Why and How to Build a Solar Greenhouse
Are you worried about global warming? Are you worried about the price of food? Do you love eating fresh vegetables from your own garden? These are all excellent reasons to grow your own vegetables. If you want to grow vegetables throughout the year you'll need a greenhouse, unless you live in one of the warmer climates.
Everyone that has eaten fresh corn on the cob or tomatoes, that were picked that day, know that what you buy pales in comparison. Many refuse to eat the store bought stuff again. Not as many people have had fresh kale. I don't know anybody who does not grow kale and likes it. It only tastes good fresh. A friend of mine gave me a baby kale plant last year, and I effused about how much I like kale. He said, "That can't be kale, I hate kale, and I like that stuff." Not only does home grown food taste better, it is more nutritious as well.
So what about global warming? Most of the produce we buy comes from thousands of miles away. All that transportation pollutes our air and worsens the the global warming problem Also the methods used in commercial farming are harder on our environment, including the atmosphere.
So why does your greenhouse need to be a solar greenhouse? Isn't a greenhouse already solar? Most greenhouses warm up when the sun is shining on them, but quickly lose their heat when the sun disappears. Most commercial greenhouses and many hobby ones have supplemental heaters to keep warm on cold nights. That raises the cost of your food and the cost to the environment. A solar greenhouse is designed to store its heat, so it can stay warm enough all night, or for a few cloudy days, if need be.
So how to build your own greenhouse? There are not any really good greenhouse kits for solar greenhouses. You have to build from scratch, but there are some good plans available.
Principles of a good solar greenhouse
Insulate the roof and at least the north wall, and perhaps the east and west walls.
Use double glazing, whether you you glaze your greenhouse with glass or polycarbonate.
Provide thermal storage. Water is the most practical way to store heat. Most low cost solar greenhouses use barrels or oil drums, filled with water, for heat storage.
Make sure your thermal storage is in direct sun for as long as possible
Paint the insides of your greenhouse white, to increase light reflection onto your plants. Paint your thermal storage black to absorb more heat.
Orient your greenhouse so that its longest wall faces south. Tilt the south wall so that it faces the Winter sun.
Those are the basics. Of course it can get much more complicated. Of course, before you get started, you will want to read more on the specifics of building a greenhouse, and in particular a solar greenhouse. Good luck and happy growing.
To learn more about solar greenhouses, go to http://allthingsgreenhouse.com
Edward Sanderson has been a lifelong gardener, and wants to see everyone eating their own fresh veggies every day.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Edward_Sanderson
Everyone that has eaten fresh corn on the cob or tomatoes, that were picked that day, know that what you buy pales in comparison. Many refuse to eat the store bought stuff again. Not as many people have had fresh kale. I don't know anybody who does not grow kale and likes it. It only tastes good fresh. A friend of mine gave me a baby kale plant last year, and I effused about how much I like kale. He said, "That can't be kale, I hate kale, and I like that stuff." Not only does home grown food taste better, it is more nutritious as well.
So what about global warming? Most of the produce we buy comes from thousands of miles away. All that transportation pollutes our air and worsens the the global warming problem Also the methods used in commercial farming are harder on our environment, including the atmosphere.
So why does your greenhouse need to be a solar greenhouse? Isn't a greenhouse already solar? Most greenhouses warm up when the sun is shining on them, but quickly lose their heat when the sun disappears. Most commercial greenhouses and many hobby ones have supplemental heaters to keep warm on cold nights. That raises the cost of your food and the cost to the environment. A solar greenhouse is designed to store its heat, so it can stay warm enough all night, or for a few cloudy days, if need be.
So how to build your own greenhouse? There are not any really good greenhouse kits for solar greenhouses. You have to build from scratch, but there are some good plans available.
Principles of a good solar greenhouse
Insulate the roof and at least the north wall, and perhaps the east and west walls.
Use double glazing, whether you you glaze your greenhouse with glass or polycarbonate.
Provide thermal storage. Water is the most practical way to store heat. Most low cost solar greenhouses use barrels or oil drums, filled with water, for heat storage.
Make sure your thermal storage is in direct sun for as long as possible
Paint the insides of your greenhouse white, to increase light reflection onto your plants. Paint your thermal storage black to absorb more heat.
Orient your greenhouse so that its longest wall faces south. Tilt the south wall so that it faces the Winter sun.
Those are the basics. Of course it can get much more complicated. Of course, before you get started, you will want to read more on the specifics of building a greenhouse, and in particular a solar greenhouse. Good luck and happy growing.
To learn more about solar greenhouses, go to http://allthingsgreenhouse.com
Edward Sanderson has been a lifelong gardener, and wants to see everyone eating their own fresh veggies every day.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Edward_Sanderson
Post a Comment