Chinese farmer here and we indeed mostly use the Chinese style of greenhouse. For easy roll/unrolling of the cover material, older ones have pulley systems or counterweights on the other side of the wall. New ones mostly go electric, one button push and let the motor do all the work. I haven't seen anyone use cloth to keep warm. Most I saw used cotton quilt or straw mat. Snow removal is not that great. Last week my area suffered from 2 days of snowstorm, and a lot of these greenhouses in the area were crushed. I'm here looking for structural design ideas. Because the cold winds always blow from the north side, snow accumulates quickly and not evenly on the south side, and the weight can either bend the beam or horizontally add too much pressure on the wall.
The length was perfect and I'm glad you ended with reminding us that we can always grow in the great out doors, even though it's dependant on seasonal, environmental factors. Thank you for including the reviews of the styles that you wouldn't recommend, I found it just as helpful!
I'm currently in the process of designing our family homestead, thank you for this video! It was extremely helpful in deciding which greenhouse we will use!
I could do without the background music. I prefer listening to this man speak. Information, not entertainment, is what I came for. This is REALLY GREAT, by the way. Saving me watching loads of other videos to try to find all this information all over TH-cam. Good to have it all in one video - no matter how long.
The barrels will exchange heat with the interior whether or not they are in line of sight with the sun. Thermal mass in general helps to moderate temperature in both summer and winter.
They will absorb much more energy if they are in line with the sun. Convection is only part of the exchange, radiation from the sun is around 1000watts per square meter(reduced for glazing and angle and reflection)
Very informative video. You covered everything except for cold frames, which I would have included. Granted these are typically used to harden of your seedlings before spring planting, but they could also extend your growing season for things like carrots, radishes, strawberries and even raspberries provided you keep them pruned back and extend the height of the cold frame wall. Just a thought to all your subscribers who are thinking about getting started in green housing.
Great video. The Chinese style Greenhouse is basically what I'm looking for, but without the permanence, more of just a frame I can lean up against the building and cover with plastic sheeting as I wait to harvest. Now I just have to find some plans and adapt them to my space and needs. Thanks
Great comparison. I like the Chinese version. The one that I saw has 2 outside layers separated about 1-2' at the top and 1' at the bottom. The bottom ring has the clear poly. About 1' up, at the top, is a spool with the blanket. The top has a 2nd layer of poly with some motorized shakers that installed on the top ring. These shakers are used to vibrate off the snow. The additional ring is to prevent the blanket from getting wet. For my situation, I'' probably add some geothermal tubing on the back wall along with on the lower front wall - this will feed a below the frost line loop and would be used for adding heat in the winter and some additional cooling in the summer. If you had a pool/pond, you could use it as a dump for the extra heat in the summer. Put some solar up to run the water pumps and controller and you're set. Just my 2 cents
makes me feel pretty lucky to live where we don't have to deal with the snow loads! thanks for the info on expense, structural strength, light intensity for these greenhouse options.
as you added 'the great outdoors', maybe I should point out something in the middle: Just a transparent roof. That is the great outdoors but then without rain, which is beneficial for tomatoes to keep them from contracting blight
As a soon to be greenhouse builder, I respect a good long variety of info. I've watched most of your videos about builds, congrats to being in my private "Brains" folder that stores the best of the best videos about the subject. On that note, make the video, keep on target and let it rip. I appreciate you and your videos.
Lots of great diagrams! I made some TH-cam videos of my passive greenhouse using "unistrut". I managed to get 20' of glass without any obstructions (no structural beams etc). The glass I used is frequently thrown out (free) from interior remodeling of businesses!! In fact, the unistrut was being thrown out too.
Your concerns about the pit or in ground greenhouses are all addressable. There are easy solutions to all of them. Sounds to me like either you haven't done enough research on them or just don't like them for some weird reason and are finding excuses. With the earth heating and cooling, the floor adds thermal mass too, not just the walls, plus there are ways to increase the geothermal heating and cooling abilities of the greenhouse. You can use mirrors to reflect morning and evening sun into the shadowed areas. And simple fences or rails can keep large animals and humans off the greenhouse (or you can just elevate the roof above the ground level a bit). Finally I know of several big name greenhouses that are located much farther north than you and use no heating yet grow stuff all year round.
And your concerns with solar greenhouses are addressable too. There is a company in Colorado that is producing large passive solar greenhouses for industry. And their designs do not make heating an issue. You need to do much better research. This is not a good video on all the types of greenhouse because you info is not accurate enough.
Good overview of greenhouse types. Answer of what type is for you is "depends." Zone, wind exposure, budget, long term goals, etc. all play a factor as you have outlined here. We went with a 2V geodesic dome, 22' in diameter, using the high tech bubble film called solawrap here in the states (made in Germany) for the cover. The large triangles of the 2V were able to minimize waste of the 2m wide solawrap,. We we also able to cover 4 triangles with one run of the material. North wall is insulated with Reflectix, and we have a ground to air heat transfer system (GAHT) with tubing buried 3-4' under the dome to stabilize the temperature. It was 17 degrees outside this morning, and dome interior is 34 degrees.
Wow, like others here I was overwhelmed with the number of designs I wasn't familiar with yet. I've been gardening for years, seen a bunch of videos, etc., but this is the video I'm recommending to any fellow gardeners looking for ideas--especially if I can convince them to do shots every time you say "whatnot." :D Thanks and Best Wishes.
Good video. Need to learn how to keep plants in winter. Moved from CA to Texas. It’s a lot different and I hate when my plants die. So this information is very needed currently.
This was a cool video, considering doing a small hybrid of a bermed passive solar / Chinese greenhouse here. Our winters don’t usually get overly cold during the days, so if I can retain heat, that would probably work. I currently just have some indoor plants and a cold frame outside as an experiment in late season growing. First freeze may happen this week, so we will see how it goes, but everything I planted outside should be fine down to about 20F, or so.
+Scott Baker That's pretty cool! It's been getting a lot more views than my other videos so I guess people are liking it. I had a big hit earlier this month from some site called survivopedia.com. ;-)
Sorry, but not nicely done. You need to do more extensive research and then recreate this video. You are claiming that pit and solar greenhouses have some big flaws when they do not. The problems you talk about are easily corrected.
@@SSanatobaJR ...The pit one does have a lot of unexpected big flaws, as do they all, for first time green thumbs...which every person on video that I have seen, who has built most any type of green house or tunnel structure of any kind, say they would do differently, to suit their exact requirements, the next time. The pit one, needs a 6 foot pit, to be a true pit, which uses the existing earth as a basis for its structure. Any water that does comes in, can escape via a pipe to the outside, and the warm air, (from being buried 6 or so feet in the ground,)can also flow back up the pipe to the inside and rise to help heat the thing. You put all the dozed out soil, from making the 6 ft deep x say 20 foot long, pit, behind the proposed cold winter wall, and use the east side from the ground up, to maximise the winter sun. The big mistake most make is not digging the deep water escape pipe trench, before they pile up mountains of dirt around it. My cellar, 7 ft down, maintains an all year round temp of 54F...or 12C, so the benefit of the pit sounds a good deal if one has the space...and a bit of a smallish rise in their yard.
Most of what you said makes me think it'd be wiser to invest in multiple small greenhouses over single large ones to avoid heating excess space and paying extra fees. It's so frustrating to me that growers have to deal with permits and taxes on top of how expensive just the greenhouses are. Makes me feel inclined to just have several small hoop houses with poles right in the ground than dealing with laying a foundation and paying fees. Thanks for the informative vid!
pro money saving tip: you can get tons of free trampolines in the fall, as people will throw them away then. That is the free steel arch. I made raised arches with the straight tubes on the bottom and "ladder style with each half facing eachother. Trampolines are lego pieces with a little angle grinder treatment. Then covered with building plastic sheets. Or roof stingers in between the modules. Not for winter growing, but it is a cheap way to prolong the growing season and makes good free/cheap structures.
Hey Rob, Great video, truly informative. I would not worry about the length of any of your videos, you always have something to share. My problem is I can't get enough of your videos. You've got so much growing on up there at the farm I wish you could cover EVERYTHING. From the geodesic green house to the fields to the fruit trees. Get out there and document it all. This autumn I hope you will do another walk around the property showing off that great fall foliage. Also I'm looking forward to the new green house build, but where are you going to build it (in one of the fields)? Winter is coming, is the rocket stove ready? If you want go ahead and answer these questions in a NUTS video. Cheers, Bill
+William “Bill” Walter It will be in a video, but we're going to level out one of our fields and put the greenhouses there. Rocket stove and wood stove are ready! I"m filming an update video about them this weekend. Probably won't do any more NUTS videos....very low viewing on them...and people keep asking questions that I answer in them anyway! ;-)
The best presentation on the web on greenhouses. The greenhouse in south florida will be different on Arizona from tennesee from Idaho from Washington. For now it just matters where you live. But eventually someone will make that final greenhouse. That is accepted by all counties. In all regions fits all uses. Can be used for commercial. And has all the cooling an heating abilities. The greenhouse is the future. In taming and controlling extreme temperatures.
Awesome video, especially for beginners looking to get an overview on the types of greenhouses out there. Thanks for all the effort put into explaining the designs 😀
I would say that you may be sighting them wrong? My understanding is that the longest side should face the sun (Southeast in the Northern hemisphere, Northeast in the Southern hemisphere) you seem to be facing the long side of the greenhouse East/West which would greatly lower the amount of heat during the winter. You can also arrange roof overhangs and Thank you for making the video it is very interesting.
You showed a semetrical Walapini when most in northern climates have only ONE steeper south facing side, heating up cement or water barrels which act as heat sinks. The steep slope helps to keep the snow off it. Your passive solar./walipni combo is ideal.
You're a sweetheart, thankyou for making this video!! So informative and well done!!Your lil "it was hot in that greenhouse, I don't usually sound so grumpy...I think I was delirious near the end" was adorable, Im glad you made it out ok. PS Love the random cow 🐄
Please check your positioning information for best efficiency of greenhouses. Allowing one long side to face the south you catch more of the sun's energy!! That is the entire point! Talk about using the soil beneath the greenhouse versus pots. How to make raised beds without sides, how to build up soil using DECOMPOSED organic matter...rocket stoves for heat. Heat sinks. Size of human walkways to allow more bed size. Stop using straight rows for planting seed or starts...more of a broadcast method works better, ventilation!!! Sun rising from the east is wimpy energy that a long side facing east would not have much energy. Sun setting in the west the same You want a long side to face south. Axis East/West.
??? I thought the video was information dense; something rare in TH-cam videos.I WANT to know the drawbacks of given designs. Certainly, the manufacturer is unlikely to point the weaknesses out. BIG like!
Generally speaking, the arched structure greenhouse is suitable for cold and heavy snow areas. The light-transmitting material is not covered with thermal insulation material, and the snow will slide down by itself. Do not clean it, and it is not easy to collapse the greenhouse.
I am designing and building a new greenhouse on my place for my aquaponics system from repurposed materials. Thanks for some great input. I have 2 12× 24 hoop houses one is my aquaponics lab the other is the aviary. I have the material to build a glass double paned greenhouse that doubles as a solar pumphouse, water purification, and aquaponics lab. Most my production is still in my gardens but I love the aquaponics. Sadly last year my current greenhouse was severely damaged by Hurricane Harvey but I have almost rebuilt it.
Just use some imagination and take the your favorite advantages of the various greenhouses and combine them into one design. For example some of my favorite advantages are the temperature stability of the wilipini, but i also like the morning sun advantage of the traditional. So i will consider making a wilipini but the roof won't be level with or even near the ground level, it will be up 8 more ft, a 2 story green house. It will appear like a regular traditional single level above ground greenhouse from a distance with the walls protruding upward 8 ft above ground level and the roof on top of that. But in reality the wall is 16 ft high, because 8 ft of it is hidden in the ground, it will be 8 ft of block wall in the ground to meet the footing. That lower level basement will be for mushrooms, water storage, composting, and by being 8 ft down it will have stable temps all thru the greenhouse, the first story too because you engineer in huge vent areas from basement to first story, along with the vents in the green house for summer, and in winter the composting going on in the basement gives additional heat. So you can grow stuff on the first story and get benefits of morning sun and benefits of stable ground temps from the basement, while have that extra space to use for composting for additional heat in winter, and can also let wood product rot and mushroom and composting, and water storage all in that temperature stable environment, helping to keep it stable. Even the mass of the water you store under the greenhouse is used to help stabilize temps in the house.
Nice review. One point on Geodesic domes. A ton of waste materials during construction. Just think about getting triangles from rectangles of material. Also as you said nothing is square so increased construction time.
The walipini greenhouse is an awesome concept for insulation but it does seem like it would be difficult to get adequate light. I'd love to see some of these in person and how growers have made them work for them!
you can see one of these in Canada: th-cam.com/video/DPfmYNNo-4U/w-d-xo.html. They speak french but this is interesting as you can see the design at least.
I have an in ground greenhouse, 6 feet below grade. The "heat of the earth" idea is not true. It would be true of a pipe you buried that deep, but the glazing(greenhouse plastic) lets heat out faster than the earth could put it in
I would love to see a passive solar with a berm, or a huge dome! Can't get enough of bucky's design. Wish I could make something like the eden project in England for cheap but that would cost millions! Lol your vids are so good and informative I always wish they were longer or at least had one more often. I am always super excited when I see one of your vids pop into my subscription feed! Can't wait to come up there and take a tour one day.
At 17:50 I realized that was a fish tank. I freaked, was greatly unexpected lol Also the passive solar, why not lay the barrels down sideways on the south wall and plant things over the barrels? They should get enough light to warm up, correct?
Hey, that was a great video and really thorough. Didn't realise Goths were so popular in the world of green houses. I searched for Chinese greenhouse and you came up. It has made me think about loads of things, which I'm now gonna draw. Cheers.
@@Bigelowbrook I've just finishing sketching it all out. I used some charcoal bamboo I made for the first time. And that in itself was great. Thanks for getting back to me and the inspiration.
What considerations would you make for a greenhouse on the arctic circle? It's a bit complicated that in the summer the sun rises and sets in the north, and doesn't show up at all for a few weeks in the dead of winter. Yearly average temps of 4c, frosts 9 months of the year.
Great video, very informative and thank you for explaining about the Chinese greenhouse. That's the one I plan on trying to build and I didn't even know such existed! My garden is too small for a greenhouse so I thought my garden should become the greenhouse. The plan is to make the top cover retractable so I can dismantle it in the spring - it's a work in progress in my head at the moment. Any thoughts on this idea would be gratefully received. Regards, Poo
interesting but you got the walapini completely wrong, it should be oriented east west with south facing glazing. Its not just a clear roof over a hole in the ground. The whole idea of it is solar gain in the winter, and to minimize it in the summer. You can also build one without vertical walls, you can use the natural slump of the earth from ground level to the floor. and not have to have concrete foundation walls. Your take on the passive solar is more along the lines of the idea of the walapini, just sink it in the ground 4 feet. I am quite a bit south of you, so my needs are different, but I am planning on a pit probably with slumped sides where I can grow some cold weather crops, 4 rows of raised beds in cut down IBC totes, setting on 4 more rows of IBC totes for heat and water storage. There will be an 8 foot wide section in the center for some dwarf fruit trees as well. It will be covered with a 40 foot 45 degree arc of chain link top rail with poly over it. The heating will be taken care of via not only the normal solar gain, but also a solar trough collector and a circulating pump that will feed through all the totes. For a total solar mass of at a minimum, of 1925 gallons of water per 4 foot section of the greenhouse, not including the solar mass of the surrounding soil, or the soil in the totes.
Where are you in considering elevated solar arrays and growing food below the arrays? This is becoming quite a thing in the midwest. I know you are an innovative soul and have pioneered and installed several growing structures. In regard to light, it seems that food plants that require less light work best, with more light needy plants along the southern edges. I am trying to get some light studies from universities experimenting with this concept. I will be in touch. Thanks for the video.
I really wish you had gone over info for ALL climates. I'm over here in the second hottest desert in the world shaking my head every time you mention "snow". From what I gather with this vid, a walipini or passive solar would be the best bet for desert climates but I'm not sure. PLEASE cover more climates!
this was very informational propagation guide to different types of greenhouses. Im really curious if you've had an academic experiences. I will say in Northern California we don't get very much snow, so factors of rain might apply to the greenhouse factors
17:48 "It takes a few hours for the sun to get around" Is that really right? At least here where i live the sun raises as quarter to 9 and sets quarter past 3. The effect of is that the sun is already at a almost 45 degree angle to the south when it raises. There is also a fairly simple remedy to this. Set Mylar film on the side and rare walls (at last the last say 5 meters), then the end will get double sun exposure in the evening and morning compensating for the losses.
Hey Rob - I certainly enjoy longer videos more than shorter ones, but it's more likely that I'll watch the shorter ones first as it's easier to squeeze them in with a busy lifestyle. I suspect you'll get a higher number of views on short ones, but happier viewers from long ones. Cheers!!
+Jim Conner yup, you nailed it. I'm not a fan of watching anything too long either since I watch them when I have a couple of free minutes. I usually try to keep them at the 5 minute range. Plus editing something this long takes foooorrreverrrrrrrrrr!
Bigelow Brook Farm (Web4Deb) Well I for one very much appreciate your editing efforts. I know from experience how long it can take to edit together a video ( I spent over ten hours editing my aphids vs diatomaceous earth one together earlier this month )... but I didn't have to draw any diagrams or make animations for that one (nice artwork there Rob btw) - I'd guess that this greenhouse video represents about an hour's recording, followed by pretty much a whole day editing. Please know that your effort is very much appreciated. Cheers!!
Jim Conner you're close on the time. the original recording was 1hr:25min. Because of the diagrams, there's about 30 hours put into the post editing. Labor of love....I could make more working at Walmart. ;-) I'm glad everyone enjoys them!
great video, would have appreciated it more if It had more of a high-level overview / comparison chart where we could see all the options / metrics laid out in a large table / pros/cons table
vlog length , no problem....but when you editorialize ,I prefer when things are explained by a quote bubble or a blurb that gives a time stamp about where the main idea you want to convey is... probably save time editing too. i hope i was able to convey what i mean ...great content more power to you p.s . have you seen the greenhouse in the snow video by kristen dirksen gets a body to thinkin hmmm
Walipini works in concept and practical if dug 2-3 feet down (earth floor with concrete walls) and earth built-up along outside wall to provide insulation. Works in Canada zone 4 for growing warmer zone fruit trees. It's all about insulation from worst of what winter has to offer. I'll link a video I recently watched of converted old barn below.
I like the one into the ground for personal use non commercial. And I would make it wide to eliminate shadows. With a 6 foot wide grow area. And 20 foot wide floor.
The walpini could be made with cob and heated by rocket stove. That would make it easier to accomplish anywhere at much lower expense, with lower heating costs, too.
i made very simple greenhouse,cheap and very strong,i have that greenhouse for more than 5 years,it is the best shape for high winds,it can be move easy where do you want,also we have lot of hail and the foil is perfect,hail can't go thru because of shape of greenhouse,greetings
a lot of info.. very nice.. I do however wish you'd have listed the wind gust rating of them.. I have to be careful of what type /kind of greenhouse I put up.. due to wind gust..
What you are calling a "Round Arch" is actually called a Quonset Hut. They have been in use for nearly 100 years in the military, farming, and multiple civilian applications.
Chinese farmer here and we indeed mostly use the Chinese style of greenhouse.
For easy roll/unrolling of the cover material, older ones have pulley systems or counterweights on the other side of the wall. New ones mostly go electric, one button push and let the motor do all the work.
I haven't seen anyone use cloth to keep warm. Most I saw used cotton quilt or straw mat.
Snow removal is not that great. Last week my area suffered from 2 days of snowstorm, and a lot of these greenhouses in the area were crushed. I'm here looking for structural design ideas.
Because the cold winds always blow from the north side, snow accumulates quickly and not evenly on the south side, and the weight can either bend the beam or horizontally add too much pressure on the wall.
The length was perfect and I'm glad you ended with reminding us that we can always grow in the great out doors, even though it's dependant on seasonal, environmental factors. Thank you for including the reviews of the styles that you wouldn't recommend, I found it just as helpful!
I'm currently in the process of designing our family homestead, thank you for this video! It was extremely helpful in deciding which greenhouse we will use!
I could do without the background music. I prefer listening to this man speak. Information, not entertainment, is what I came for. This is REALLY GREAT, by the way. Saving me watching loads of other videos to try to find all this information all over TH-cam. Good to have it all in one video - no matter how long.
The barrels will exchange heat with the interior whether or not they are in line of sight with the sun. Thermal mass in general helps to moderate temperature in both summer and winter.
My experience with passive solar was that keeping humidity high and stable was THE biggest factor in reducing temperature swings.
@@caddad49 ids solve that concern.
They will absorb much more energy if they are in line with the sun. Convection is only part of the exchange, radiation from the sun is around 1000watts per square meter(reduced for glazing and angle and reflection)
This is awesome. I'm just over the border north of you, so nice to have information that's relevant to our temperatures. Thanks!
Thanks. I get a bunch of comments from people all bent out of shape with this presentation. ;-)
Very informative video. You covered everything except for cold frames, which I would have included. Granted these are typically used to harden of your seedlings before spring planting, but they could also extend your growing season for things like carrots, radishes, strawberries and even raspberries provided you keep them pruned back and extend the height of the cold frame wall. Just a thought to all your subscribers who are thinking about getting started in green housing.
Great video.
The Chinese style Greenhouse is basically what I'm looking for, but without the permanence, more of just a frame I can lean up against the building and cover with plastic sheeting as I wait to harvest. Now I just have to find some plans and adapt them to my space and needs. Thanks
I love the diagrams to explain how the light will affect each green house. Very useful info, even if it’s a longer video. Thanks!
Great comparison. I like the Chinese version. The one that I saw has 2 outside layers separated about 1-2' at the top and 1' at the bottom. The bottom ring has the clear poly. About 1' up, at the top, is a spool with the blanket. The top has a 2nd layer of poly with some motorized shakers that installed on the top ring. These shakers are used to vibrate off the snow. The additional ring is to prevent the blanket from getting wet.
For my situation, I'' probably add some geothermal tubing on the back wall along with on the lower front wall - this will feed a below the frost line loop and would be used for adding heat in the winter and some additional cooling in the summer. If you had a pool/pond, you could use it as a dump for the extra heat in the summer. Put some solar up to run the water pumps and controller and you're set.
Just my 2 cents
makes me feel pretty lucky to live where we don't have to deal with the snow loads! thanks for the info on expense, structural strength, light intensity for these greenhouse options.
as you added 'the great outdoors', maybe I should point out something in the middle: Just a transparent roof. That is the great outdoors but then without rain, which is beneficial for tomatoes to keep them from contracting blight
As a soon to be greenhouse builder, I respect a good long variety of info. I've watched most of your videos about builds, congrats to being in my private "Brains" folder that stores the best of the best videos about the subject. On that note, make the video, keep on target and let it rip. I appreciate you and your videos.
Lots of great diagrams! I made some TH-cam videos of my passive greenhouse using "unistrut". I managed to get 20' of glass without any obstructions (no structural beams etc). The glass I used is frequently thrown out (free) from interior remodeling of businesses!! In fact, the unistrut was being thrown out too.
Your concerns about the pit or in ground greenhouses are all addressable. There are easy solutions to all of them. Sounds to me like either you haven't done enough research on them or just don't like them for some weird reason and are finding excuses. With the earth heating and cooling, the floor adds thermal mass too, not just the walls, plus there are ways to increase the geothermal heating and cooling abilities of the greenhouse. You can use mirrors to reflect morning and evening sun into the shadowed areas. And simple fences or rails can keep large animals and humans off the greenhouse (or you can just elevate the roof above the ground level a bit). Finally I know of several big name greenhouses that are located much farther north than you and use no heating yet grow stuff all year round.
And your concerns with solar greenhouses are addressable too. There is a company in Colorado that is producing large passive solar greenhouses for industry. And their designs do not make heating an issue. You need to do much better research. This is not a good video on all the types of greenhouse because you info is not accurate enough.
Good overview of greenhouse types. Answer of what type is for you is "depends." Zone, wind exposure, budget, long term goals, etc. all play a factor as you have outlined here. We went with a 2V geodesic dome, 22' in diameter, using the high tech bubble film called solawrap here in the states (made in Germany) for the cover. The large triangles of the 2V were able to minimize waste of the 2m wide solawrap,. We we also able to cover 4 triangles with one run of the material. North wall is insulated with Reflectix, and we have a ground to air heat transfer system (GAHT) with tubing buried 3-4' under the dome to stabilize the temperature. It was 17 degrees outside this morning, and dome interior is 34 degrees.
Wow, like others here I was overwhelmed with the number of designs I wasn't familiar with yet. I've been gardening for years, seen a bunch of videos, etc., but this is the video I'm recommending to any fellow gardeners looking for ideas--especially if I can convince them to do shots every time you say "whatnot." :D Thanks and Best Wishes.
Good video. Need to learn how to keep plants in winter. Moved from CA to Texas. It’s a lot different and I hate when my plants die. So this information is very needed currently.
This was a cool video, considering doing a small hybrid of a bermed passive solar / Chinese greenhouse here. Our winters don’t usually get overly cold during the days, so if I can retain heat, that would probably work. I currently just have some indoor plants and a cold frame outside as an experiment in late season growing. First freeze may happen this week, so we will see how it goes, but everything I planted outside should be fine down to about 20F, or so.
I love the cow you included for size reference. He's adorable.
I like the way you think about the at home growers as compared to the commercial growers needs.
i wonder how long it's gonna be until youtube starts censoring gardening videos
why
You are a good teacher. I prefer shorter ones but on occasions, when you have a lot to present, I have no problems with the lengthier ones.
To be honest I enjoy the longer ones just because of the fact it's more information
Hey! Did you know this is the _number one_ result when you type "greenhouse" in the TH-cam search bar? Nicely done!
+Scott Baker That's pretty cool! It's been getting a lot more views than my other videos so I guess people are liking it. I had a big hit earlier this month from some site called survivopedia.com. ;-)
You do know what shows up in the search bar is based on your algorithm right?
Sorry, but not nicely done. You need to do more extensive research and then recreate this video. You are claiming that pit and solar greenhouses have some big flaws when they do not. The problems you talk about are easily corrected.
@@SSanatobaJR ...The pit one does have a lot of unexpected big flaws, as do they all, for first time green thumbs...which every person on video that I have seen, who has built most any type of green house or tunnel structure of any kind, say they would do differently, to suit their exact requirements, the next time. The pit one, needs a 6 foot pit, to be a true pit, which uses the existing earth as a basis for its structure. Any water that does comes in, can escape via a pipe to the outside, and the warm air, (from being buried 6 or so feet in the ground,)can also flow back up the pipe to the inside and rise to help heat the thing. You put all the dozed out soil, from making the 6 ft deep x say 20 foot long, pit, behind the proposed cold winter wall, and use the east side from the ground up, to maximise the winter sun. The big mistake most make is not digging the deep water escape pipe trench, before they pile up mountains of dirt around it. My cellar, 7 ft down, maintains an all year round temp of 54F...or 12C, so the benefit of the pit sounds a good deal if one has the space...and a bit of a smallish rise in their yard.
great content
Most of what you said makes me think it'd be wiser to invest in multiple small greenhouses over single large ones to avoid heating excess space and paying extra fees. It's so frustrating to me that growers have to deal with permits and taxes on top of how expensive just the greenhouses are. Makes me feel inclined to just have several small hoop houses with poles right in the ground than dealing with laying a foundation and paying fees. Thanks for the informative vid!
pro money saving tip: you can get tons of free trampolines in the fall, as people will throw them away then. That is the free steel arch. I made raised arches with the straight tubes on the bottom and "ladder style with each half facing eachother. Trampolines are lego pieces with a little angle grinder treatment.
Then covered with building plastic sheets. Or roof stingers in between the modules.
Not for winter growing, but it is a cheap way to prolong the growing season and makes good free/cheap structures.
Where do people just throw away trampolines? That being said, we found our trampoline in the alley, but that was the only one I ever saw lol.
Hey Rob,
Great video, truly informative. I would not worry about the length of any of your videos, you always have something to share. My problem is I can't get enough of your videos. You've got so much growing on up there at the farm I wish you could cover EVERYTHING. From the geodesic green house to the fields to the fruit trees. Get out there and document it all. This autumn I hope you will do another walk around the property showing off that great fall foliage. Also I'm looking forward to the new green house build, but where are you going to build it (in one of the fields)? Winter is coming, is the rocket stove ready? If you want go ahead and answer these questions in a NUTS video.
Cheers,
Bill
+William “Bill” Walter It will be in a video, but we're going to level out one of our fields and put the greenhouses there. Rocket stove and wood stove are ready! I"m filming an update video about them this weekend. Probably won't do any more NUTS videos....very low viewing on them...and people keep asking questions that I answer in them anyway! ;-)
Thank you for the great video, I've been trying to figure out the orientation for my gothic arch greenhouse. You explained it very nice
Great video! One additional option, agrivoltaics - using solar fields for agriculture
This is a great and useful video regarding greenhouse choices - pros and cons. Thanks for being so thorough!
The best presentation on the web on greenhouses. The greenhouse in south florida will be different on Arizona from tennesee from Idaho from Washington. For now it just matters where you live. But eventually someone will make that final greenhouse. That is accepted by all counties. In all regions fits all uses. Can be used for commercial. And has all the cooling an heating abilities. The greenhouse is the future. In taming and controlling extreme temperatures.
Thank you that was great. I live in Canada and all that information is going to come in handy. Much appreciated the conversion to the metric system.
Awesome video, especially for beginners looking to get an overview on the types of greenhouses out there. Thanks for all the effort put into explaining the designs 😀
I love rewatching this video
I would say that you may be sighting them wrong? My understanding is that the longest side should face the sun (Southeast in the Northern hemisphere, Northeast in the Southern hemisphere) you seem to be facing the long side of the greenhouse East/West which would greatly lower the amount of heat during the winter. You can also arrange roof overhangs and
Thank you for making the video it is very interesting.
Great video! The length was perfect for the topic, as you were through without being redundant. Thanks very much!
This is a great video. Thank you for taking the time! I’m sharing with my neighbors and family.
You showed a semetrical Walapini when most in northern climates have only ONE steeper south facing side, heating up cement or water barrels which act as heat sinks. The steep slope helps to keep the snow off it. Your passive solar./walipni combo is ideal.
Great info, five years later thanks
You're a sweetheart, thankyou for making this video!! So informative and well done!!Your lil "it was hot in that greenhouse, I don't usually sound so grumpy...I think I was delirious near the end" was adorable, Im glad you made it out ok.
PS Love the random cow 🐄
Please check your positioning information for best efficiency of greenhouses. Allowing one long side to face the south you catch more of the sun's energy!! That is the entire point! Talk about using the soil beneath the greenhouse versus pots. How to make raised beds without sides, how to build up soil using DECOMPOSED organic matter...rocket stoves for heat. Heat sinks. Size of human walkways to allow more bed size. Stop using straight rows for planting seed or starts...more of a broadcast method works better, ventilation!!! Sun rising from the east is wimpy energy that a long side facing east would not have much energy. Sun setting in the west the same You want a long side to face south. Axis East/West.
I agree. to me, this clip sorta fails at giving good info, but offers more negative bias...
??? I thought the video was information dense; something rare in TH-cam videos.I WANT to know the drawbacks of given designs. Certainly, the manufacturer is unlikely to point the weaknesses out. BIG like!
Generally speaking, the arched structure greenhouse is suitable for cold and heavy snow areas. The light-transmitting material is not covered with thermal insulation material, and the snow will slide down by itself. Do not clean it, and it is not easy to collapse the greenhouse.
I am designing and building a new greenhouse on my place for my aquaponics system from repurposed materials. Thanks for some great input. I have 2 12× 24 hoop houses one is my aquaponics lab the other is the aviary. I have the material to build a glass double paned greenhouse that doubles as a solar pumphouse, water purification, and aquaponics lab. Most my production is still in my gardens but I love the aquaponics. Sadly last year my current greenhouse was severely damaged by Hurricane Harvey but I have almost rebuilt it.
Just use some imagination and take the your favorite advantages of the various greenhouses and combine them into one design. For example some of my favorite advantages are the temperature stability of the wilipini, but i also like the morning sun advantage of the traditional. So i will consider making a wilipini but the roof won't be level with or even near the ground level, it will be up 8 more ft, a 2 story green house. It will appear like a regular traditional single level above ground greenhouse from a distance with the walls protruding upward 8 ft above ground level and the roof on top of that. But in reality the wall is 16 ft high, because 8 ft of it is hidden in the ground, it will be 8 ft of block wall in the ground to meet the footing. That lower level basement will be for mushrooms, water storage, composting, and by being 8 ft down it will have stable temps all thru the greenhouse, the first story too because you engineer in huge vent areas from basement to first story, along with the vents in the green house for summer, and in winter the composting going on in the basement gives additional heat. So you can grow stuff on the first story and get benefits of morning sun and benefits of stable ground temps from the basement, while have that extra space to use for composting for additional heat in winter, and can also let wood product rot and mushroom and composting, and water storage all in that temperature stable environment, helping to keep it stable. Even the mass of the water you store under the greenhouse is used to help stabilize temps in the house.
Great Video. A lot of timeless information. Thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the deets! Super informative... Cheers!
Nice review. One point on Geodesic domes. A ton of waste materials during construction. Just think about getting triangles from rectangles of material. Also as you said nothing is square so increased construction time.
Very informative. Thank you for posting!
The walipini greenhouse is an awesome concept for insulation but it does seem like it would be difficult to get adequate light. I'd love to see some of these in person and how growers have made them work for them!
you can see one of these in Canada: th-cam.com/video/DPfmYNNo-4U/w-d-xo.html. They speak french but this is interesting as you can see the design at least.
I have an in ground greenhouse, 6 feet below grade. The "heat of the earth" idea is not true. It would be true of a pipe you buried that deep, but the glazing(greenhouse plastic) lets heat out faster than the earth could put it in
Thank you for this informational video its was really helpful to see the different styles of greenhouses.
Thank you for the video. Very helpful in my horticulture course at SRJC!
I would love to see a passive solar with a berm, or a huge dome! Can't get enough of bucky's design. Wish I could make something like the eden project in England for cheap but that would cost millions! Lol your vids are so good and informative I always wish they were longer or at least had one more often. I am always super excited when I see one of your vids pop into my subscription feed! Can't wait to come up there and take a tour one day.
I wouldn't worry about the length. As said by others, long isn't a problem if it is full of information like this one is.
At 17:50 I realized that was a fish tank. I freaked, was greatly unexpected lol
Also the passive solar, why not lay the barrels down sideways on the south wall and plant things over the barrels? They should get enough light to warm up, correct?
Hey, that was a great video and really thorough. Didn't realise Goths were so popular in the world of green houses. I searched for Chinese greenhouse and you came up. It has made me think about loads of things, which I'm now gonna draw. Cheers.
Glad you enjoyed!
@@Bigelowbrook I've just finishing sketching it all out. I used some charcoal bamboo I made for the first time. And that in itself was great. Thanks for getting back to me and the inspiration.
What considerations would you make for a greenhouse on the arctic circle? It's a bit complicated that in the summer the sun rises and sets in the north, and doesn't show up at all for a few weeks in the dead of winter. Yearly average temps of 4c, frosts 9 months of the year.
what type of greenhouse would you suggest to be the best for central/northern California? Am I right to use the arch type?
Great video, very informative and thank you for explaining about the Chinese greenhouse. That's the one I plan on trying to build and I didn't even know such existed! My garden is too small for a greenhouse so I thought my garden should become the greenhouse. The plan is to make the top cover retractable so I can dismantle it in the spring - it's a work in progress in my head at the moment. Any thoughts on this idea would be gratefully received. Regards, Poo
Very informative video. I like the solar greenhouse's use of water barrels, even if it's not always applied efficiently.
interesting but you got the walapini completely wrong, it should be oriented east west with south facing glazing. Its not just a clear roof over a hole in the ground. The whole idea of it is solar gain in the winter, and to minimize it in the summer. You can also build one without vertical walls, you can use the natural slump of the earth from ground level to the floor. and not have to have concrete foundation walls. Your take on the passive solar is more along the lines of the idea of the walapini, just sink it in the ground 4 feet. I am quite a bit south of you, so my needs are different, but I am planning on a pit probably with slumped sides where I can grow some cold weather crops, 4 rows of raised beds in cut down IBC totes, setting on 4 more rows of IBC totes for heat and water storage. There will be an 8 foot wide section in the center for some dwarf fruit trees as well. It will be covered with a 40 foot 45 degree arc of chain link top rail with poly over it. The heating will be taken care of via not only the normal solar gain, but also a solar trough collector and a circulating pump that will feed through all the totes. For a total solar mass of at a minimum, of 1925 gallons of water per 4 foot section of the greenhouse, not including the solar mass of the surrounding soil, or the soil in the totes.
Alon pannels would be neat to use to build a harsh climate green house design. 😊
Where are you in considering elevated solar arrays and growing food below the arrays?
This is becoming quite a thing in the midwest. I know you are an innovative soul and have pioneered and installed several growing structures.
In regard to light, it seems that food plants that require less light work best, with more light needy plants along the southern edges.
I am trying to get some light studies from universities experimenting with this concept.
I will be in touch.
Thanks for the video.
Excellent discussions. Helpful. Thanks.
Excellent little breakdown!
I really wish you had gone over info for ALL climates. I'm over here in the second hottest desert in the world shaking my head every time you mention "snow". From what I gather with this vid, a walipini or passive solar would be the best bet for desert climates but I'm not sure. PLEASE cover more climates!
if you're in a desert, probably the best option is to use an evaporative cooler.
you need a fun inside the greenhouse i am in very high temperature country
I personally love the longer videos. The more info the better. Especially when the presentation is professional quality. ;-)
this was very informational propagation guide to different types of greenhouses. Im really curious if you've had an academic experiences. I will say in Northern California we don't get very much snow, so factors of rain might apply to the greenhouse factors
17:48
"It takes a few hours for the sun to get around"
Is that really right? At least here where i live the sun raises as quarter to 9 and sets quarter past 3.
The effect of is that the sun is already at a almost 45 degree angle to the south when it raises.
There is also a fairly simple remedy to this. Set Mylar film on the side and rare walls (at last the last say 5 meters), then the end will get double sun exposure in the evening and morning compensating for the losses.
Great Video and very informative. Not to long as you kept changing the subject or greenhouse type. THANKS!
Great info! Thank you.
Hey Rob - I certainly enjoy longer videos more than shorter ones, but it's more likely that I'll watch the shorter ones first as it's easier to squeeze them in with a busy lifestyle. I suspect you'll get a higher number of views on short ones, but happier viewers from long ones. Cheers!!
+Jim Conner yup, you nailed it. I'm not a fan of watching anything too long either since I watch them when I have a couple of free minutes. I usually try to keep them at the 5 minute range. Plus editing something this long takes foooorrreverrrrrrrrrr!
Bigelow Brook Farm (Web4Deb) Well I for one very much appreciate your editing efforts. I know from experience how long it can take to edit together a video ( I spent over ten hours editing my aphids vs diatomaceous earth one together earlier this month )... but I didn't have to draw any diagrams or make animations for that one (nice artwork there Rob btw) - I'd guess that this greenhouse video represents about an hour's recording, followed by pretty much a whole day editing. Please know that your effort is very much appreciated. Cheers!!
Jim Conner you're close on the time. the original recording was 1hr:25min. Because of the diagrams, there's about 30 hours put into the post editing. Labor of love....I could make more working at Walmart. ;-) I'm glad everyone enjoys them!
Can you do a video over green house heating solutions?!? Plz and thank you
great video, would have appreciated it more if It had more of a high-level overview / comparison chart where we could see all the options / metrics laid out in a large table / pros/cons table
Thank you for all this great information! Do you have a recommendation for seasonal greenhouses that could go over existing garden beds for hobbyists?
I prefer the longer videos. Thanks for asking.
submerged geothermal greenhouses are top notch greenhouses though!
its not the length of the videos that are the problem its the content of the videos, have good content and it may go on forever :)
I enjoyed the cow in every picture
vlog length , no problem....but when you editorialize ,I prefer when things are explained by a quote bubble or a blurb that gives a time stamp about where the main idea you want to convey is... probably save time editing too. i hope i was able to convey what i mean ...great content more power to you p.s . have you seen the greenhouse in the snow video by kristen dirksen gets a body to thinkin hmmm
Walipini works in concept and practical if dug 2-3 feet down (earth floor with concrete walls) and earth built-up along outside wall to provide insulation. Works in Canada zone 4 for growing warmer zone fruit trees. It's all about insulation from worst of what winter has to offer. I'll link a video I recently watched of converted old barn below.
Video of converted old barn zone 4 into Walipini. th-cam.com/video/lnmpeYFBm54/w-d-xo.html
very informative, i like that you mentioned so many different types
1st and 2nd design, you could put a growing frame near the bottom of the support pole and grow climbing vines 😁😏😘 ...thank you for the info sir!
I like the one into the ground for personal use non commercial. And I would make it wide to eliminate shadows. With a 6 foot wide grow area. And 20 foot wide floor.
Very good information thank you for sharing
Thanks! You pointed out some considerations that never would have occurred to me.
dug in chinese style greenhouse has been my idea since i was a teen, its nice to be able to afford one soon!
You could use heating coils in between the buikdings in the gutter connect style so the snow doesn't build up 👌
Still watching? Of course I'm still watching. Couldn't leave before you got into Domes. :)
If snow is a concern, the Chinese style greenhouse uses two plastic layers, with the insulated blanket in between.
I appreciate very much. But I would like you to show, in detail the whole task.
Thanks
The walpini could be made with cob and heated by rocket stove. That would make it easier to accomplish anywhere at much lower expense, with lower heating costs, too.
i made very simple greenhouse,cheap and very strong,i have that greenhouse for more than 5 years,it is the best shape for high winds,it can be move easy where do you want,also we have lot of hail and the foil is perfect,hail can't go thru because of shape of greenhouse,greetings
do you have a video or any plans for this greenhouse you built?
a lot of info.. very nice.. I do however wish you'd have listed the wind gust rating of them.. I have to be careful of what type /kind of greenhouse I put up.. due to wind gust..
You would need to contact each manufacturer for information like this. Every structure is going to be different.
I like comprehensive work! take your time!
Yes I Iike to have everything. And not miss a thing!
longer ones seem to be better. love them
Thanks for your insight Rob, I am considerably further north than you, and I am in the process of deciding which structure would benefit me the most.
What you are calling a "Round Arch" is actually called a Quonset Hut. They have been in use for nearly 100 years in the military, farming, and multiple civilian applications.
Which would be the best starred greenhouse?