Greenhouses don't have to be fancy in order to help the environment and increase self-sufficiency.
By their very nature, greenhouses have the ability to be environmentally friendly. Greenhouses can supply fresh fruits and vegetables year-round, which saves on the energy used to transport them from out-of town sources. This can also help you save money. Greenhouses are a way to increase your self-sufficiency and can be a do-it-yourself project, since they can be as simple or complex as you would like them to be. And if you want to make an existing greenhouse even more environmentally friendly, there are several things you can do. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Design your greenhouse to be a size that will promote food self-sufficiency by allowing you to grow fruits and vegetables--an unused patio or deck is a great place to start. Using shelves will allow you to maximize floor space.
2. Use recycled materials to build or modify your greenhouse. These might include plastic two-liter bottles or recycled glass for walls, copper irrigation piping, reclaimed metal for the frame and reused brick or cinder block end walls combined with renewable resources, such as rubber or linoleum for the floor.
3. Slope your roof so that the runoff falls into gutters and then into rain barrels, which can act as the water supply for your greenhouse and help conserve drinking water from the sink or hose. A lean-to style with single panel roof pitched at a 30-degree angle will work well for a do-it-yourself greenhouse.
4. Irrigate your plants naturally, by setting up a roof drain for the water to run into and a system of pipes with holes drilled in them over the plants to disperse water as it rains and falls into the drain and through the pipes.
5. Use recycled bath water and dishwashing rinse water to irrigate your plants.
6. Water your plants in the morning so that the water has a chance to soak in before evaporating, letting you use less water. Water more deeply, less frequently according to the requirements of the particular plant to promote deep root growth--avoid shallow daily watering.
7. Place a heat-retaining source inside your greenhouse, such as a brick, concrete block or stone end wall or floor that will radiate heat at night.
8. Use solar panels to keep your greenhouse heated and lit during the winter without using municipal electricity.
9. Connect the greenhouse to your home by a shared wall and doorway to heat your home with hot air from the greenhouse in the winter.
10. Encourage composting by using your compost in the greenhouse year-round.
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