Joe - those aren't failures, they are something every gardener encounters. Great job and everyone learns from your project. You are moving in the right direction.
If he didn't bother to bury 6 in air pipe zigzag through the lawn 9ft down. Then yes it is a failure. Considering that they're capable of growing citrus in alliance Nebraska. Look up greenhouse in the snow. And Alliance NE gets down to-20 degrees during the winter. With the air pipe design you don't even need heaters whatsoever. You just need some fans to blow the air through the pipes. So if he was going to go this far to build it. He should have done it right.
@Pete yeah excavators are fun to use. Also you shouldn't get so offended when someone points out something is far superior.but then again you're probably just some chick on the internet.
If I ever get to a point in life where this would be considered a failure, I would be an amazing craftsman. You've got some serious skill, man, don't talk yourself down! Thanks for sharing the whole journey!
Not really. If he was building it correctly he would have done buried Air pipe technology. Look up greenhouse in the snow. They're growing citrus in Alliance Nebraska. Just running some fans to push air through 6 in air pipe that's buried zigzagged 9ft down in the lawn. I'll admit the greenhouse looks cute. But function is superior to fashion any day of the week when it comes to off-grid living. And in reality he could have built the exact same greenhouse. And just buried the pipes.
@@otrogreandcorgi9818 Maybe you would like to post a video of your greenhouse with air pipe technology? You might try planting a humility plant in your greenhouse.
@@Guttersmart Or you could just look up Greenhouse In The Snow.. And see the guy who actually came up with the technology.🤨 The old guy is growing citrus and areas to get down to -20 during the winter. The just simple fans running are through pipes.🤔 But nice try at trying to be edgy. 🙄
Remember: If you fail about 100 more times you will be an expert. Thank you for sharing! NOTE: You are saving me a ton of time by learning through your experience :-)
I was surprised that he didn't do the buried airpipe geothermal technology. I mean if you're going to go to that much trouble to dig the hole and build a greenhouse. You should do it right.
Your honesty and transparency is worth more than any other playlist or how to video on UA-cam. Thanks for allowing us to use your failures and issues for ourselves to avoid. Been planning one of these for a long time and your videos have helped me immensely!
I honestly think you have one of the best channels on UA-cam. You have a wide variety of subjects, you are honest and forthright. If you made a mistake you do not blame it on something else. We learn from our mistakes, that is natural. Where would we all be if our predecessors did not learn from their mistakes. The only person that does not make mistakes is the person who is not doing anything. I would love to have even a bermed greenhouse, we are at about 5,500' and 42 degrees Latitude so our last frost probably has not occurred yet. Thank you for your service, 1st responders keep us safe and healthy.
some of the most perplexing and frustrating people that I have ever met are those who refuse to admit ever making any mistake and doom themselves to repeating them over and over. Sadly it is difficult to be of help and people just give up.
Alan E thank you Alan! Those are some kind words and I greatly appreciate it! Thank you for watching these projects I work on. It’s always fun...even with the struggles that are presented too😀👍🙏
@homesteadonomics hey I really like what you have created, diging this out with a shovel must've been something crazy. The only thing I hate about this is this plastic tub idea, try to look at your beds and see how much wasted space is there which could've been included in the bed capacity. Just frame deep wooden bed, biggest size you can and fill it all with soil, your soil will have good drainage, will be able to breathe better, your abilities will be grater and results way way better. Great job, I love it!
I start trapping in my greenhouse 1 month prior to putting any plants in there. Anything I am seeding in the greenhouse gets covered with hardware cloth to discourage rodents from digging up the seeds.Pest control is a year-round task in a greenhouse. They find a way in. Cucumbers and tomatoes are heavy feeders requiring large soil volumes, plenty of water, and regular fertilization. Your tub system might work for lettuce. If you are growing transplants for your outdoor gardens, individual pots for each plant allows you to keep roots undisturbed at transplant, plant out each plant as it is ready, and is standard practice proven to work rather than trying to invent something new with a limited knowledge base. You're learning a lot the hard way. Reading up on growing transplants for your garden will get you learning through both successes and the inevitable crop failures. You can build experience and become a really good grower over time! You're going to need more airflow in there. But I've commented that before. Good luck with your fall crops!
John Stewart thanks Uncle Beaver! Of course! And we are also redoing the entire garden so hopefully that’ll look much better than when you came down the first time😀👍
After watching this and Handeeman's video today taking apart the ICF to redo the windows, I'm feeling better about some of the mistakes I've made around my place. I love your videos! Thanks for sharing!
It's always nice to see videos about the mistakes and how they are going to fix it or make it better. Everybody makes mistakes so it's not a bad thing, it's just nice to learn from them. :)
The only mistake you could have made , was not building your sunken greenhouse, you've built it, (and it's massive job) seen where you can improve things , an improved them , and I'm pretty sure 10 yrs down the road you will still be improving an learning , you're a very inspiring guy Always look forward to your vids
I feel like this is definitely a win. I like that the concept is an overall success. There were some planting setbacks, but things are looking good. Good call too on the pests. That's something to think about.
Thanks for being honest about the progress from the start. I built a small Geothermal Green house in Wyoming, and have gone through several like challenges but the learning's have helped it become the model for the next large scale one we build. One thhing I might suggest is to put in a water tank that you can add soluble fertilizer to. you can then add nitrogen in early development and then swap to the flowering mode. Alternatively deep well drained soil with the addition of light chicken manure works well but the nitrogen is high. (more plant than fruit) If you place steel wool in the closure holes then spray foam (anti rodent stuff) you can rid it of them.
Yup....I'm living the trial & error life too. I spilled something on the manual, and I'm missing the instructions for life when it comes to just how many errors I'm supposed to be making.
You are being too hard on yourself. Your sunken greenhouse is so much better than the greenhouses others never got around to building, such as me. I would love to have a greenhouse, like yours. All-in-all you did a great job!
I had an aquaponics system using the same plastic cement basins. They seemed like a good idea at the time. I ended up with carrots shaped like turnips. Farming is not easy on any scale. Keep at it. I am.
Steel wool and spray foam for gaps. My first house was a rental and had a horrible mice problem. I kept sealing rooms and doors till i got them out. + traps, cornmeal concrete....
Nice video, thanks for sharing the mistakes. I am planning to build a green house based on the same concept. Mine would be on the side of a south facing slope. Now I know what to look out for. I am looking forward to the next video.
Desert Owl Forge yes, a sloped hill would be better than digging down like this one. Less digging and no potential for drainage problems. Of course would don’t have those here😂
@@homesteadonomics , I can't even dig where I am at. We have like 2" of top soil then solid bedrock. If I remember correctly, you had some tough times digging it out. What was that, decomposing granit?
You've done well. Every job we do for the first time will always give us opportunity to improve. We're wired that way. I really like your sunken greenhouse!
I don't know if this helps you but mice won't chew through steel wool. I worked at an inner city school and learned that this is a well known thing in the project housing. It's worked well for me over the years.
I am glad you made this video! Mistakes are part of life! Please don't not make videos because of them! Oh and procrastination is part of life too! Anyways.. Thanks!
The best results in my regular greenhouse are plants in containers at least a foot deep. I use 5 gallon buckets with holes , some bigger recycled containers and some horse troughs with holes. The pepper plants 12" deep and basil plants 6" x5.5". Your underground grnhs looks great! Keep at it, your almost there. I have to redo some raised beds, vertical posts don't do well in snow, they drew moisture in and rotted. My horizontal 4 board rectangles attached at ends of wood lasted 17 years.
great idea of course one would want coarse stainless steel but that listed for rodents is way over priced. Stuffing a hole around our dishwasher solved them chewing up the dis charge after three times.
...geo out side the greenhouse some peppermint...it spreads fast...any peppermint will help keep rodents away ... leant that from farmers who put it in the cabs of tractors so mice don’t set up house keeping ...and it works well for them ...
I 2nd (3rd or 4th...) this plan. We've had similar problems. If you have them, Ace Hardware sells double-ought steel wool, which fills gaps better for all size pests, that's very inexpensive.
I AM going to make a 40x16 sunken G H here in texas due to the high winds we get in the panhandle, I was dubious of the temp reg arms on the venting, Im so glad to hear that they are working as planned, my design will probably incorporate a water wall supplyed with rain harvesting into blk 55gal tanks on the north wall,,THANX so much for sharing your failures, knowledge is power,, you have empowered us ALL !
The yellowing could be down to lack of nutrients. You have an awful lot of plants in 1 small container, they'll take up what's nutrients are there very quickly. I'd suggest that you only have 1 squash plant in one of them boxes. Possibly have the larger tomato plant on the floor rather than the side. It's got a long way to grow yet. You could look into tumbling variety tomatoes. Hang them in baskets from the ceiling to keep the pest free.
S Haswell yes, I think you’re right. I plan to do a thin little bed at the base of that north retaining wall too. I think that would be a great area to grow some of the things that need to expand upwards😀👍
Yep squash need at least 6” more room for roots depending on the squash you could fit up to 3 you probably made the mistake with calcium like I did reverse partially with 1/2 cup milk per gallon I think it was .What’s the thought on when your plants get 5-16 ft tall?
Please stop beating yourself up you’ve done a beautiful job you figure out what the problems were fixed them and you’re moving on don’t let the devil get in your way. God bless you my friend
Mistakes!? You learn by doing and you have learned a lot. Sunpits are fantastic; low to the ground, aesthetically pleasing to look at and not to mention functional. You've done a great job.
You can greatly decrease heat loss and condensation in cold weather by stapling 10-15 mil clear vinyl to the inside of rafters and wall studs. I got mine at a fabric shop in 54" width. I stapled it on every other rafter and used furring strips on edges. It has lasted 10 years in Anchorage, Alaska. Leave the ends long as it will contract in winter and pull on the top and bottom strips.
You have a great thing going there So, please be glad..... The tomatoes need to be in deeper pots for root development. Add some soil to the shallow grow trays. Remember, potting soil has no nutrients. It's just a growing medium. You're so brave to jump in with a grow house, it looks good, am envious. Keep up the good work.
Mouse and rat trap: 5 gallon janitor bucket. 1 dowel crossing over the top of the bucket, drill hole in the bucket to wire the dowel secure. 1 soda or other can with holes in each end to fit the dowel into it. Place the can in the center over the bucket, put peanut butter on the can. Fill the bucket 1/3 full of water. Add a wooden ramp to the top of the bucket. Mice or rats will try to get the peanut butter, but they will slip off the can and fall into the bucket to drown. This is a very affective trap.
Joe, you're killing it! Please give us another tour. Gardening is an art and you have done a great thing here. Having a stable environment is key to growth. Thank you for providing this content. Very impressed.
I have always learned more from my failures than I have ever learned from my successes. The key is to be able to turn it around and I am sure you will! Thanks for the video
I watched all the videos while you were building this greenhouse and appreciate the updates. I live in Tempe and would eventually like to put in a sunken greenhouse with modifications to mitigate the extreme heat in the summer. Your greenhouse has been my inspiration.
Frederick Littlefield yes, little steps towards hopefully future success. Should have a garden bed video coming up and you’ll see the plants from here replanted in those beds looking much better than in this video😀🤞
IANAG I read that planting garlic can dissuade varmints Also, fine grind black pepper soaked in vegetable oil and sprayed on the plants around can be dissuasive. I see there is actually black pepper oil and various chili oils that could be diluted with cheap oil like peanut oil or soy oil Diresta was live in the past couple weeks where he pointed out his videos show his FINAL attempt, not the 3 or 5 failed attempts. I've always liked this: "There is no win or lose. It's win or learn" Keep the good work, it's a great channel
I still think that this is an outstanding build. I can understand the need to re-engineer those points that critters can access. Being able to change and move forward is a whole lot better than giving up.i can understand growing veggies and herbs that don’t need a pollinator, radishes, lettuce, basil and such. Tomatoes are easy to tap pollinate so I see them as great options. Were your plans to grow through the whole cycle... seed to produce or seed to ready to put in a traditional garden? I see lots of folks switching to a modified hydroponic type system. Any thought of working that into the mix. Another great video and your kid has grown so much... thanks for sharing and the totally honest feedback!
Thom Lindgren thanks thom! My plan is to do both....seed to production in the greenhouse as well as seeds planted to be moved to the summer garden. Of course this year will amount to misty being a really good start on plants for the main summer garden. I might have a video on that in the next month or ao😀👍
Built a similar concept 40 years ago. Then an improved version 10yrs ago with very effective design modifications. Getting ready to build a 3rd, tweaking to produce and store hot water that will cycle through both my 1st floors subfloor heating tubes and the greenhouse at night. After which I'll upgrade the earlier models giving me 3 solar water heating units and sets of buried storage tanks. If I get this right, I'll enclose my 10 -- 3x120ft raised vegetable beds and install buried tubing to extend growing season at both ends there, too and adding a storage container on the ends maximizing, horizontal, vertical and below ground usage. Treehouse central walk will rest on 3.5in raised planking to allow a clean, cushioned walk that adds air circulation. The 2 ground level sides will be 2x4s on edge, top edge beveled and spaced to accommodate 3 standard 11x22in draining seed flats. Holes bored every 3in at sides to run through plastic tubing joined both ends into a manifold running to and from storage. Plus roof joists also predrilled to run more black tubing. The roof tubing stable for hanging but shut off nights while bottoms low heat flats and excess runs at 3ft deep to the home basement to supply my subfloor heating. Several other projects will also use tubing as hanging/trellesing supports while absorbing excess heat for more subterranean heat for the driveway, a patio, sidewalks and the home. Those to eliminate snow and ice.
We just bought 35 acres and starting our homestead from scratch and we really appreciate you sharing your learning experiences it definitely helps us as we have just built a 1200 sq ft greenhouse thanks for the info and keep the videos coming.
I started watching your channel because of the sunken greenhouse. You gardening will come up with time and experience. Thanks for sharing - I like to see how people do things, and the problems that arise. This will help me immensely with what I do.
Diana Blanke thank you! I’m a continual learner In most of my projects....because I end up making many of the same mistakes over again😂. But I suppose it just reinforces that knowledge better for that future😀👍
She was so little! 😭 They grow up so fast! Love the nighttime shot. I am fixin to watch that whole build again.... and dream of the day when we finally have a chance to build this. 🤔 Maybe if I start digging now, I will be done in 2 years when our house is finally finished. 😆 Seriously you did an amazing job!!!
To Deter Rats/mice (and make some Spicy oils for cooking as well) add a quarter cup of crushed red pepper flakes to a wine bottle then fill with your favorite cooking oil and let sit for a couple weeks. spread this on the bits the mice are moving and they will quickly give up.
No problem with your greenhouse Joe. Growing plants in there is a different skill level than outdoors. Don't give up, you just have to spend a little more time and effort in there. We have a similar sized greenhouse and still have difficulties after 20 years. I love your videos.
I enjoyed the entire "Sunken Greenhouse" series. I wouldn't say you've had failures, just early attempts at success! In my view the whole thing is a success.
thank you for the video up date,, dont feel bad even on coustom/ factory green houses you still have to tweak them to your wants and needs, that is one great idea you have, dont give up on it ,, be strong, be safe, and be blessed,,,
At least you are learning what doesn't work or can be improved. I call everything I do at my place an experiment. I make plans and know that I will need to do about 4 improved versions. As it stands my combo Ruth Stout beds and Back to Eden beds seem to be more on the side of failure. My hugelkulture raised beds are great. But my other beds will be started next year with woven weed fabric. My straw mulch seems to have to many weeds in the beds. Thanks for sharing your experience!
You are an inspiration to those who have yet to be eagerly in your shoes! There are no failures - no mistakes - only a better way. Thank you for your honesty. You are doing great - keep going🌿
Joe, I think you built the Most Excellent Greenhouse 👍 Now you are learning to garden. Give yourself a few years learning curve. I'm 65 and still learning 👌
Thx for taking the hit by experimenting. I used to be a mechanical designer for an engineering firm so I knoew a bit more about heat retention. My own sunken greenhouse is running quite welll and I have taken a few clues from your build. If you are ever coming to N Utah, hit me up and I will show you my own.
Try getting a few 55 gallon food grade drums. They sell for $5 cheap here in Ohio. Fill that sucker at least half way with good dirt. Then I add leaf compost which is incredibly soft and nutrient. Then I add some more dirt with some sand mixed in! Then I plant my sprouting potatoes around that dirt which is still a foot below the top of the barrel. As the plant grows, I add more dirt around the sides of it. The plant will grow and grow until it is time to harvest. Then, just get a pal if you need one and knock over the barrel and pick up all those potatoes. I plant one barrel of those baby reds that are mouth watering. I plant a barrel of the regular potatoes for fried and mashed potatoes. So for very little money you will have a ton of potatoes that last a long time. I have cut up and froze my own french fries and cottage fries. I've boiled cut up potatoes and put them in a seal a meal bag and later in the winter pulled it out and had fresh mashed potatoes that were basically free! I use 5 gallon food grade buckets too. I put a stick in the middle and I plant a big boy tomato on each side. They grow and I just tie them up. I plant two pepper plants in each one. Red, yellow and orange. Great to eat plain on a tray or in stir fry or salads. People can not only use containers but save money. You can check the water on them every few days. Most plant in the ground and the go out and let that garden hose run and run and run to wet down an entire garden area. What a waste of money. Granted farmers can't use pots but the average home owner can still plant PLENTY in barrels and buckets. I have 4 drums and 30 buckets. Many restaurants will set them outside for free. Now more than ever people should be going out and planting for later this summer. Oh! Try putting cantelope plants in a 5 gallon bucket. They use up a lot of water which again, you can check daily if you want. Those cantelopes come out huge and mouth watering. The plant hangs down the side of the bucket and you can space the vines out . I put straw under mine so they don't rot on the ground. Seeing your greenhouse has inspired me to have built (I can't do it anymore, copd.) at least a 20x20 greenhouse where I can do great things with plants.
Learning together. I barely ever held a saw before I made raised beds with closing lids etc. (mini-greenhouses basicly), first one kinda exploded everywhere, next collapsed due to wind, the 3rd held up and the 4th is solid enough to hit with a bat without a scratch. Not saying you should make four of those sunken houses though
I can understand your disappointments and your frustrations but all the negative issues you mentioned can be resolved. The foam strips can be replaced with wooden ones and only those around the perimeter would need changing. I remain impressed with the design of the greenhouse. It may take a couple of years to get all the kinks worked out, but don't give up, you will get there.
I do not see anything as failures but as learning experiences. The plants look good but maybe compost, fertilizer and worm castings will help. I'm still learning about growing here in AZ and I've learned a lot over the past two years we've lived here. I fertilize with fish emulsion once a month, slow release fertilizer once every three months and spread compost, worm castings, bone and blood meal once every six months. Thank you for sharing, stay healthy, be well and keep learning/teaching us. 👍🏽👊🏽😷
I love the fact that everybody's like I have it all figured out but never even tried! Never took the time the money the resources to post a video! Great work!
Hi, you are being too hard on yourself. Your greenhouse looks so well built. You have good ideas and you actually go out and build your ideas. I wish I had your skills and strength. Things happen and you just adjust and change. Now, I can’t wait to see your new projects.
I would never call anything you’ve made a “mistake”, learning opportunity or needed adjustments maybe... but you’ve thought each step out before or as you completed it, so not a “mistake” 😁. It’s a beautiful greenhouse that I am quite envious of. And not a small project! Be very proud of it, it’s a joe/Homesteadonomics original! 👏👏👏
Hey Joe. In my climate (Michigan) overwatering leads to root rot, mold mildew and unhealthy bacteria. Test the ph of your soil too and adjust. Always great to see you brother. I don't think your greenhouse is a failure at all. It's called life and experience school.
glad you're growing all those greens! I had no idea there was an actual rat called a pack rat. I just thought that was a person who never gets rid of anything! 😁
Thank you! Thank you for sharing your successes, challenges, and all that you've learned through this process! I am in the midst of returning to my small town, rural roots and your channel gives me tons of inspiration and guidance. Fall down 8 times, get up 9. Keep it up!
Not so bad after all, I was worried it was a total fail, but glad it’s turned out well with a couple of tweaks. Looks great, thank you for the update. I’d love to try this at home in U.K. Many small ready made greenhouses here are so low in height, you have to add a high concrete block or wood base to stand up in them. Now we’re moving to a house on a hill, I don’t have to worry about flooding.
The structure and over all build of the sucken greenhouse is amazing. You understand what the actually problems are. Keep moving forward! I love seeing an update video of yours in my UA-cam feed. LOVE all your water storage videos too! Thanks!
Thank you for sharing that too. It is important to cultivate error/failure resilience, and that is something that you are modelling here very well. I always enjoy your videos.
As much as anything, gardening is about learning and getting better year to year. You'll figure it out and eventually have success. And if it isn't possible to do it in a sunken greenhouse in Southern AZ, you'll figure that out too. I'm 67 and a native Texan and still learning how to deal with the heat here. Looks to me like you just need to make the appropriate final tweaks.
Your project is going well. There are always set-backs, ways to improve or modify and other things which allow you to continue to refine your greenhouse. No one can anticipate or plan for every single contingency when it is a first time project. Keep the faith and continue to improve and adjust your greenhouse to fit your family and how you utilize the build. Thanks for the complete picture of good and bad.
I love how your beautiful garden. We have rats and some got into our garage and they made big mess! The rats seem to like plastic. I bought extra soil for container gardening and the nasty rats started digging into the bags. We set traps in the attic and we caught a few of the critters. Maybe we could do the bucket with water and peanut butter and catch some more of the rats before they get into your new planters?
MAE HAY thank you Mae! These plants are now planted in the garden so you’ll be seeing them again, and hopefully much bigger in a fire garden bed video😀👍
Good job... Every set back is a learning experience. I have a green house in the high desert... Negatives, are when it gets hot the tomatoes were not producing. Solution: Mastercool system. Too cold? Fresh manure covered in straw creates heat. Rats were getting in. Solution? Avian wire, havahart trap #1025 and 2 pet rattlesnakes. (handled rattlesnakes since 1966) No more rats. Plants were not growing well problem? Gypsum, rock phosphate, crab and lobster powder, worm castings, dried goat and horse manure and powdered kelp... Now everything grows like magic. I only grow in 5 gallon planters. They offer room for the roots. Then I have outdoor raised gardens covered with glass.... another story. Soil levels always drop. I ADD MORE with more nutrients... I am building (digging) a subterranean green house (solo no tractor) currently on another part of my property. Planning to go down maybe 6 feet then 20x20 ft. Adove soil. By hand... I am 69 years old, retired. I have the time. I been gardening since the 1960's. It is very rewarding! Keep up the great work!
For the pack rats and mice, we use half flour and bicarbonate soda in a cool whip bowl with a hole cut in the side of it large enough to allow them to enter, the lid keeps any rain from entering. mix the flour and baking soda really well. It works because the rodents like the taste of the flour but when they eat it they also get baking soda. when it hits their stomach it produces gas that they can't pass, kills them in just a few minutes. I had a rodent problem in my workshop the pest control people couldn't stop, I tried this and it worked in just three days.
Hello, I just saw your sunken greenhouse tour. I have been interested in this type of greenhouse after visiting China in 2018. We went into a greenhouse in northern China in January. The weather was usually clear day and night but they could get some snow. The temperature was about -10 f. At night and the concept was similar to your idea. They were built with a wall of earth on the North side of the entire greenhouse. The sun side or South side was a plastic, sun capturing side. They grew only lettuce in this greenhouse. At night they had a automatic blanket that would cover all of the plastic to prevent heat loss. I’m not sure of the name of the greenhouse. Best of luck to building one of these. Terry
Nicely done! I too live in the high desert (5600 ft) and the sunken greenhouse is the way to go. 50 degree or more temperature swings that day are not uncommon around here. I am going with the double wall solexx plan over the single wall. Your vids have helped push me abit with my project that I have spent two yrs on. chuckle...(We had started out with a 30'x100' hoop house with full intentions of making it into a fully automated sunken greenhouse). We are still working on that. Now that I have a backhoe available, the sunken part is now doable. No hand digging for me! sheesh I would want the project done before my gray hair turns to silver or non existent. Thanks again for the motivation and congrats on your greenhouse.
You've given me an idea. I've been using fabric pots of various sizes and just today ordered a bunch or plastic saucers. the summer heat is drying out my plants and I want to hold water or at least moisture at the bottom. I already have cement mixing troughs and will use those instead. Maybe your issue is/was the opposite. You have the cement troughs. You can make fabric pots that can sit in the trough to hold moisture but with more height by adding to the framing you made or using pvc. Peter Kennedy is right. these are growers pains.
Dennis Chroninger oh that’s actually would be super cool! But that would have to be a project that I kept off video...haha...unless I was doing it for someone else😉
If you do not already have it, the University of Arizona publishes an online Vegetable Planting Calendar (pdf). You may miss the ideal planting time for one veggie, but there is stuff to plant all year round in the Sonoran Desert. I also used to plant in those mixing tubs but had lots of issues. Small size, limited fruit, early bolting etc. I've had much better results mixing compost into the natural desert soil.
Lack of space: Bush Tomatoes! Cruise them catalogs looking for dwarf everything, there's a trend in the catalogs toward gardening in pots on patios with limited space. Make that a criteria, you've done a great job, keep plodding forward, 1 step, then 2 steps back, then 2 steps forward.
I have read that using peppermint oil, cayenne pepper, or pepper cloves around the garden will make them ant to leave the area. Also you could sprinkle crushed peppers around the area.
Te agradezco y valoro tu trabajo. Por supuesto el proceso es más importante que el resultado. Permite ver los errores, los aciertos y disfrutar el camino. Gracias por tu aporte. ¡Salud desde Paraguay!
Nothing wrong with making mistakes. In fact you can't learn without making mistakes. People that dont make mistakes haven't done anything. Botany is a complex subject. Eventually your plants will thrive. So yeah don't worry too much. Your greenhouse looks amazing. That warm golden glow in the evening sun looks marvellous.
As far as a rodent problem, trapping only delays the enviable. You get rid of the ones nearby now, only to have more to move in to replace them. Stop them by using steel wool well mixed with silicone caulking. Apply in those foam areas and other holes. Rodents do not like to chew on pointy sharp steel.
Those pack rats are eating good. I'm sorry to hear that. I love, love the new metal columns. Also, it may be the placement of the squash; the reason one took off and the other didn't. Thank you.
Joe - those aren't failures, they are something every gardener encounters. Great job and everyone learns from your project. You are moving in the right direction.
If he didn't bother to bury 6 in air pipe zigzag through the lawn 9ft down. Then yes it is a failure.
Considering that they're capable of growing citrus in alliance Nebraska.
Look up greenhouse in the snow.
And Alliance NE gets down to-20 degrees during the winter.
With the air pipe design you don't even need heaters whatsoever.
You just need some fans to blow the air through the pipes.
So if he was going to go this far to build it. He should have done it right.
@@otrogreandcorgi9818 - Try digging 9 feet down once. Let me know how much fun you have.
@Pete yeah excavators are fun to use.
Also you shouldn't get so offended when someone points out something is far superior.but then again you're probably just some chick on the internet.
If I ever get to a point in life where this would be considered a failure, I would be an amazing craftsman. You've got some serious skill, man, don't talk yourself down!
Thanks for sharing the whole journey!
Expanding foam with steel wool stopped our critters from coming in.
UpCycle Engineer I definitely think that’s the way I’m gonna have to go😀👍🙏🙏
That's smart
Dude yes.
Awesome tidbit
Oooh, I love that stuff. No pun intended.
I don't see failure, I see work in progress and a learning process. Which is the fun part of doing anything.
Your standards are exceptional.
Far beyond most. One of the finest greenhouses out there.
Not a failure in my opinion.
Hexafoose thank you hexafoose! 😀🙏
...you did build a fine greenhouse ...
Not really. If he was building it correctly he would have done buried Air pipe technology.
Look up greenhouse in the snow. They're growing citrus in Alliance Nebraska.
Just running some fans to push air through 6 in air pipe that's buried zigzagged 9ft down in the lawn.
I'll admit the greenhouse looks cute. But function is superior to fashion any day of the week when it comes to off-grid living.
And in reality he could have built the exact same greenhouse. And just buried the pipes.
@@otrogreandcorgi9818 Maybe you would like to post a video of your greenhouse with air pipe technology? You might try planting a humility plant in your greenhouse.
@@Guttersmart Or you could just look up Greenhouse In The Snow.. And see the guy who actually came up with the technology.🤨
The old guy is growing citrus and areas to get down to -20 during the winter. The just simple fans running are through pipes.🤔
But nice try at trying to be edgy. 🙄
Remember: If you fail about 100 more times you will be an expert. Thank you for sharing!
NOTE: You are saving me a ton of time by learning through your experience :-)
Tim Favreau thank you Tim! I agree....and I’m well on my way to becoming expert in several things...haha....lots of mistakes. Thanks for watching! 😀👍
I was surprised that he didn't do the buried airpipe geothermal technology.
I mean if you're going to go to that much trouble to dig the hole and build a greenhouse. You should do it right.
Your honesty and transparency is worth more than any other playlist or how to video on UA-cam. Thanks for allowing us to use your failures and issues for ourselves to avoid. Been planning one of these for a long time and your videos have helped me immensely!
Holy crap! You dug this with a shovel? Your a bad dude!
I honestly think you have one of the best channels on UA-cam. You have a wide variety of subjects, you are honest and forthright. If you made a mistake you do not blame it on something else. We learn from our mistakes, that is natural. Where would we all be if our predecessors did not learn from their mistakes. The only person that does not make mistakes is the person who is not doing anything. I would love to have even a bermed greenhouse, we are at about 5,500' and 42 degrees Latitude so our last frost probably has not occurred yet. Thank you for your service, 1st responders keep us safe and healthy.
some of the most perplexing and frustrating people that I have ever met are those who refuse to admit ever making any mistake and doom themselves to repeating them over and over. Sadly it is difficult to be of help and people just give up.
Alan E thank you Alan! Those are some kind words and I greatly appreciate it! Thank you for watching these projects I work on. It’s always fun...even with the struggles that are presented too😀👍🙏
@homesteadonomics hey I really like what you have created, diging this out with a shovel must've been something crazy. The only thing I hate about this is this plastic tub idea, try to look at your beds and see how much wasted space is there which could've been included in the bed capacity. Just frame deep wooden bed, biggest size you can and fill it all with soil, your soil will have good drainage, will be able to breathe better, your abilities will be grater and results way way better. Great job, I love it!
I start trapping in my greenhouse 1 month prior to putting any plants in there. Anything I am seeding in the greenhouse gets covered with hardware cloth to discourage rodents from digging up the seeds.Pest control is a year-round task in a greenhouse. They find a way in.
Cucumbers and tomatoes are heavy feeders requiring large soil volumes, plenty of water, and regular fertilization. Your tub system might work for lettuce. If you are growing transplants for your outdoor gardens, individual pots for each plant allows you to keep roots undisturbed at transplant, plant out each plant as it is ready, and is standard practice proven to work rather than trying to invent something new with a limited knowledge base. You're learning a lot the hard way. Reading up on growing transplants for your garden will get you learning through both successes and the inevitable crop failures. You can build experience and become a really good grower over time!
You're going to need more airflow in there. But I've commented that before. Good luck with your fall crops!
Pat Black yes I agree trapping early will be a must. And airflow I agree also😀👍
Try some sweet feed in a 5 gallon bucket
Damn i was watching this years ago and youtube finally recommended it to me again...what a difference
Just when I thought I had a brilliant idea UA-cam recommends a sunken greenhouse
We cant't even plant outside until the middle of May! Love to have a greenhouse like that.
KAL B. Thanks for checking it out😀👍
Joe, this is actually my favorite of all your projects! Keeping working of it I want an onsite tour the next time we're in AZ. Beaver
John Stewart thanks Uncle Beaver! Of course! And we are also redoing the entire garden so hopefully that’ll look much better than when you came down the first time😀👍
After watching this and Handeeman's video today taking apart the ICF to redo the windows, I'm feeling better about some of the mistakes I've made around my place. I love your videos! Thanks for sharing!
same here. I subscribe to both channels and consider these two to be some of the smartest on UA-cam (mistakes and all).
RedHotFiat thanks for checking it out! Mistakes are all part of the process😀👍
T455 thank you!
It's always nice to see videos about the mistakes and how they are going to fix it or make it better. Everybody makes mistakes so it's not a bad thing, it's just nice to learn from them. :)
The only mistake you could have made , was not building your sunken greenhouse, you've built it, (and it's massive job) seen where you can improve things , an improved them , and I'm pretty sure 10 yrs down the road you will still be improving an learning , you're a very inspiring guy
Always look forward to your vids
I feel like this is definitely a win. I like that the concept is an overall success. There were some planting setbacks, but things are looking good.
Good call too on the pests. That's something to think about.
Green Dream Project oh man I can’t tell you the words I said each time I came in and saw beans or pepper chewed off😂
Thanks for being honest about the progress from the start. I built a small Geothermal Green house in Wyoming, and have gone through several like challenges but the learning's have helped it become the model for the next large scale one we build. One thhing I might suggest is to put in a water tank that you can add soluble fertilizer to. you can then add nitrogen in early development and then swap to the flowering mode. Alternatively deep well drained soil with the addition of light chicken manure works well but the nitrogen is high. (more plant than fruit) If you place steel wool in the closure holes then spray foam (anti rodent stuff) you can rid it of them.
Your redemptive attitude is on the mark. You are continually learning and becoming a better gardener.
P.H. Magee thanks for checking it out! Always trying to improve😀👍
The greenhouse looks great brother! Trial and error is the story of life. Keep up the innovation, conversation and determination!
You being impressed by aesthetics just shows you don't actually know the technology. You seem like a common born.
Yup....I'm living the trial & error life too. I spilled something on the manual, and I'm missing the instructions for life when it comes to just how many errors I'm supposed to be making.
You are being too hard on yourself. Your sunken greenhouse is so much better than the greenhouses others never got around to building, such as me. I would love to have a greenhouse, like yours. All-in-all you did a great job!
Greenhouse seems to be working well. Just a learning curve with gardening. Doing good.
I had an aquaponics system using the same plastic cement basins. They seemed like a good idea at the time. I ended up with carrots shaped like turnips. Farming is not easy on any scale. Keep at it. I am.
Steel wool and spray foam for gaps. My first house was a rental and had a horrible mice problem. I kept sealing rooms and doors till i got them out. + traps, cornmeal concrete....
Joe Schmoe I think the foam and steel wool is definitely the way to go😀👍
Nice video, thanks for sharing the mistakes. I am planning to build a green house based on the same concept. Mine would be on the side of a south facing slope. Now I know what to look out for. I am looking forward to the next video.
Desert Owl Forge yes, a sloped hill would be better than digging down like this one. Less digging and no potential for drainage problems. Of course would don’t have those here😂
@@homesteadonomics , I can't even dig where I am at. We have like 2" of top soil then solid bedrock. If I remember correctly, you had some tough times digging it out. What was that, decomposing granit?
You've done well. Every job we do for the first time will always give us opportunity to improve. We're wired that way. I really like your sunken greenhouse!
Sand Hollow Homestead thank you!
km
I think sometimes we’re our own worst critic, your talent and work ethic are levels above some of the other hacks I follow. You did great!
I don't know if this helps you but mice won't chew through steel wool. I worked at an inner city school and learned that this is a well known thing in the project housing. It's worked well for me over the years.
I am glad you made this video! Mistakes are part of life! Please don't not make videos because of them! Oh and procrastination is part of life too! Anyways.. Thanks!
S White I’m a professional procrastinator😂. Thanks for watching😀🙏👍
We all learn by doing Joe.
This concept is great and I imagine there are a lot of people...including myself...that benefit a lot from your videos.
Gregory Thomas thank you Gregory! And sorry for the super slow reply! 😀👍
The best results in my regular greenhouse are plants in containers at least a foot deep. I use 5 gallon buckets with holes , some bigger recycled containers and some horse troughs with holes. The pepper plants 12" deep and basil plants 6" x5.5". Your underground grnhs looks great! Keep at it, your almost there. I have to redo some raised beds, vertical posts don't do well in snow, they drew moisture in and rotted. My horizontal 4 board rectangles attached at ends of wood lasted 17 years.
You might use steel wool stuffed in the holes where the critters are getting in. It cuts there mouth and they will go else where.
lauren22megan23 I agree, and it would be easily moldable to the corrugations. Thanks for checking it out😀👍
great idea of course one would want coarse stainless steel but that listed for rodents is way over priced. Stuffing a hole around our dishwasher solved them chewing up the dis charge after three times.
...geo out side the greenhouse some peppermint...it spreads fast...any peppermint will help keep rodents away ... leant that from farmers who put it in the cabs of tractors so mice don’t set up house keeping ...and it works well for them ...
I 2nd (3rd or 4th...) this plan. We've had similar problems. If you have them, Ace Hardware sells double-ought steel wool, which fills gaps better for all size pests, that's very inexpensive.
Bronze wool will not rust as readily. You can get bronze mesh on Amazon for rodent control.
I AM going to make a 40x16 sunken G H here in texas due to the high winds we get in the panhandle, I was dubious of the temp reg arms on the venting, Im so glad to hear that they are working as planned, my design will probably incorporate a water wall supplyed with rain harvesting into blk 55gal tanks on the north wall,,THANX so much for sharing your failures, knowledge is power,, you have empowered us ALL !
The yellowing could be down to lack of nutrients. You have an awful lot of plants in 1 small container, they'll take up what's nutrients are there very quickly.
I'd suggest that you only have 1 squash plant in one of them boxes. Possibly have the larger tomato plant on the floor rather than the side. It's got a long way to grow yet. You could look into tumbling variety tomatoes. Hang them in baskets from the ceiling to keep the pest free.
S Haswell yes, I think you’re right. I plan to do a thin little bed at the base of that north retaining wall too. I think that would be a great area to grow some of the things that need to expand upwards😀👍
The square foot garden book is a good recourse
I don't think it's number of plants but the onions. Onions are heavy feeders and I don't think some of the other plants grow well with them.
Yep squash need at least 6” more room for roots depending on the squash you could fit up to 3 you probably made the mistake with calcium like I did reverse partially with 1/2 cup milk per gallon I think it was .What’s the thought on when your plants get 5-16 ft tall?
Please stop beating yourself up you’ve done a beautiful job you figure out what the problems were fixed them and you’re moving on don’t let the devil get in your way. God bless you my friend
Mistakes!? You learn by doing and you have learned a lot. Sunpits are fantastic; low to the ground, aesthetically pleasing to look at and not to mention functional. You've done a great job.
Learning is painful sometimes but when we figure it out, wow! we feel like we are super!! 🙃 I have been enjoying your videos, learning...so thank you!
D E thank you for following along!
You can greatly decrease heat loss and condensation in cold weather by stapling 10-15 mil clear vinyl to the inside of rafters and wall studs. I got mine at a fabric shop in 54" width. I stapled it on every other rafter and used furring strips on edges. It has lasted 10 years in Anchorage, Alaska. Leave the ends long as it will contract in winter and pull on the top and bottom strips.
You have a great thing going there So, please be glad..... The tomatoes need to be in deeper pots for root development. Add some soil to the shallow grow trays. Remember, potting soil has no nutrients. It's just a growing medium. You're so brave to jump in with a grow house, it looks good, am envious. Keep up the good work.
Teresa Smith thank you!
Mouse and rat trap: 5 gallon janitor bucket. 1 dowel crossing over the top of the bucket, drill hole in the bucket to wire the dowel secure. 1 soda or other can with holes in each end to fit the dowel into it. Place the can in the center over the bucket, put peanut butter on the can. Fill the bucket 1/3 full of water. Add a wooden ramp to the top of the bucket. Mice or rats will try to get the peanut butter, but they will slip off the can and fall into the bucket to drown. This is a very affective trap.
Joe, you're killing it! Please give us another tour. Gardening is an art and you have done a great thing here. Having a stable environment is key to growth. Thank you for providing this content. Very impressed.
I have always learned more from my failures than I have ever learned from my successes. The key is to be able to turn it around and I am sure you will! Thanks for the video
Charles Zimmermann thanks for checking it out!
I watched all the videos while you were building this greenhouse and appreciate the updates. I live in Tempe and would eventually like to put in a sunken greenhouse with modifications to mitigate the extreme heat in the summer. Your greenhouse has been my inspiration.
I'd like to say thank you for showing us such great content,from the chicken coop to knife build,everything is just awesome, 👍
Iron Age thank you so much!
Glad to know that I am not the only one struggling in the garden. It looks like you are making progress there. Keep it up.
Frederick Littlefield yes, little steps towards hopefully future success. Should have a garden bed video coming up and you’ll see the plants from here replanted in those beds looking much better than in this video😀🤞
IANAG
I read that planting garlic can dissuade varmints
Also, fine grind black pepper soaked in vegetable oil and sprayed on the plants around can be dissuasive.
I see there is actually black pepper oil and various chili oils that could be diluted with cheap oil like peanut oil or soy oil
Diresta was live in the past couple weeks where he pointed out his videos show his FINAL attempt, not the 3 or 5 failed attempts.
I've always liked this: "There is no win or lose. It's win or learn"
Keep the good work, it's a great channel
Len Conrad thank you so much! Yes, jimmy is right about that! Except his 3rd or 5th attempt is like my 10th😂👍
I still think that this is an outstanding build. I can understand the need to re-engineer those points that critters can access. Being able to change and move forward is a whole lot better than giving up.i can understand growing veggies and herbs that don’t need a pollinator, radishes, lettuce, basil and such. Tomatoes are easy to tap pollinate so I see them as great options. Were your plans to grow through the whole cycle... seed to produce or seed to ready to put in a traditional garden? I see lots of folks switching to a modified hydroponic type system. Any thought of working that into the mix. Another great video and your kid has grown so much... thanks for sharing and the totally honest feedback!
Thom Lindgren thanks thom! My plan is to do both....seed to production in the greenhouse as well as seeds planted to be moved to the summer garden. Of course this year will amount to misty being a really good start on plants for the main summer garden. I might have a video on that in the next month or ao😀👍
Built a similar concept 40 years ago. Then an improved version 10yrs ago with very effective design modifications. Getting ready to build a 3rd, tweaking to produce and store hot water that will cycle through both my 1st floors subfloor heating tubes and the greenhouse at night. After which I'll upgrade the earlier models giving me 3 solar water heating units and sets of buried storage tanks. If I get this right, I'll enclose my 10 -- 3x120ft raised vegetable beds and install buried tubing to extend growing season at both ends there, too and adding a storage container on the ends maximizing, horizontal, vertical and below ground usage.
Treehouse central walk will rest on 3.5in raised planking to allow a clean, cushioned walk that adds air circulation. The 2 ground level sides will be 2x4s on edge, top edge beveled and spaced to accommodate 3 standard 11x22in draining seed flats. Holes bored every 3in at sides to run through plastic tubing joined both ends into a manifold running to and from storage. Plus roof joists also predrilled to run more black tubing. The roof tubing stable for hanging but shut off nights while bottoms low heat flats and excess runs at 3ft deep to the home basement to supply my subfloor heating. Several other projects will also use tubing as hanging/trellesing supports while absorbing excess heat for more subterranean heat for the driveway, a patio, sidewalks and the home. Those to eliminate snow and ice.
We just bought 35 acres and starting our homestead from scratch and we really appreciate you sharing your learning experiences it definitely helps us as we have just built a 1200 sq ft greenhouse thanks for the info and keep the videos coming.
I started watching your channel because of the sunken greenhouse. You gardening will come up with time and experience. Thanks for sharing - I like to see how people do things, and the problems that arise. This will help me immensely with what I do.
You live and you learn. I think it is great!
Diana Blanke thank you! I’m a continual learner In most of my projects....because I end up making many of the same mistakes over again😂. But I suppose it just reinforces that knowledge better for that future😀👍
@@homesteadonomics creative people make mistakes, sometimes serendipity occurs and you stumble upon something you can actually patent.
She was so little! 😭 They grow up so fast! Love the nighttime shot. I am fixin to watch that whole build again.... and dream of the day when we finally have a chance to build this. 🤔 Maybe if I start digging now, I will be done in 2 years when our house is finally finished. 😆 Seriously you did an amazing job!!!
To Deter Rats/mice (and make some Spicy oils for cooking as well) add a quarter cup of crushed red pepper flakes to a wine bottle then fill with your favorite cooking oil and let sit for a couple weeks. spread this on the bits the mice are moving and they will quickly give up.
No problem with your greenhouse Joe. Growing plants in there is a different skill level than outdoors. Don't give up, you just have to spend a little more time and effort in there. We have a similar sized greenhouse and still have difficulties after 20 years. I love your videos.
A t-shirt when it's in the teens outside? I'd say this was a smashing success!
I Loved it, It will b great to plant cachucha pepper....u r amazing.,b safe, God bless you n your family too......
I enjoyed the entire "Sunken Greenhouse" series. I wouldn't say you've had failures, just early attempts at success! In my view the whole thing is a success.
thank you for the video up date,, dont feel bad even on coustom/ factory green houses you still have to tweak them to your wants and needs, that is one great idea you have, dont give up on it ,, be strong, be safe, and be blessed,,,
At least you are learning what doesn't work or can be improved. I call everything I do at my place an experiment. I make plans and know that I will need to do about 4 improved versions. As it stands my combo Ruth Stout beds and Back to Eden beds seem to be more on the side of failure. My hugelkulture raised beds are great. But my other beds will be started next year with woven weed fabric. My straw mulch seems to have to many weeds in the beds.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
You are an inspiration to those who have yet to be eagerly in your shoes! There are no failures - no mistakes - only a better way. Thank you for your honesty. You are doing great - keep going🌿
Joe, I think you built the Most Excellent Greenhouse 👍
Now you are learning to garden. Give yourself a few years learning curve. I'm 65 and still learning 👌
Thx for taking the hit by experimenting. I used to be a mechanical designer for an engineering firm so I knoew a bit more about heat retention. My own sunken greenhouse is running quite welll and I have taken a few clues from your build. If you are ever coming to N Utah, hit me up and I will show you my own.
Try getting a few 55 gallon food grade drums. They sell for $5 cheap here in Ohio. Fill that sucker at least half way with good dirt. Then I add leaf compost which is incredibly soft and nutrient. Then I add some more dirt with some sand mixed in! Then I plant my sprouting potatoes around that dirt which is still a foot below the top of the barrel. As the plant grows, I add more dirt around the sides of it. The plant will grow and grow until it is time to harvest. Then, just get a pal if you need one and knock over the barrel and pick up all those potatoes. I plant one barrel of those baby reds that are mouth watering. I plant a barrel of the regular potatoes for fried and mashed potatoes. So for very little money you will have a ton of potatoes that last a long time. I have cut up and froze my own french fries and cottage fries. I've boiled cut up potatoes and put them in a seal a meal bag and later in the winter pulled it out and had fresh mashed potatoes that were basically free!
I use 5 gallon food grade buckets too. I put a stick in the middle and I plant a big boy tomato on each side. They grow and I just tie them up. I plant two pepper plants in each one. Red, yellow and orange. Great to eat plain on a tray or in stir fry or salads. People can not only use containers but save money. You can check the water on them every few days. Most plant in the ground and the go out and let that garden hose run and run and run to wet down an entire garden area. What a waste of money. Granted farmers can't use pots but the average home owner can still plant PLENTY in barrels and buckets. I have 4 drums and 30 buckets. Many restaurants will set them outside for free.
Now more than ever people should be going out and planting for later this summer. Oh! Try putting cantelope plants in a 5 gallon bucket. They use up a lot of water which again, you can check daily if you want. Those cantelopes come out huge and mouth watering. The plant hangs down the side of the bucket and you can space the vines out . I put straw under mine so they don't rot on the ground.
Seeing your greenhouse has inspired me to have built (I can't do it anymore, copd.) at least a 20x20 greenhouse where I can do great things with plants.
Learning together. I barely ever held a saw before I made raised beds with closing lids etc. (mini-greenhouses basicly), first one kinda exploded everywhere, next collapsed due to wind, the 3rd held up and the 4th is solid enough to hit with a bat without a scratch.
Not saying you should make four of those sunken houses though
Anders Hansen well that is good progression and it sounds like you got it right in the end😀👍
I can understand your disappointments and your frustrations but all the negative issues you mentioned can be resolved. The foam strips can be replaced with wooden ones and only those around the perimeter would need changing. I remain impressed with the design of the greenhouse. It may take a couple of years to get all the kinks worked out, but don't give up, you will get there.
Epsom salts - one table spoon, Baking Soda - one tea spoon, Ammonia - 1/2 table spoon, all per one Gallon of water. feed plants once every week.
I do not see anything as failures but as learning experiences. The plants look good but maybe compost, fertilizer and worm castings will help. I'm still learning about growing here in AZ and I've learned a lot over the past two years we've lived here. I fertilize with fish emulsion once a month, slow release fertilizer once every three months and spread compost, worm castings, bone and blood meal once every six months. Thank you for sharing, stay healthy, be well and keep learning/teaching us. 👍🏽👊🏽😷
I love the fact that everybody's like I have it all figured out but never even tried! Never took the time the money the resources to post a video! Great work!
Hi, you are being too hard on yourself. Your greenhouse looks so well built. You have good ideas and you actually go out and build your ideas. I wish I had your skills and strength. Things happen and you just adjust and change. Now, I can’t wait to see your new projects.
I would never call anything you’ve made a “mistake”, learning opportunity or needed adjustments maybe... but you’ve thought each step out before or as you completed it, so not a “mistake” 😁. It’s a beautiful greenhouse that I am quite envious of. And not a small project! Be very proud of it, it’s a joe/Homesteadonomics original! 👏👏👏
Big Sky at Night thank you Steff! It’s been a process...lotta work but enjoyable as well. And there’s still a lot of good things to come! 😀👍
Hey Joe. In my climate (Michigan) overwatering leads to root rot, mold mildew and unhealthy bacteria. Test the ph of your soil too and adjust. Always great to see you brother. I don't think your greenhouse is a failure at all. It's called life and experience school.
Bull Dozer thank you! Yes, lots of learning and experiences in my projects for sure! 😀👍
glad you're growing all those greens! I had no idea there was an actual rat called a pack rat. I just thought that was a person who never gets rid of anything! 😁
Thank you! Thank you for sharing your successes, challenges, and all that you've learned through this process! I am in the midst of returning to my small town, rural roots and your channel gives me tons of inspiration and guidance. Fall down 8 times, get up 9. Keep it up!
Not so bad after all, I was worried it was a total fail, but glad it’s turned out well with a couple of tweaks. Looks great, thank you for the update. I’d love to try this at home in U.K. Many small ready made greenhouses here are so low in height, you have to add a high concrete block or wood base to stand up in them. Now we’re moving to a house on a hill, I don’t have to worry about flooding.
The structure and over all build of the sucken greenhouse is amazing. You understand what the actually problems are. Keep moving forward! I love seeing an update video of yours in my UA-cam feed. LOVE all your water storage videos too! Thanks!
Thank you for sharing that too. It is important to cultivate error/failure resilience, and that is something that you are modelling here very well. I always enjoy your videos.
As much as anything, gardening is about learning and getting better year to year. You'll figure it out and eventually have success. And if it isn't possible to do it in a sunken greenhouse in Southern AZ, you'll figure that out too. I'm 67 and a native Texan and still learning how to deal with the heat here. Looks to me like you just need to make the appropriate final tweaks.
It's been a very enjoyable project to watch progress! Keep up the good work and stay safe. Respect from Ireland
Patrick O'Donoghue thank you Patrick! And great to hear from Ireland! 😀👍
In the unused spaces like the corners, u could put gallon jugs of water. The jugs will absorb heat by day and release it at night .
Your project is going well. There are always set-backs, ways to improve or modify and other things which allow you to continue to refine your greenhouse. No one can anticipate or plan for every single contingency when it is a first time project. Keep the faith and continue to improve and adjust your greenhouse to fit your family and how you utilize the build. Thanks for the complete picture of good and bad.
I love how your beautiful garden. We have rats and some got into our garage and they made big mess! The rats seem to like plastic. I bought extra soil for container gardening and the nasty rats started digging into the bags. We set traps in the attic and we caught a few of the critters. Maybe we could do the bucket with water and peanut butter and catch some more of the rats before they get into your new planters?
The rolling log with peanut butter worked for mr
MAE HAY thank you Mae! These plants are now planted in the garden so you’ll be seeing them again, and hopefully much bigger in a fire garden bed video😀👍
Good job... Every set back is a learning experience. I have a green house in the high desert... Negatives, are when it gets hot the tomatoes were not producing. Solution: Mastercool system. Too cold? Fresh manure covered in straw creates heat. Rats were getting in. Solution? Avian wire, havahart trap #1025 and 2 pet rattlesnakes. (handled rattlesnakes since 1966) No more rats. Plants were not growing well problem? Gypsum, rock phosphate, crab and lobster powder, worm castings, dried goat and horse manure and powdered kelp... Now everything grows like magic. I only grow in 5 gallon planters. They offer room for the roots. Then I have outdoor raised gardens covered with glass.... another story. Soil levels always drop. I ADD MORE with more nutrients... I am building (digging) a subterranean green house (solo no tractor) currently on another part of my property. Planning to go down maybe 6 feet then 20x20 ft. Adove soil. By hand... I am 69 years old, retired. I have the time. I been gardening since the 1960's. It is very rewarding! Keep up the great work!
For the pack rats and mice, we use half flour and bicarbonate soda in a cool whip bowl with a hole cut in the side of it large enough to allow them to enter, the lid keeps any rain from entering. mix the flour and baking soda really well. It works because the rodents like the taste of the flour but when they eat it they also get baking soda. when it hits their stomach it produces gas that they can't pass, kills them in just a few minutes. I had a rodent problem in my workshop the pest control people couldn't stop, I tried this and it worked in just three days.
Awesome. I love the idea of it.
If you ever make boxes with not enough soil, no lmao, just add a little soil everyday as the plants grow
Hello, I just saw your sunken greenhouse tour. I have been interested in this type of greenhouse after visiting China in 2018. We went into a greenhouse in northern China in January. The weather was usually clear day and night but they could get some snow. The temperature was about -10 f. At night and the concept was similar to your idea. They were built with a wall of earth on the North side of the entire greenhouse. The sun side or South side was a plastic, sun capturing side. They grew only lettuce in this greenhouse. At night they had a automatic blanket that would cover all of the plastic to prevent heat loss. I’m not sure of the name of the greenhouse. Best of luck to building one of these. Terry
Nicely done! I too live in the high desert (5600 ft) and the sunken greenhouse is the way to go. 50 degree or more temperature swings that day are not uncommon around here. I am going with the double wall solexx plan over the single wall.
Your vids have helped push me abit with my project that I have spent two yrs on. chuckle...(We had started out with a 30'x100' hoop house with full intentions of making it into a fully automated sunken greenhouse). We are still working on that. Now that I have a backhoe available, the sunken part is now doable. No hand digging for me! sheesh I would want the project done before my gray hair turns to silver or non existent.
Thanks again for the motivation and congrats on your greenhouse.
You've given me an idea. I've been using fabric pots of various sizes and just today ordered a bunch or plastic saucers. the summer heat is drying out my plants and I want to hold water or at least moisture at the bottom. I already have cement mixing troughs and will use those instead. Maybe your issue is/was the opposite. You have the cement troughs. You can make fabric pots that can sit in the trough to hold moisture but with more height by adding to the framing you made or using pvc. Peter Kennedy is right. these are growers pains.
I like to see you build a underground bunker that would be awesome!!! You do great work !!!!
Dennis Chroninger oh that’s actually would be super cool! But that would have to be a project that I kept off video...haha...unless I was doing it for someone else😉
They aren't failures they are learning moments and it looks fantastic love it!! ❤️
If you do not already have it, the University of Arizona publishes an online Vegetable Planting Calendar (pdf). You may miss the ideal planting time for one veggie, but there is stuff to plant all year round in the Sonoran Desert. I also used to plant in those mixing tubs but had lots of issues. Small size, limited fruit, early bolting etc. I've had much better results mixing compost into the natural desert soil.
I'm inspired by your project 😉 it is an ideal project for Africa's tough climate
Lack of space: Bush Tomatoes! Cruise them catalogs looking for dwarf everything, there's a trend in the catalogs toward gardening in pots on patios with limited space. Make that a criteria, you've done a great job, keep plodding forward, 1 step, then 2 steps back, then 2 steps forward.
Great stuff as always Joe! You always do such a good job of "Lessons Learned" on these things to help spread the knowledge! Cheers my friend!
Canadian Sasquatch thanks Steve! Sorry for the late response! How are you doing down in TX?
I have read that using peppermint oil, cayenne pepper, or pepper cloves around the garden will make them ant to leave the area. Also you could sprinkle crushed peppers around the area.
Great job, very informative. Thank you.
🌿🍀🍀🌵👍👵
C H thanks for watching!
Te agradezco y valoro tu trabajo. Por supuesto el proceso es más importante que el resultado. Permite ver los errores, los aciertos y disfrutar el camino. Gracias por tu aporte. ¡Salud desde Paraguay!
Nothing wrong with making mistakes. In fact you can't learn without making mistakes. People that dont make mistakes haven't done anything.
Botany is a complex subject.
Eventually your plants will thrive. So yeah don't worry too much.
Your greenhouse looks amazing.
That warm golden glow in the evening sun looks marvellous.
As far as a rodent problem, trapping only delays the enviable. You get rid of the ones nearby now, only to have more to move in to replace them. Stop them by using steel wool well mixed with silicone caulking. Apply in those foam areas and other holes. Rodents do not like to chew on pointy sharp steel.
Definitely let us know how it goes during this summer. It’s already hot and my biggest concern living in Arizona is baking the plants.
Those pack rats are eating good. I'm sorry to hear that. I love, love the new metal columns. Also, it may be the placement of the squash; the reason one took off and the other didn't. Thank you.