ll I I June 1977 RAIN pa Solar Greenhouse Update Seems like, as my salty father would say say, "all hell's breaking loose" in the heat- and food-producing greenhouse world. But then it is good weather now, even here in slug land, and food prices from fossil-fueled agribusiness are still moving upwards, pushed by rising energy costs and drought. So it's only natural that a spate of fresh plans, reports and queries should find their way into the RAIN mailbox. The Noti Solar Greenhouse reporr is mentioned in this issue 's "passive Solar Design" section. Novel design features include a sauna whose wood heater can also be used ro assist in keeping the greenhouse temperatures above freezing and a thermal mass of loose, dark rockJ held upright behind reinforcing wire. Domestic Technology Instirute offers complete plans for its "Solar-Reliant Greenhouse," Series No. 77001-GH, for $7.50 (or $8.25 from Environmental Action Reprint Service). Ir costs abour $1,000 in materiais to build and covers 152 sq. ft. in ground area. The five large plan drawings cover all construction details; list the tools, materials and construction procedures; explain how to prepare for planting; where to put various plants; how the greenhouse is designed for various heating and cooling modes; and how to build it as an added source of home heat; and give guidelines for operating it in different regions and seasons. They are excellent except f-or the fact that reading the rext is so difficult that I can't recorirmend the plans until they're redone much more clearly, with letters and words not packed so close together. If you've poor eyesight, forget it . . . the ,,m's" and "w's" are murderl DTI's address is Box 2O43, Evergreen, CO 80439; EARS's is 2239 E. Colfax, Denver, CO 80206. Malcolm Lillywhite and rhe crew at DTI also lead excellent workshops at the Institute and are offering an entire series of solar plans in the near future. Send a stamped, self-addressed envelope for their publications pricelist and workshop dates. Every so often we get questions about organic hydroponics. If that's something you're into, check out Rick Kasprzak's $5, 80 pp., book, Tbe passiae Solar Greenbouse and Organics Hydroponics: A Primer.lt's got 30 pages on greenhouse design and construciion; 40 on hydroponics: commercial vs. organic, solutions. results, guides to nutrient mixtures; 3 pages on economics; 4 on 72-vok lighting sysrems and costs; and 3 on water storage systems. As far as I hnow it's the first thing on narural hydroponics since Jim deKorne's book. Using parts of it, Rick recenrly won third prize ($2,500) in Mother Eartb Ne,u.rs' Food Self-sufficiency Competition, judged by John Todd, Gil Friend, Helen & Scott Nearing, Howard Odum and David Brower. Order it from R.L.D. publications, Box 1443, Flagstaff, AZ 86002. While in the Midwest U.S. learning about methane at ERDA's Fuels from Biomass Symposium (see Methane), Ken Smith and I also got a chance to visit Hans, Pam, Ben, Hito and Rustv at Windworks and stayed with John Schade of U. Wisconsin's Access program in Milwaukee. The garage behind the solar remodeled Access house has an attached greenhouse from which a manual has been produced. It's called .Solar Greenhouse Project Manual (by Prindiville, McGeen, Buell and Blum), is 14 pages long and costs $1.40 (10d per page) plus 30d shipping and handling from Access, Univ. of WisconsinMilwaukee, School of Architecture & Urban Planning, Milwaukee, WI 53201. They've a number of other useful publications, so ask for their pricelist. Recently we gor word that Bruce Bugbee and Ken Kern are gathering material for a book to be called Tbe Owner-Built Greenbouse, Design & Management (A Sttrdy ofVegetable Culture in C ontrolled Enaironments). They plan to include case studies of unique designs and successful horticultural practices as they relate to food production, all with an emphasis on growing winter vegetables in northern home greenhouses. lf you can assist them by testing vegetable varieties bred for optimal growth under low light intensities and low temperaturei, by serving as a potential case study of your work, or by sharing youi^ greenhouse failures and succ€sses, please write to Bruce Bugbee, Vegetable Crop Dept., Hunt Hall, Univ. of California, Davis, CA95616. They'll be touring the U.S. soon and may be able to drop by if you write them fast. Finally, Woody Deryckx rightfully chastised me for failing to menrion that Two S olar Aquaculture-Greenh ouse Systems for Western Wasbington: A Preliminary Report, by Becky and Woody Deryckx and Howard Reichmuth, is available for $2 from Hunter Action Center, Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA 98505. 'Ihe 51-page document explains a Tilth-Ecotope Group-Bear Creek Thunder joint venture funded by Community Services Admin. Granr No. OOO71.-'t-75lOI through I-Iunger Action. Two facilities were built at Pragtree Farm near Arlington, Wash., a small rhombicube octahedron and a parabolic north wall greenhouse. They were part of an attempt to 1) determine the feasibility of integrating warm-water aquaculture into greenhouses designed for the Western Washington climate and 2) develop optimally efficient food-raising for use by low-income families and individuals. That's $16.20 worrh of info to keep you from re-inventing the wheel; cheap if you spend $500 to $1000 in materials. However, why not show this ro your local librarian and try to get rhem ro order them. Saves you money and gives others access to the publications too. Well, that's it for now. Let me know if there's other staff to mention and be sure to eye "Passive Solar Design" in this issue for greenhouse applications. -LJ
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