice on putting them a few inches below grade. That would help give me a 12" deep grow bed above them on that north wall.
The floor of my GH is not covered with woodchips but with concrete pavers. Just because I think that I can use the bottom of the GH as part of the thermal mass. I think that woodchips would act as an insulator and therefore increase the temperature swings compared to concrete pavers. Maybe my thinking is wrong. Cannot recall having seen a test/comparison between these two approaches or the other alternative: dirt. Best wishes, greetings from Holland.
I like your thinking. Great idea! I've thought about adding some Soapstone for thermal mass. The mulch/compost layer on the floor is more of an insulation approach to help the ground maintain a more desirable temperature.
Great Job! I love your updates! I was thinking of a home biogas digester in a Greenhouse, it requires 65F to keep going, but it puts out enough gas to run a burner plate for 2-3 hrs, if you put a column of a water tank on the burner and ran it for 2-3 hrs it would put out some heat slowly to maintain temperature overnight. Just thinkin, dreamin a little!
Thank you for the update! I'm not sure if you talked about it, but what is your goal of the greenhouse? Is it just for fun? To see if it works? And will you mostly eat the fruits and vegetables you grow? Or give them to a food bank? I wouldn't imagine you can really grow enough to sell to a local supermarket, can you? Although I tell myself I'd take my fruits to the farmer's market, I know I'd end up eating most of it. :P
My initial thought is that if I can learn to grow year round, grow and eat healthy food, live longer and healthier, then this is priceless! But I do hope to produce more than I need and go to the local Farmers Market or work with a Restaurant. Giving to a Food Bank is a great idea as well. Over time I will develop a Food Forest around the Greenhouse which would give me quite a bit more Fruit. Certainly more than I would ever need. Thanks for your feedback.
Just a thought. Have you considered laying flexible plastic tubing in the soil where you are growing the banana plants and pump the heated water through the tubing? More of the heat would be directed to the bananas instead of spreading through out the greenhouse. Similar principle as heated floors in a house. BTW Really enjoy your videos. Thanks for sharing!
That's an interesting idea. I'll give it some thought. Another idea I've had, should I do this again, would be to take the peek vent air and pipe it below the greenhouse into the floor. The good news is that the things I am doing today are keeping the ground temperature around the bananas at 65 degrees. So I'm hopeful those Bananas will grow this Winter. Time will tell. Thanks for your feedback!
I used 4x4's for the posts and 2x4's to connect them. Pressure treated lumber. Then I used aluminum siding which I slide down the inside of my new wall. Capped it with 2x6 lumber. The 4x4's are pretty deep in the ground. We have a hard clay soil so it doesn't move much or push against my wall but you might consider your soil when determining what posts to use.
I love how you are capturing that excess heat in the winter to help warm the shop! A couple of questions.... 1. Our oranges and grapefruit are flowering and setting fruit...is this the normal time for that to happen? 2. Our silly banana's are still growing, but we have not dipped below 50. We are hanging out around 52-57 most mornings (51.3 this am) and will have to switch to heating soon I suspect, snow forecast for monday! All our banana's are still in containers....do they slow down in the ground? Do you think that has stopped your growth? Now, they are definitely growing slower than in summer, but are putting out a new leaf around 10 days instead of 7! I've been allowing temps up to about 95 on sunny days. Everything seems to like that except the basil....or maybe basil goes dormant? 3. Our Kumquats set fruit this summer...oh July I think...they are still green, do they ever change color? I've never seen one in real life before and have no idea how long it should take for the fruit to ripen, as it hasn't changed size that I can tell in a couple of months at least? Any experience? Tomorrow I'm planning on insulating and shutting down summer cooling fan #1, and louvers, but I guess I'll leave summer cool #2 up until I get my winter cooling fan actually connected...bother, maybe I'll get that done on Sunday? Great video as always!!!
Looks like things are working well in your GH! On your citrus, yes it is normal to set fruit at different times of year including now. We have 10 citrus trees and it seems we always have something in bloom, something ripening, etc. My guess is that with your winter temperature, your bananas will slow down or stop growing. I would thing ground would be better than containers as it would hold overnight temperature better. I am new to Kumquats so I couldn't give much helpful feedback there. Keep me posted on things. Sounds like you have a great set up!
Are the large east end vents you mentioned you cover during winter actually needed in summer? Or can you get along with the top vent and the tube vents? Some of the newer Green House in the Snow's are doing away with outside opening, and just using the 4" tubes for air to exit the building.
They are needed because I run two big fans. My goal is to not need them in the future as the GH matures. Would be ideal if I was only using the Geothermal alone but it gets too hot in the Summer currently.
Out of general curiosity, What do you think your total power consumption keeping temperatures within reason? Would a DIY ductless heat pump seem more reasonable? Same consumption as the space heater and a blower, (Roughly) and is able to easily maintain steady, higher/more ideal temperatures.
The Greenhouse doesn't use much energy unless the back up heater kicks on. Summer bills can be as low at $17 (and that includes the shop) and can rise to $100 in the Winter (but that includes the shop so maybe half is GH). I think a ductless heat pump is a great idea.
I watched many “treehouse in the snow” videos and been dreaming of doing one for awhile. Retiring next year and need to speak with someone who has used the new design. Would like to visit yours if that is possible. It would be March or April of next year. Is that something you would do?
My lowest bill during the summer was $17. My highest bill during Winter was $140 but it includes my shop and a heater in a water tank (for horses). I'd say typical during summer is $20 and winter is $60. The only reason it is higher in Winter is because I have a back up heater that runs during Winter so I can maintain a higher temperature (above 50) than I would by just running geothermal alone (above 40 would be maintained with just geothermal).
Regarding the heat mat on the pot: good idea, but you are losing alot of heat to the air. Wrap an insulating layer over top of the heat mat, and all around the pot, like a towel for instance to direct the heat into soil. Otherwise I think you are wasting most of the heat to the air mass.
Have you ever considered incorporating something like this: ua-cam.com/video/bMM44KXL__M/v-deo.html to help with humidity and cooling in place of where you mentioned building a waterfall of sorts for the water return back to the fish tank?
That's a really cool idea. I'll look into it further. My current plan is to build a water wall (like a swamp cooler) on my West Wall where I allow air to enter thru a vent. But this is an interesting idea.
Trying recording those narrations in-home at the computer, after filming. At least the outside portions. Cut that wind-noise out... Quite irritating to listen to over my sub-woofer.
Honestly these videos help me understand what to and modify my greenhouse when I get it. I live in Alberta so these videos have been helping me comprehend a bit more how to work with this idea. Thanks for the updates!
Your greenhouse is absolutely phenomenal. I live nearby Springville and look forward to a time when I can buy enough land for a greenhouse like this; with a sole purpose of growing tropical fruit for my Sweetheart!
Thanks for sharing your videos of the greenhouse. It gives me hope that is achievable here in Utah! 🙂
Thanks for great videos. I see relatively little about greenhouse cooling and you address the challenges of cooling.
Looking good man! I'm nearly done with the Fish Hut on mine, and then I can plant my trees. I've been posting updates on IG, I need to upload them to UA-cam.
Looking forward to seeing an update.
Keep crushing, onwards!
It's really inspirational .
Nice tour
Set the black water barrels 3-4 inches below grade to radiate heat laterally into the soil and roots. Might get growth in winter with that heat sync.
In hindsight, I would have lined the entire North Grow bed wall with black barrels and built a grow bed above them. Thanks for the advice on putting them a few inches below grade. That would help give me a 12" deep grow bed above them on that north wall.
The floor of my GH is not covered with woodchips but with concrete pavers. Just because I think that I can use the bottom of the GH as part of the thermal mass. I think that woodchips would act as an insulator and therefore increase the temperature swings compared to concrete pavers. Maybe my thinking is wrong. Cannot recall having seen a test/comparison between these two approaches or the other alternative: dirt.
Best wishes, greetings from Holland.
I like your thinking. Great idea! I've thought about adding some Soapstone for thermal mass. The mulch/compost layer on the floor is more of an insulation approach to help the ground maintain a more desirable temperature.
Great Job! I love your updates! I was thinking of a home biogas digester in a Greenhouse, it requires 65F to keep going, but it puts out enough gas to run a burner plate for 2-3 hrs, if you put a column of a water tank on the burner and ran it for 2-3 hrs it would put out some heat slowly to maintain temperature overnight. Just thinkin, dreamin a little!
Great idea!
Thank you for the update! I'm not sure if you talked about it, but what is your goal of the greenhouse? Is it just for fun? To see if it works? And will you mostly eat the fruits and vegetables you grow? Or give them to a food bank? I wouldn't imagine you can really grow enough to sell to a local supermarket, can you?
Although I tell myself I'd take my fruits to the farmer's market, I know I'd end up eating most of it. :P
My initial thought is that if I can learn to grow year round, grow and eat healthy food, live longer and healthier, then this is priceless! But I do hope to produce more than I need and go to the local Farmers Market or work with a Restaurant. Giving to a Food Bank is a great idea as well. Over time I will develop a Food Forest around the Greenhouse which would give me quite a bit more Fruit. Certainly more than I would ever need. Thanks for your feedback.
Just a thought. Have you considered laying flexible plastic tubing in the soil where you are growing the banana plants and pump the heated water through the tubing? More of the heat would be directed to the bananas instead of spreading through out the greenhouse. Similar principle as heated floors in a house. BTW Really enjoy your videos. Thanks for sharing!
That's an interesting idea. I'll give it some thought. Another idea I've had, should I do this again, would be to take the peek vent air and pipe it below the greenhouse into the floor. The good news is that the things I am doing today are keeping the ground temperature around the bananas at 65 degrees. So I'm hopeful those Bananas will grow this Winter. Time will tell. Thanks for your feedback!
Love this channel. How did you do the retaining wall? What did you use to secure the 4x4s? What is the material for the wall itself?
I used 4x4's for the posts and 2x4's to connect them. Pressure treated lumber. Then I used aluminum siding which I slide down the inside of my new wall. Capped it with 2x6 lumber. The 4x4's are pretty deep in the ground. We have a hard clay soil so it doesn't move much or push against my wall but you might consider your soil when determining what posts to use.
I love how you are capturing that excess heat in the winter to help warm the shop!
A couple of questions....
1. Our oranges and grapefruit are flowering and setting fruit...is this the normal time for that to happen?
2. Our silly banana's are still growing, but we have not dipped below 50. We are hanging out around 52-57 most mornings (51.3 this am) and will have to switch to heating soon I suspect, snow forecast for monday! All our banana's are still in containers....do they slow down in the ground? Do you think that has stopped your growth? Now, they are definitely growing slower than in summer, but are putting out a new leaf around 10 days instead of 7! I've been allowing temps up to about 95 on sunny days. Everything seems to like that except the basil....or maybe basil goes dormant?
3. Our Kumquats set fruit this summer...oh July I think...they are still green, do they ever change color? I've never seen one in real life before and have no idea how long it should take for the fruit to ripen, as it hasn't changed size that I can tell in a couple of months at least? Any experience?
Tomorrow I'm planning on insulating and shutting down summer cooling fan #1, and louvers, but I guess I'll leave summer cool #2 up until I get my winter cooling fan actually connected...bother, maybe I'll get that done on Sunday?
Great video as always!!!
Looks like things are working well in your GH! On your citrus, yes it is normal to set fruit at different times of year including now. We have 10 citrus trees and it seems we always have something in bloom, something ripening, etc. My guess is that with your winter temperature, your bananas will slow down or stop growing. I would thing ground would be better than containers as it would hold overnight temperature better. I am new to Kumquats so I couldn't give much helpful feedback there. Keep me posted on things. Sounds like you have a great set up!
Have you tried for a glass green house.. even if little.. it helps keeps in heat. Also try geothermal climate battery?
Nice set up. Can you tell me the size of the squirrel cage blower you use for the 230' geothermal loop? (HP, CFM, pressure capacity?) Thanks
I keep forgetting to gather that info when I'm at the GH. I'll get it and report back.
Are the large east end vents you mentioned you cover during winter actually needed in summer? Or can you get along with the top vent and the tube vents? Some of the newer Green House in the Snow's are doing away with outside opening, and just using the 4" tubes for air to exit the building.
They are needed because I run two big fans. My goal is to not need them in the future as the GH matures. Would be ideal if I was only using the Geothermal alone but it gets too hot in the Summer currently.
Out of general curiosity, What do you think your total power consumption keeping temperatures within reason? Would a DIY ductless heat pump seem more reasonable? Same consumption as the space heater and a blower, (Roughly) and is able to easily maintain steady, higher/more ideal temperatures.
The Greenhouse doesn't use much energy unless the back up heater kicks on. Summer bills can be as low at $17 (and that includes the shop) and can rise to $100 in the Winter (but that includes the shop so maybe half is GH). I think a ductless heat pump is a great idea.
Could try putting another plastic cylinder around a banana plant to get greenhouse inside a greenhouse effect….. or double greenhouse.
I watched many “treehouse in the snow” videos and been dreaming of doing one for awhile. Retiring next year and need to speak with someone who has used the new design. Would like to visit yours if that is possible. It would be March or April of next year. Is that something you would do?
You bet. Happy to show you around. Spring is a great time for a Tour.
How has your electrical usage (cost) been average?
My lowest bill during the summer was $17. My highest bill during Winter was $140 but it includes my shop and a heater in a water tank (for horses). I'd say typical during summer is $20 and winter is $60. The only reason it is higher in Winter is because I have a back up heater that runs during Winter so I can maintain a higher temperature (above 50) than I would by just running geothermal alone (above 40 would be maintained with just geothermal).
Regarding the heat mat on the pot: good idea, but you are losing alot of heat to the air. Wrap an insulating layer over top of the heat mat, and all around the pot, like a towel for instance to direct the heat into soil. Otherwise I think you are wasting most of the heat to the air mass.
Have you ever considered incorporating something like this: ua-cam.com/video/bMM44KXL__M/v-deo.html to help with humidity and cooling in place of where you mentioned building a waterfall of sorts for the water return back to the fish tank?
That's a really cool idea. I'll look into it further. My current plan is to build a water wall (like a swamp cooler) on my West Wall where I allow air to enter thru a vent. But this is an interesting idea.
Trying recording those narrations in-home at the computer, after filming. At least the outside portions. Cut that wind-noise out... Quite irritating to listen to over my sub-woofer.