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Post by ottawagardener on Feb 24, 2012 12:07:20 GMT -5
Sure is pretty: looks painted on.
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Post by bunkie on Feb 24, 2012 12:28:37 GMT -5
gorgeous pics richardw!
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Post by steev on Feb 24, 2012 23:48:45 GMT -5
Great greenhouse. Gorgeous gateway. Damn! Just drooled into my keyboard.
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Post by 12540dumont on Feb 25, 2012 0:55:23 GMT -5
Richard, that is drop dead gorgeous. Architectural Digest, eat your heart out. This is real! Wow!
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Post by synergy on Feb 25, 2012 14:26:49 GMT -5
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Post by richardw on Feb 25, 2012 16:24:30 GMT -5
I see in that like that they are using mats rolled up in day time then rolled down at night,this was something that ive been thinking about for a while,but just a little unsure how to i would do it on my tunnelhouse, it needs to be water proof but also when its rolled up frost on the cover may make it stick together if it were a fabric type material. I was also thinking that if i did have a cover of some kind and in stored electric power i could use grow lights to one add a few extra hours at each end of the dayin winter, but also on cloudy cold days the covers could stay on and use the lights instead.
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Post by oxbowfarm on Feb 25, 2012 20:43:40 GMT -5
There is a description of the Chinese earth pit coldframes in Joy Larkcom's "Oriental Vegetables"
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bertiefox
gardener
There's always tomorrow!
Posts: 236
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Post by bertiefox on Feb 26, 2012 3:46:34 GMT -5
www.loire-gites.eu/images/conservatory.jpgThis 'earth greenhouse' was an old ruined stone building surrounded on three sides by earth, that's to say, built back into a bank. All we did was remove all the rubble, build a front out of old windows and doors from the tip, and topped it with a polycarbonate roof. Despite two weeks of minus 10C most nights, I was amazed to see that the avocado plants, guavas and passion fruit have all survived, despite the fact there was no heating at all. At the same time, in the polytunnel, plants inside a heated propagator (a couple of hundred watts) still froze and were lost! My next project is to build at least one more greenhouse into this south facing bank. As for the danger of collapse, the old timers must have known what they were doing as the 'conservatory' in the picture (originally a wine making 'cellier') has retaining walls made of local stone without any mortar. Earth greenhouses are a very good way to go if you want to save heating costs and grow exotic things in cold climates.
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Post by richardw on Feb 26, 2012 12:38:29 GMT -5
Sounds fantastic bertiefox,you are right earth greenhouse are a very good way to go. I dont know if its just me but i cant open your link,is there some other way to post that photo??
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bertiefox
gardener
There's always tomorrow!
Posts: 236
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Post by bertiefox on Feb 27, 2012 6:35:53 GMT -5
Sorry richardw. Are you not seeing the photo? I made the mistake of just putting in the url first and then realising I could put the link as an image with the link... the image shows up when I read the post but I'll try uploading it as a file here. Attachments:
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Post by richardw on Feb 28, 2012 13:15:26 GMT -5
Thanks ,can see it now I like that earth greenhouse,do you know how old those old ruins are
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Post by bvillebill on Mar 18, 2012 13:35:49 GMT -5
Years ago a friend built a version on a south facing slope. It was more of a very large cold frame, maybe 6' high by 6' wide and about 30' long. It was dug into the slope, the rear wall was 2x8 timbers from an old wood bridge being removed. It worked great in an area where it would get below zero in the winter.
The idea is great, but as has been mentioned make sure the rear wall is strong enough to support a load when the hill starts to move down.
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Post by 12540dumont on Mar 18, 2012 21:58:55 GMT -5
Bertie, My French Husband, built stacked walls for his mom. They're still there. I have green house envy. Very beautiful.
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Post by richardw on Mar 18, 2012 23:25:28 GMT -5
That sounds a bit like what some people did after coming to see how i did mine,they dug into hill but went deeper in than they did long wise.
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bertiefox
gardener
There's always tomorrow!
Posts: 236
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Post by bertiefox on Mar 21, 2012 6:00:06 GMT -5
Sorry for late reply to comments above about my old 'earth greenhouse'. The house dates back to at least 1789 as it is on the Cassini map of France. I'd guess the old 'cellier' which forms the walls of the 'greenhouse' now is at least that old. The amazing thing is the walls are built directly on clay with no foundations and there was only one small bit near the front which had collapsed and which I have rebuilt with blocks tied into the old stone, using lime mortar and render to make it blend in. Yet the walls are holding back tons of earth with quite a few trees and bushes rooted into the surrounds. I admire the masonry skills of these past generations. Only problem now is to try to find a way of stopping the roof leaking!
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