Joe - those aren't failures, they are something every gardener encounters. Great job and everyone learns from your project. You are moving in the right direction.
If he didn't bother to bury 6 in air pipe zigzag through the lawn 9ft down. Then yes it is a failure. Considering that they're capable of growing citrus in alliance Nebraska. Look up greenhouse in the snow. And Alliance NE gets down to-20 degrees during the winter. With the air pipe design you don't even need heaters whatsoever. You just need some fans to blow the air through the pipes. So if he was going to go this far to build it. He should have done it right.
@Pete yeah excavators are fun to use. Also you shouldn't get so offended when someone points out something is far superior.but then again you're probably just some chick on the internet.
Not really. If he was building it correctly he would have done buried Air pipe technology. Look up greenhouse in the snow. They're growing citrus in Alliance Nebraska. Just running some fans to push air through 6 in air pipe that's buried zigzagged 9ft down in the lawn. I'll admit the greenhouse looks cute. But function is superior to fashion any day of the week when it comes to off-grid living. And in reality he could have built the exact same greenhouse. And just buried the pipes.
@@otrogreandcorgi9818 Maybe you would like to post a video of your greenhouse with air pipe technology? You might try planting a humility plant in your greenhouse.
@@Guttersmart Or you could just look up Greenhouse In The Snow.. And see the guy who actually came up with the technology.🤨 The old guy is growing citrus and areas to get down to -20 during the winter. The just simple fans running are through pipes.🤔 But nice try at trying to be edgy. 🙄
Your honesty and transparency is worth more than any other playlist or how to video on TH-cam. Thanks for allowing us to use your failures and issues for ourselves to avoid. Been planning one of these for a long time and your videos have helped me immensely!
If I ever get to a point in life where this would be considered a failure, I would be an amazing craftsman. You've got some serious skill, man, don't talk yourself down! Thanks for sharing the whole journey!
I don't know if this helps you but mice won't chew through steel wool. I worked at an inner city school and learned that this is a well known thing in the project housing. It's worked well for me over the years.
I honestly think you have one of the best channels on TH-cam. You have a wide variety of subjects, you are honest and forthright. If you made a mistake you do not blame it on something else. We learn from our mistakes, that is natural. Where would we all be if our predecessors did not learn from their mistakes. The only person that does not make mistakes is the person who is not doing anything. I would love to have even a bermed greenhouse, we are at about 5,500' and 42 degrees Latitude so our last frost probably has not occurred yet. Thank you for your service, 1st responders keep us safe and healthy.
some of the most perplexing and frustrating people that I have ever met are those who refuse to admit ever making any mistake and doom themselves to repeating them over and over. Sadly it is difficult to be of help and people just give up.
Alan E thank you Alan! Those are some kind words and I greatly appreciate it! Thank you for watching these projects I work on. It’s always fun...even with the struggles that are presented too😀👍🙏
@homesteadonomics hey I really like what you have created, diging this out with a shovel must've been something crazy. The only thing I hate about this is this plastic tub idea, try to look at your beds and see how much wasted space is there which could've been included in the bed capacity. Just frame deep wooden bed, biggest size you can and fill it all with soil, your soil will have good drainage, will be able to breathe better, your abilities will be grater and results way way better. Great job, I love it!
After watching this and Handeeman's video today taking apart the ICF to redo the windows, I'm feeling better about some of the mistakes I've made around my place. I love your videos! Thanks for sharing!
It's always nice to see videos about the mistakes and how they are going to fix it or make it better. Everybody makes mistakes so it's not a bad thing, it's just nice to learn from them. :)
John Stewart thanks Uncle Beaver! Of course! And we are also redoing the entire garden so hopefully that’ll look much better than when you came down the first time😀👍
Yup....I'm living the trial & error life too. I spilled something on the manual, and I'm missing the instructions for life when it comes to just how many errors I'm supposed to be making.
Remember: If you fail about 100 more times you will be an expert. Thank you for sharing! NOTE: You are saving me a ton of time by learning through your experience :-)
I was surprised that he didn't do the buried airpipe geothermal technology. I mean if you're going to go to that much trouble to dig the hole and build a greenhouse. You should do it right.
@@otrogreandcorgi9818geesh dude, do you have your make the same comment on everyone else’s feedback? I think we get your point, no reason to be obtuse about it! There are still things to learn from this project & none of us are experts when we do new things & we all have unique resources, limitations & skills, there’s no reason to belittle someone who does something different than you think they should….not to mention it sounds like his temperature range is ideal without the buried air exchange.
I feel like this is definitely a win. I like that the concept is an overall success. There were some planting setbacks, but things are looking good. Good call too on the pests. That's something to think about.
I love the fact that everybody's like I have it all figured out but never even tried! Never took the time the money the resources to post a video! Great work!
You are being too hard on yourself. Your sunken greenhouse is so much better than the greenhouses others never got around to building, such as me. I would love to have a greenhouse, like yours. All-in-all you did a great job!
Joe, you're killing it! Please give us another tour. Gardening is an art and you have done a great thing here. Having a stable environment is key to growth. Thank you for providing this content. Very impressed.
You are an inspiration to those who have yet to be eagerly in your shoes! There are no failures - no mistakes - only a better way. Thank you for your honesty. You are doing great - keep going🌿
I started watching your channel because of the sunken greenhouse. You gardening will come up with time and experience. Thanks for sharing - I like to see how people do things, and the problems that arise. This will help me immensely with what I do.
Mistakes!? You learn by doing and you have learned a lot. Sunpits are fantastic; low to the ground, aesthetically pleasing to look at and not to mention functional. You've done a great job.
The structure and over all build of the sucken greenhouse is amazing. You understand what the actually problems are. Keep moving forward! I love seeing an update video of yours in my TH-cam feed. LOVE all your water storage videos too! Thanks!
You've done well. Every job we do for the first time will always give us opportunity to improve. We're wired that way. I really like your sunken greenhouse!
Joe, I think you built the Most Excellent Greenhouse 👍 Now you are learning to garden. Give yourself a few years learning curve. I'm 65 and still learning 👌
I had an aquaponics system using the same plastic cement basins. They seemed like a good idea at the time. I ended up with carrots shaped like turnips. Farming is not easy on any scale. Keep at it. I am.
For the pack rats and mice, we use half flour and bicarbonate soda in a cool whip bowl with a hole cut in the side of it large enough to allow them to enter, the lid keeps any rain from entering. mix the flour and baking soda really well. It works because the rodents like the taste of the flour but when they eat it they also get baking soda. when it hits their stomach it produces gas that they can't pass, kills them in just a few minutes. I had a rodent problem in my workshop the pest control people couldn't stop, I tried this and it worked in just three days.
Thanks for being honest about the progress from the start. I built a small Geothermal Green house in Wyoming, and have gone through several like challenges but the learning's have helped it become the model for the next large scale one we build. One thhing I might suggest is to put in a water tank that you can add soluble fertilizer to. you can then add nitrogen in early development and then swap to the flowering mode. Alternatively deep well drained soil with the addition of light chicken manure works well but the nitrogen is high. (more plant than fruit) If you place steel wool in the closure holes then spray foam (anti rodent stuff) you can rid it of them.
I watched all the videos while you were building this greenhouse and appreciate the updates. I live in Tempe and would eventually like to put in a sunken greenhouse with modifications to mitigate the extreme heat in the summer. Your greenhouse has been my inspiration.
Frederick Littlefield yes, little steps towards hopefully future success. Should have a garden bed video coming up and you’ll see the plants from here replanted in those beds looking much better than in this video😀🤞
Nice video, thanks for sharing the mistakes. I am planning to build a green house based on the same concept. Mine would be on the side of a south facing slope. Now I know what to look out for. I am looking forward to the next video.
Desert Owl Forge yes, a sloped hill would be better than digging down like this one. Less digging and no potential for drainage problems. Of course would don’t have those here😂
@@homesteadonomics , I can't even dig where I am at. We have like 2" of top soil then solid bedrock. If I remember correctly, you had some tough times digging it out. What was that, decomposing granit?
We just bought 35 acres and starting our homestead from scratch and we really appreciate you sharing your learning experiences it definitely helps us as we have just built a 1200 sq ft greenhouse thanks for the info and keep the videos coming.
Your project is going well. There are always set-backs, ways to improve or modify and other things which allow you to continue to refine your greenhouse. No one can anticipate or plan for every single contingency when it is a first time project. Keep the faith and continue to improve and adjust your greenhouse to fit your family and how you utilize the build. Thanks for the complete picture of good and bad.
I AM going to make a 40x16 sunken G H here in texas due to the high winds we get in the panhandle, I was dubious of the temp reg arms on the venting, Im so glad to hear that they are working as planned, my design will probably incorporate a water wall supplyed with rain harvesting into blk 55gal tanks on the north wall,,THANX so much for sharing your failures, knowledge is power,, you have empowered us ALL !
You have a great thing going there So, please be glad..... The tomatoes need to be in deeper pots for root development. Add some soil to the shallow grow trays. Remember, potting soil has no nutrients. It's just a growing medium. You're so brave to jump in with a grow house, it looks good, am envious. Keep up the good work.
No problem with your greenhouse Joe. Growing plants in there is a different skill level than outdoors. Don't give up, you just have to spend a little more time and effort in there. We have a similar sized greenhouse and still have difficulties after 20 years. I love your videos.
Thank you for sharing that too. It is important to cultivate error/failure resilience, and that is something that you are modelling here very well. I always enjoy your videos.
Thank you! Thank you for sharing your successes, challenges, and all that you've learned through this process! I am in the midst of returning to my small town, rural roots and your channel gives me tons of inspiration and guidance. Fall down 8 times, get up 9. Keep it up!
I start trapping in my greenhouse 1 month prior to putting any plants in there. Anything I am seeding in the greenhouse gets covered with hardware cloth to discourage rodents from digging up the seeds.Pest control is a year-round task in a greenhouse. They find a way in. Cucumbers and tomatoes are heavy feeders requiring large soil volumes, plenty of water, and regular fertilization. Your tub system might work for lettuce. If you are growing transplants for your outdoor gardens, individual pots for each plant allows you to keep roots undisturbed at transplant, plant out each plant as it is ready, and is standard practice proven to work rather than trying to invent something new with a limited knowledge base. You're learning a lot the hard way. Reading up on growing transplants for your garden will get you learning through both successes and the inevitable crop failures. You can build experience and become a really good grower over time! You're going to need more airflow in there. But I've commented that before. Good luck with your fall crops!
thank you for the video up date,, dont feel bad even on coustom/ factory green houses you still have to tweak them to your wants and needs, that is one great idea you have, dont give up on it ,, be strong, be safe, and be blessed,,,
Nice vid Joe. Giving up is not you. That's what makes watching you, given the struggles, so entertaining. Hope you and your family are well. God bless.
I have always learned more from my failures than I have ever learned from my successes. The key is to be able to turn it around and I am sure you will! Thanks for the video
She was so little! 😭 They grow up so fast! Love the nighttime shot. I am fixin to watch that whole build again.... and dream of the day when we finally have a chance to build this. 🤔 Maybe if I start digging now, I will be done in 2 years when our house is finally finished. 😆 Seriously you did an amazing job!!!
Te agradezco y valoro tu trabajo. Por supuesto el proceso es más importante que el resultado. Permite ver los errores, los aciertos y disfrutar el camino. Gracias por tu aporte. ¡Salud desde Paraguay!
glad you're growing all those greens! I had no idea there was an actual rat called a pack rat. I just thought that was a person who never gets rid of anything! 😁
I am glad you made this video! Mistakes are part of life! Please don't not make videos because of them! Oh and procrastination is part of life too! Anyways.. Thanks!
Just great job on Green house. Such humbleness, clarity in explanation, first time right job and best everything you touch bring on the smile. Realistic, inspiring and job well done. I saw once and subscribed without delay. You bring smiles.Respect and lols
Please stop beating yourself up you’ve done a beautiful job you figure out what the problems were fixed them and you’re moving on don’t let the devil get in your way. God bless you my friend
The only mistake you could have made , was not building your sunken greenhouse, you've built it, (and it's massive job) seen where you can improve things , an improved them , and I'm pretty sure 10 yrs down the road you will still be improving an learning , you're a very inspiring guy Always look forward to your vids
I appreciate your candor. And also that you are able to ammendment and rectify your hard won work. Many will appreciate what you've done. When you get it to a point where you are satisfied then you should write the book!
I really like your honest videos I like to see errors and the corrections.its how you repair,learn from the damage and continue on.i would like to see regular seasonal site updates as to how plants are growing Or not.many thanks for your ongoing videos
The best results in my regular greenhouse are plants in containers at least a foot deep. I use 5 gallon buckets with holes , some bigger recycled containers and some horse troughs with holes. The pepper plants 12" deep and basil plants 6" x5.5". Your underground grnhs looks great! Keep at it, your almost there. I have to redo some raised beds, vertical posts don't do well in snow, they drew moisture in and rotted. My horizontal 4 board rectangles attached at ends of wood lasted 17 years.
This is a cool project which I might be able to translate into using in hot and humid tropical environment here where I live in the NW Caribbean Sea. Cool stuff Bro.
Diana Blanke thank you! I’m a continual learner In most of my projects....because I end up making many of the same mistakes over again😂. But I suppose it just reinforces that knowledge better for that future😀👍
I enjoyed the entire "Sunken Greenhouse" series. I wouldn't say you've had failures, just early attempts at success! In my view the whole thing is a success.
great idea of course one would want coarse stainless steel but that listed for rodents is way over priced. Stuffing a hole around our dishwasher solved them chewing up the dis charge after three times.
...geo out side the greenhouse some peppermint...it spreads fast...any peppermint will help keep rodents away ... leant that from farmers who put it in the cabs of tractors so mice don’t set up house keeping ...and it works well for them ...
I 2nd (3rd or 4th...) this plan. We've had similar problems. If you have them, Ace Hardware sells double-ought steel wool, which fills gaps better for all size pests, that's very inexpensive.
I've watched this build progress and have been impressed with your craftsmanship. Thanks for your ideas and honesty about what does and does not work. Failure in food production is becoming a non option.
At least you are learning what doesn't work or can be improved. I call everything I do at my place an experiment. I make plans and know that I will need to do about 4 improved versions. As it stands my combo Ruth Stout beds and Back to Eden beds seem to be more on the side of failure. My hugelkulture raised beds are great. But my other beds will be started next year with woven weed fabric. My straw mulch seems to have to many weeds in the beds. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Nothing wrong with making mistakes. In fact you can't learn without making mistakes. People that dont make mistakes haven't done anything. Botany is a complex subject. Eventually your plants will thrive. So yeah don't worry too much. Your greenhouse looks amazing. That warm golden glow in the evening sun looks marvellous.
Nicely done! I too live in the high desert (5600 ft) and the sunken greenhouse is the way to go. 50 degree or more temperature swings that day are not uncommon around here. I am going with the double wall solexx plan over the single wall. Your vids have helped push me abit with my project that I have spent two yrs on. chuckle...(We had started out with a 30'x100' hoop house with full intentions of making it into a fully automated sunken greenhouse). We are still working on that. Now that I have a backhoe available, the sunken part is now doable. No hand digging for me! sheesh I would want the project done before my gray hair turns to silver or non existent. Thanks again for the motivation and congrats on your greenhouse.
Hi, you are being too hard on yourself. Your greenhouse looks so well built. You have good ideas and you actually go out and build your ideas. I wish I had your skills and strength. Things happen and you just adjust and change. Now, I can’t wait to see your new projects.
Steel wool and spray foam for gaps. My first house was a rental and had a horrible mice problem. I kept sealing rooms and doors till i got them out. + traps, cornmeal concrete....
I've been following along since you started. Thank you for the insightful review. I've been interested in building a sunken greenhouse for awhile and just needed a place to build one.
Up front, I only watched one or two of the 'series'. But, it was/is a major part of my inspiration to do the same type of sub-terrain greenhouse! I thank you sir for your honestly and forthright presentation. I think a cat will be a great addition to mine (with accompanied netting around plants). Also, appropriate soil depth as well as specific watering cycles and light exposure specifics.
The yellowing could be down to lack of nutrients. You have an awful lot of plants in 1 small container, they'll take up what's nutrients are there very quickly. I'd suggest that you only have 1 squash plant in one of them boxes. Possibly have the larger tomato plant on the floor rather than the side. It's got a long way to grow yet. You could look into tumbling variety tomatoes. Hang them in baskets from the ceiling to keep the pest free.
S Haswell yes, I think you’re right. I plan to do a thin little bed at the base of that north retaining wall too. I think that would be a great area to grow some of the things that need to expand upwards😀👍
Yep squash need at least 6” more room for roots depending on the squash you could fit up to 3 you probably made the mistake with calcium like I did reverse partially with 1/2 cup milk per gallon I think it was .What’s the thought on when your plants get 5-16 ft tall?
I looked this up to see if I would be able to accomplish something like this in AZ! Wow guess I found exactly what I’m looking for. Thanks very much for documenting the process. Excited to explore my options.
Thx for taking the hit by experimenting. I used to be a mechanical designer for an engineering firm so I knoew a bit more about heat retention. My own sunken greenhouse is running quite welll and I have taken a few clues from your build. If you are ever coming to N Utah, hit me up and I will show you my own.
Adam Dasuqi yes I agree! I’ve failed and learned a ton in my time of doing projects! Many things are easier now....but my continual changing of projects and experimentation will make sure that I keep learning a lot...haha... but that’s okay by me. I’d rather know a little about a lot of different things 😀👍
Thank you so much for sharing you are my inspiration. Sharing your failures I promise you is just as valuable if not more to a new greenhouse grower as myself ty
I love what you do . It is easy to see mistakes keep fixing them make improvements as you go. Doing nothing is no productive. We learn as you do the updates. Thank you for sharing. Keep up the good work 💪
Not so bad after all, I was worried it was a total fail, but glad it’s turned out well with a couple of tweaks. Looks great, thank you for the update. I’d love to try this at home in U.K. Many small ready made greenhouses here are so low in height, you have to add a high concrete block or wood base to stand up in them. Now we’re moving to a house on a hill, I don’t have to worry about flooding.
Joe - those aren't failures, they are something every gardener encounters. Great job and everyone learns from your project. You are moving in the right direction.
If he didn't bother to bury 6 in air pipe zigzag through the lawn 9ft down. Then yes it is a failure.
Considering that they're capable of growing citrus in alliance Nebraska.
Look up greenhouse in the snow.
And Alliance NE gets down to-20 degrees during the winter.
With the air pipe design you don't even need heaters whatsoever.
You just need some fans to blow the air through the pipes.
So if he was going to go this far to build it. He should have done it right.
@@otrogreandcorgi9818 - Try digging 9 feet down once. Let me know how much fun you have.
@Pete yeah excavators are fun to use.
Also you shouldn't get so offended when someone points out something is far superior.but then again you're probably just some chick on the internet.
GAHT! Just getting mine going and seeing how it will work! Mines above ground. I do have a heater I don’t want to utilize very much.
I don't see failure, I see work in progress and a learning process. Which is the fun part of doing anything.
Your standards are exceptional.
Far beyond most. One of the finest greenhouses out there.
Not a failure in my opinion.
Hexafoose thank you hexafoose! 😀🙏
...you did build a fine greenhouse ...
Not really. If he was building it correctly he would have done buried Air pipe technology.
Look up greenhouse in the snow. They're growing citrus in Alliance Nebraska.
Just running some fans to push air through 6 in air pipe that's buried zigzagged 9ft down in the lawn.
I'll admit the greenhouse looks cute. But function is superior to fashion any day of the week when it comes to off-grid living.
And in reality he could have built the exact same greenhouse. And just buried the pipes.
@@otrogreandcorgi9818 Maybe you would like to post a video of your greenhouse with air pipe technology? You might try planting a humility plant in your greenhouse.
@@Guttersmart Or you could just look up Greenhouse In The Snow.. And see the guy who actually came up with the technology.🤨
The old guy is growing citrus and areas to get down to -20 during the winter. The just simple fans running are through pipes.🤔
But nice try at trying to be edgy. 🙄
Your honesty and transparency is worth more than any other playlist or how to video on TH-cam. Thanks for allowing us to use your failures and issues for ourselves to avoid. Been planning one of these for a long time and your videos have helped me immensely!
If I ever get to a point in life where this would be considered a failure, I would be an amazing craftsman. You've got some serious skill, man, don't talk yourself down!
Thanks for sharing the whole journey!
I don't know if this helps you but mice won't chew through steel wool. I worked at an inner city school and learned that this is a well known thing in the project housing. It's worked well for me over the years.
Expanding foam with steel wool stopped our critters from coming in.
UpCycle Engineer I definitely think that’s the way I’m gonna have to go😀👍🙏🙏
That's smart
Dude yes.
Awesome tidbit
Oooh, I love that stuff. No pun intended.
I'm inspired by your project 😉 it is an ideal project for Africa's tough climate
Holy crap! You dug this with a shovel? Your a bad dude!
I honestly think you have one of the best channels on TH-cam. You have a wide variety of subjects, you are honest and forthright. If you made a mistake you do not blame it on something else. We learn from our mistakes, that is natural. Where would we all be if our predecessors did not learn from their mistakes. The only person that does not make mistakes is the person who is not doing anything. I would love to have even a bermed greenhouse, we are at about 5,500' and 42 degrees Latitude so our last frost probably has not occurred yet. Thank you for your service, 1st responders keep us safe and healthy.
some of the most perplexing and frustrating people that I have ever met are those who refuse to admit ever making any mistake and doom themselves to repeating them over and over. Sadly it is difficult to be of help and people just give up.
Alan E thank you Alan! Those are some kind words and I greatly appreciate it! Thank you for watching these projects I work on. It’s always fun...even with the struggles that are presented too😀👍🙏
@homesteadonomics hey I really like what you have created, diging this out with a shovel must've been something crazy. The only thing I hate about this is this plastic tub idea, try to look at your beds and see how much wasted space is there which could've been included in the bed capacity. Just frame deep wooden bed, biggest size you can and fill it all with soil, your soil will have good drainage, will be able to breathe better, your abilities will be grater and results way way better. Great job, I love it!
Damn i was watching this years ago and youtube finally recommended it to me again...what a difference
After watching this and Handeeman's video today taking apart the ICF to redo the windows, I'm feeling better about some of the mistakes I've made around my place. I love your videos! Thanks for sharing!
same here. I subscribe to both channels and consider these two to be some of the smartest on TH-cam (mistakes and all).
RedHotFiat thanks for checking it out! Mistakes are all part of the process😀👍
T455 thank you!
It's always nice to see videos about the mistakes and how they are going to fix it or make it better. Everybody makes mistakes so it's not a bad thing, it's just nice to learn from them. :)
Joe, this is actually my favorite of all your projects! Keeping working of it I want an onsite tour the next time we're in AZ. Beaver
John Stewart thanks Uncle Beaver! Of course! And we are also redoing the entire garden so hopefully that’ll look much better than when you came down the first time😀👍
The greenhouse looks great brother! Trial and error is the story of life. Keep up the innovation, conversation and determination!
You being impressed by aesthetics just shows you don't actually know the technology. You seem like a common born.
Yup....I'm living the trial & error life too. I spilled something on the manual, and I'm missing the instructions for life when it comes to just how many errors I'm supposed to be making.
Your redemptive attitude is on the mark. You are continually learning and becoming a better gardener.
P.H. Magee thanks for checking it out! Always trying to improve😀👍
Remember: If you fail about 100 more times you will be an expert. Thank you for sharing!
NOTE: You are saving me a ton of time by learning through your experience :-)
Tim Favreau thank you Tim! I agree....and I’m well on my way to becoming expert in several things...haha....lots of mistakes. Thanks for watching! 😀👍
I was surprised that he didn't do the buried airpipe geothermal technology.
I mean if you're going to go to that much trouble to dig the hole and build a greenhouse. You should do it right.
@@otrogreandcorgi9818geesh dude, do you have your make the same comment on everyone else’s feedback? I think we get your point, no reason to be obtuse about it! There are still things to learn from this project & none of us are experts when we do new things & we all have unique resources, limitations & skills, there’s no reason to belittle someone who does something different than you think they should….not to mention it sounds like his temperature range is ideal without the buried air exchange.
I feel like this is definitely a win. I like that the concept is an overall success. There were some planting setbacks, but things are looking good.
Good call too on the pests. That's something to think about.
Green Dream Project oh man I can’t tell you the words I said each time I came in and saw beans or pepper chewed off😂
Just when I thought I had a brilliant idea TH-cam recommends a sunken greenhouse
Greenhouse seems to be working well. Just a learning curve with gardening. Doing good.
I love the fact that everybody's like I have it all figured out but never even tried! Never took the time the money the resources to post a video! Great work!
You are being too hard on yourself. Your sunken greenhouse is so much better than the greenhouses others never got around to building, such as me. I would love to have a greenhouse, like yours. All-in-all you did a great job!
Joe, you're killing it! Please give us another tour. Gardening is an art and you have done a great thing here. Having a stable environment is key to growth. Thank you for providing this content. Very impressed.
We all learn by doing Joe.
This concept is great and I imagine there are a lot of people...including myself...that benefit a lot from your videos.
Gregory Thomas thank you Gregory! And sorry for the super slow reply! 😀👍
We cant't even plant outside until the middle of May! Love to have a greenhouse like that.
KAL B. Thanks for checking it out😀👍
You are an inspiration to those who have yet to be eagerly in your shoes! There are no failures - no mistakes - only a better way. Thank you for your honesty. You are doing great - keep going🌿
I started watching your channel because of the sunken greenhouse. You gardening will come up with time and experience. Thanks for sharing - I like to see how people do things, and the problems that arise. This will help me immensely with what I do.
Mistakes!? You learn by doing and you have learned a lot. Sunpits are fantastic; low to the ground, aesthetically pleasing to look at and not to mention functional. You've done a great job.
I think sometimes we’re our own worst critic, your talent and work ethic are levels above some of the other hacks I follow. You did great!
The structure and over all build of the sucken greenhouse is amazing. You understand what the actually problems are. Keep moving forward! I love seeing an update video of yours in my TH-cam feed. LOVE all your water storage videos too! Thanks!
You've done well. Every job we do for the first time will always give us opportunity to improve. We're wired that way. I really like your sunken greenhouse!
Sand Hollow Homestead thank you!
km
Joe, I think you built the Most Excellent Greenhouse 👍
Now you are learning to garden. Give yourself a few years learning curve. I'm 65 and still learning 👌
I had an aquaponics system using the same plastic cement basins. They seemed like a good idea at the time. I ended up with carrots shaped like turnips. Farming is not easy on any scale. Keep at it. I am.
For the pack rats and mice, we use half flour and bicarbonate soda in a cool whip bowl with a hole cut in the side of it large enough to allow them to enter, the lid keeps any rain from entering. mix the flour and baking soda really well. It works because the rodents like the taste of the flour but when they eat it they also get baking soda. when it hits their stomach it produces gas that they can't pass, kills them in just a few minutes. I had a rodent problem in my workshop the pest control people couldn't stop, I tried this and it worked in just three days.
You probably have one of the best looking Greenhouses that I’ve seen. Nice work!
Thanks for being honest about the progress from the start. I built a small Geothermal Green house in Wyoming, and have gone through several like challenges but the learning's have helped it become the model for the next large scale one we build. One thhing I might suggest is to put in a water tank that you can add soluble fertilizer to. you can then add nitrogen in early development and then swap to the flowering mode. Alternatively deep well drained soil with the addition of light chicken manure works well but the nitrogen is high. (more plant than fruit) If you place steel wool in the closure holes then spray foam (anti rodent stuff) you can rid it of them.
I watched all the videos while you were building this greenhouse and appreciate the updates. I live in Tempe and would eventually like to put in a sunken greenhouse with modifications to mitigate the extreme heat in the summer. Your greenhouse has been my inspiration.
Glad to know that I am not the only one struggling in the garden. It looks like you are making progress there. Keep it up.
Frederick Littlefield yes, little steps towards hopefully future success. Should have a garden bed video coming up and you’ll see the plants from here replanted in those beds looking much better than in this video😀🤞
Nice video, thanks for sharing the mistakes. I am planning to build a green house based on the same concept. Mine would be on the side of a south facing slope. Now I know what to look out for. I am looking forward to the next video.
Desert Owl Forge yes, a sloped hill would be better than digging down like this one. Less digging and no potential for drainage problems. Of course would don’t have those here😂
@@homesteadonomics , I can't even dig where I am at. We have like 2" of top soil then solid bedrock. If I remember correctly, you had some tough times digging it out. What was that, decomposing granit?
I'd like to say thank you for showing us such great content,from the chicken coop to knife build,everything is just awesome, 👍
Iron Age thank you so much!
We just bought 35 acres and starting our homestead from scratch and we really appreciate you sharing your learning experiences it definitely helps us as we have just built a 1200 sq ft greenhouse thanks for the info and keep the videos coming.
Your project is going well. There are always set-backs, ways to improve or modify and other things which allow you to continue to refine your greenhouse. No one can anticipate or plan for every single contingency when it is a first time project. Keep the faith and continue to improve and adjust your greenhouse to fit your family and how you utilize the build. Thanks for the complete picture of good and bad.
Thanks for showing us the most important features... the ones that failed. I appreciate it that you can share them.
Thanks for sharing both you successes and failures. They are both extremely useful and I feel I learn from both equally.
I AM going to make a 40x16 sunken G H here in texas due to the high winds we get in the panhandle, I was dubious of the temp reg arms on the venting, Im so glad to hear that they are working as planned, my design will probably incorporate a water wall supplyed with rain harvesting into blk 55gal tanks on the north wall,,THANX so much for sharing your failures, knowledge is power,, you have empowered us ALL !
You have a great thing going there So, please be glad..... The tomatoes need to be in deeper pots for root development. Add some soil to the shallow grow trays. Remember, potting soil has no nutrients. It's just a growing medium. You're so brave to jump in with a grow house, it looks good, am envious. Keep up the good work.
Teresa Smith thank you!
No problem with your greenhouse Joe. Growing plants in there is a different skill level than outdoors. Don't give up, you just have to spend a little more time and effort in there. We have a similar sized greenhouse and still have difficulties after 20 years. I love your videos.
Thank you for sharing that too. It is important to cultivate error/failure resilience, and that is something that you are modelling here very well. I always enjoy your videos.
Thank you! Thank you for sharing your successes, challenges, and all that you've learned through this process! I am in the midst of returning to my small town, rural roots and your channel gives me tons of inspiration and guidance. Fall down 8 times, get up 9. Keep it up!
I start trapping in my greenhouse 1 month prior to putting any plants in there. Anything I am seeding in the greenhouse gets covered with hardware cloth to discourage rodents from digging up the seeds.Pest control is a year-round task in a greenhouse. They find a way in.
Cucumbers and tomatoes are heavy feeders requiring large soil volumes, plenty of water, and regular fertilization. Your tub system might work for lettuce. If you are growing transplants for your outdoor gardens, individual pots for each plant allows you to keep roots undisturbed at transplant, plant out each plant as it is ready, and is standard practice proven to work rather than trying to invent something new with a limited knowledge base. You're learning a lot the hard way. Reading up on growing transplants for your garden will get you learning through both successes and the inevitable crop failures. You can build experience and become a really good grower over time!
You're going to need more airflow in there. But I've commented that before. Good luck with your fall crops!
Pat Black yes I agree trapping early will be a must. And airflow I agree also😀👍
Try some sweet feed in a 5 gallon bucket
Best video I have seen in a long time. Keep in mind, "experience" is another name for "mistakes." I have a lot of experience in life.
thank you for the video up date,, dont feel bad even on coustom/ factory green houses you still have to tweak them to your wants and needs, that is one great idea you have, dont give up on it ,, be strong, be safe, and be blessed,,,
Learning is painful sometimes but when we figure it out, wow! we feel like we are super!! 🙃 I have been enjoying your videos, learning...so thank you!
D E thank you for following along!
It's been a very enjoyable project to watch progress! Keep up the good work and stay safe. Respect from Ireland
Patrick O'Donoghue thank you Patrick! And great to hear from Ireland! 😀👍
Nice vid Joe. Giving up is not you. That's what makes watching you, given the struggles, so entertaining. Hope you and your family are well. God bless.
I have always learned more from my failures than I have ever learned from my successes. The key is to be able to turn it around and I am sure you will! Thanks for the video
Charles Zimmermann thanks for checking it out!
You live and you learn. You've done more than most. Good job and thumbs up!!!!!
She was so little! 😭 They grow up so fast! Love the nighttime shot. I am fixin to watch that whole build again.... and dream of the day when we finally have a chance to build this. 🤔 Maybe if I start digging now, I will be done in 2 years when our house is finally finished. 😆 Seriously you did an amazing job!!!
Te agradezco y valoro tu trabajo. Por supuesto el proceso es más importante que el resultado. Permite ver los errores, los aciertos y disfrutar el camino. Gracias por tu aporte. ¡Salud desde Paraguay!
glad you're growing all those greens! I had no idea there was an actual rat called a pack rat. I just thought that was a person who never gets rid of anything! 😁
I am glad you made this video! Mistakes are part of life! Please don't not make videos because of them! Oh and procrastination is part of life too! Anyways.. Thanks!
S White I’m a professional procrastinator😂. Thanks for watching😀🙏👍
Just great job on Green house. Such humbleness, clarity in explanation, first time right job and best everything you touch bring on the smile. Realistic, inspiring and job well done. I saw once and subscribed without delay. You bring smiles.Respect and lols
Please stop beating yourself up you’ve done a beautiful job you figure out what the problems were fixed them and you’re moving on don’t let the devil get in your way. God bless you my friend
This is still a success, I've learn a lot from your experience. Well done young man
I Loved it, It will b great to plant cachucha pepper....u r amazing.,b safe, God bless you n your family too......
The only mistake you could have made , was not building your sunken greenhouse, you've built it, (and it's massive job) seen where you can improve things , an improved them , and I'm pretty sure 10 yrs down the road you will still be improving an learning , you're a very inspiring guy
Always look forward to your vids
I appreciate your candor. And also that you are able to ammendment and rectify your hard won work.
Many will appreciate what you've done. When you get it to a point where you are satisfied then you should write the book!
I really like your honest videos I like to see errors and the corrections.its how you repair,learn from the damage and continue on.i would like to see regular seasonal site updates as to how plants are growing Or not.many thanks for your ongoing videos
The best results in my regular greenhouse are plants in containers at least a foot deep. I use 5 gallon buckets with holes , some bigger recycled containers and some horse troughs with holes. The pepper plants 12" deep and basil plants 6" x5.5". Your underground grnhs looks great! Keep at it, your almost there. I have to redo some raised beds, vertical posts don't do well in snow, they drew moisture in and rotted. My horizontal 4 board rectangles attached at ends of wood lasted 17 years.
I hope you never lose your youth! Keep on growing and building man 👍🏼
Totaly great stuff, mate ! Thanks a lot for inspiering me in so many ways !!
Thank you for your honesty. Great job and keep on moving forward.
This is a cool project which I might be able to translate into using in hot and humid tropical environment here where I live in the NW Caribbean Sea. Cool stuff Bro.
Great stuff as always Joe! You always do such a good job of "Lessons Learned" on these things to help spread the knowledge! Cheers my friend!
Canadian Sasquatch thanks Steve! Sorry for the late response! How are you doing down in TX?
You live and you learn. I think it is great!
Diana Blanke thank you! I’m a continual learner In most of my projects....because I end up making many of the same mistakes over again😂. But I suppose it just reinforces that knowledge better for that future😀👍
@@homesteadonomics creative people make mistakes, sometimes serendipity occurs and you stumble upon something you can actually patent.
I enjoyed the entire "Sunken Greenhouse" series. I wouldn't say you've had failures, just early attempts at success! In my view the whole thing is a success.
You might use steel wool stuffed in the holes where the critters are getting in. It cuts there mouth and they will go else where.
lauren22megan23 I agree, and it would be easily moldable to the corrugations. Thanks for checking it out😀👍
great idea of course one would want coarse stainless steel but that listed for rodents is way over priced. Stuffing a hole around our dishwasher solved them chewing up the dis charge after three times.
...geo out side the greenhouse some peppermint...it spreads fast...any peppermint will help keep rodents away ... leant that from farmers who put it in the cabs of tractors so mice don’t set up house keeping ...and it works well for them ...
I 2nd (3rd or 4th...) this plan. We've had similar problems. If you have them, Ace Hardware sells double-ought steel wool, which fills gaps better for all size pests, that's very inexpensive.
Bronze wool will not rust as readily. You can get bronze mesh on Amazon for rodent control.
I've watched this build progress and have been impressed with your craftsmanship. Thanks for your ideas and honesty about what does and does not work. Failure in food production is becoming a non option.
Definitely NOT a failure buddy! Well done!!! Love and Respect.
At least you are learning what doesn't work or can be improved. I call everything I do at my place an experiment. I make plans and know that I will need to do about 4 improved versions. As it stands my combo Ruth Stout beds and Back to Eden beds seem to be more on the side of failure. My hugelkulture raised beds are great. But my other beds will be started next year with woven weed fabric. My straw mulch seems to have to many weeds in the beds.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Nothing wrong with making mistakes. In fact you can't learn without making mistakes. People that dont make mistakes haven't done anything.
Botany is a complex subject.
Eventually your plants will thrive. So yeah don't worry too much.
Your greenhouse looks amazing.
That warm golden glow in the evening sun looks marvellous.
Nicely done! I too live in the high desert (5600 ft) and the sunken greenhouse is the way to go. 50 degree or more temperature swings that day are not uncommon around here. I am going with the double wall solexx plan over the single wall.
Your vids have helped push me abit with my project that I have spent two yrs on. chuckle...(We had started out with a 30'x100' hoop house with full intentions of making it into a fully automated sunken greenhouse). We are still working on that. Now that I have a backhoe available, the sunken part is now doable. No hand digging for me! sheesh I would want the project done before my gray hair turns to silver or non existent.
Thanks again for the motivation and congrats on your greenhouse.
Hi, you are being too hard on yourself. Your greenhouse looks so well built. You have good ideas and you actually go out and build your ideas. I wish I had your skills and strength. Things happen and you just adjust and change. Now, I can’t wait to see your new projects.
Thanks for the tip of using the concrete mixing tubs
Steel wool and spray foam for gaps. My first house was a rental and had a horrible mice problem. I kept sealing rooms and doors till i got them out. + traps, cornmeal concrete....
Joe Schmoe I think the foam and steel wool is definitely the way to go😀👍
I've been following along since you started. Thank you for the insightful review. I've been interested in building a sunken greenhouse for awhile and just needed a place to build one.
Thanks for sharing the real world workings... I am working on making one now, planing to use the vents you added.
Just starting to watch. I don't know about those challenges and failures along the way but the end result looks phenomenal.
Awesome. I love the idea of it.
If you ever make boxes with not enough soil, no lmao, just add a little soil everyday as the plants grow
Up front, I only watched one or two of the 'series'.
But, it was/is a major part of my inspiration to do the same type of sub-terrain greenhouse!
I thank you sir for your honestly and forthright presentation.
I think a cat will be a great addition to mine (with accompanied netting around plants).
Also, appropriate soil depth as well as specific watering cycles and light exposure specifics.
The yellowing could be down to lack of nutrients. You have an awful lot of plants in 1 small container, they'll take up what's nutrients are there very quickly.
I'd suggest that you only have 1 squash plant in one of them boxes. Possibly have the larger tomato plant on the floor rather than the side. It's got a long way to grow yet. You could look into tumbling variety tomatoes. Hang them in baskets from the ceiling to keep the pest free.
S Haswell yes, I think you’re right. I plan to do a thin little bed at the base of that north retaining wall too. I think that would be a great area to grow some of the things that need to expand upwards😀👍
The square foot garden book is a good recourse
I don't think it's number of plants but the onions. Onions are heavy feeders and I don't think some of the other plants grow well with them.
Yep squash need at least 6” more room for roots depending on the squash you could fit up to 3 you probably made the mistake with calcium like I did reverse partially with 1/2 cup milk per gallon I think it was .What’s the thought on when your plants get 5-16 ft tall?
I looked this up to see if I would be able to accomplish something like this in AZ! Wow guess I found exactly what I’m looking for. Thanks very much for documenting the process. Excited to explore my options.
Allelopathic plants, dude, and hardware cloth. Also French drains... The building looks amazing btw.
Thx for taking the hit by experimenting. I used to be a mechanical designer for an engineering firm so I knoew a bit more about heat retention. My own sunken greenhouse is running quite welll and I have taken a few clues from your build. If you are ever coming to N Utah, hit me up and I will show you my own.
Great job! I love it!! The best successes come from the experience of failures. Always learn from the method; never squander the lesson!
Adam Dasuqi yes I agree! I’ve failed and learned a ton in my time of doing projects! Many things are easier now....but my continual changing of projects and experimentation will make sure that I keep learning a lot...haha... but that’s okay by me. I’d rather know a little about a lot of different things 😀👍
Cool to see an update on this, I definitely want to try something similar in the future!
Fresh From The Garden thanks for checking it out! 😀👍🙏
A t-shirt when it's in the teens outside? I'd say this was a smashing success!
Thank you so much for sharing you are my inspiration. Sharing your failures I promise you is just as valuable if not more to a new greenhouse grower as myself ty
I'm impressed. Everything looks great and healthy. Good work.
I love what you do . It is easy to see mistakes keep fixing them make improvements as you go. Doing nothing is no productive. We learn as you do the updates. Thank you for sharing. Keep up the good work 💪
Not so bad after all, I was worried it was a total fail, but glad it’s turned out well with a couple of tweaks. Looks great, thank you for the update. I’d love to try this at home in U.K. Many small ready made greenhouses here are so low in height, you have to add a high concrete block or wood base to stand up in them. Now we’re moving to a house on a hill, I don’t have to worry about flooding.