Indoor Growing for Gardeners Who Are Sick of the Snow!

[Debbie292d]

This seems an ambitious project. Let us know how it goes. It will be really cool if you can harvest tomatoes indoors. I've used my own little grow kit to start tomatoes in early spring, but by that time there is more solar warmth in the room.

We like to freeze tomatoes for chili and spaghetti sauce and not only would that save $$ but oh my goodness so much better! We're old so may not pay for that grow light in the long run, but it is going to be fun to try!

 

[Alasgun]

Im sick of the snow; EVEN IN JULY! That’s beside the point; i also cant abide store bought cucumbers so each fall i start a pot in one of my grow areas which usually last till Christmas. This year i started some more out in the shop this time back in November and they are doing well. I’ve eaten a couple off them and within a couple weeks the trellis will be nearly full of vines that will (hopefully) carry us thru till the greenhouse is producing.

2ea 8 bulb T-5’s and 2ea 300w. LED’s fuel them.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

I have one of those Costco greenhouses, but there is no way I can afford to heat it.

 

[Debbie292d]

I have one of those Costco greenhouses, but there is no way I can afford to heat it.

Some here in Wisconsin have them, but they are few and far between and usually very small. The problem is the lack of sun in the winter, as well as the cold. We're thinking of going solar on our home, and that's a huge consideration, so we will tie into the grid against our wishes, but there are just too many cloudy days.

If you've got a lot of sun there, it would help, but it would still start costing at night.

 

[flowerbug]

Some here in Wisconsin have them, but they are few and far between and usually very small. The problem is the lack of sun in the winter, as well as the cold. We're thinking of going solar on our home, and that's a huge consideration, so we will tie into the grid against our wishes, but there are just too many cloudy days.

If you've got a lot of sun there, it would help, but it would still start costing at night.

LEDs are efficient enough now to make underground efforts workable, just have to be sure there is enough ventilation.

 

[Debbie292d]

LEDs are efficient enough now to make underground efforts workable, just have to be sure there is enough ventilation.

What do you mean by underground? Like greenhouses that are underground? That's something I've not heard of if that's what you mean, but sure sounds neat!

 

[flowerbug]

What do you mean by underground? Like greenhouses that are underground? That's something I've not heard of if that's what you mean, but sure sounds neat!

thermal mass, below the frost line for an area the ground should be a fairly stable temperature.

heatsinks, geothermal heat, heatpumps, insulation, underground houses, etc.

i would do a lot of research before sinking a lot into it as ground water can be issues. also mold can be a problem for greenhouses in general.

and for me the not being able to get out easily might make me a bit wary. yet, for some reason i had no trouble living in an attic for years when i was at the university so i'm not sure what is going on with my brain there for sure!

i do know that where i am at now is too flat and there's too much groundwater that i would not want to even attempt something underground (i wish we'd have gone a few more feet up actually as then we could have had a basement that wouldn't need to always run a sump pump - we are just on grade so if there is rains the sump pump runs for a while and then will stop), but if you are in a more hilly area and have a site near the top of a hill you can burrow into and make sure the top has a good membrane and control of the upslope so you can channel any rains and waters around instead of over, and well a lot of other factors to ponder.

i'm not sure how practical it really becomes, more arid places make it easier but then they can still have storms and flash floods...

always things to think about.

 

[digitS']

You can do a YouTube search for "walipini." That is a name for such semi-subterranian greenhouses.

When I was living in the sticks, I entertained the idea of a semi-subterranian cold frame. It could occupy a garden bed and revert back to a bed during the growing season. Digging out the bed to a foot or so provides a protective pile of soil in the adjacent paths. A path could even exist within a long, wide cold frame to provide the gardener access if necessary.

There, I drew one. Your plants are rows of green t's, obviously at a very mature stage of growth.

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