The forest garden greenhouse

n

CONTENTS

n

Introduction

1 The Beginnings of the Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute

vii

1

Case Study: Pele . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

2 Expanding the Possible with Season Extension 3 A Tour of the Ark

18 37

Case Study: Phoenix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

4 The History and Mechanics of the Climate Battery 5 Considerations for Building Your Own Greenhouse

69 83

Case Study: Mana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Case Study: Shree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Case Study: Cabin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Case Study: CORE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

6 Everything Starts with the Soil 7 Creating a Forest in Your Greenhouse 8 Water 9 Greenhouse Management 10 Off-Site Case Studies

Case Study: Elkstone Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Case Study: Roaring Fork High School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Case Study: Red Butte Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Case Study: Fairacre Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Case Study: Lovins GreenHome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Case Study: The GrowHaus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Case Study: Colorado Aquaponics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Conclusion Fruits of Our Labor

113 135 165 176 195 197 203 211 218 222 227 233

238

Acknowledgments 241

ForestGardenGreenhouse_finalpages.indd 5

8/14/15 1:45 PM

A ppendix A A ppendix B A ppendix C A ppendix D A ppendix E

Greenhouse Temperature Log Example Plant Community Attributes List Recipes Mineral Soil Amendments Red Butte Ranch Planting Calendars

244 245 249 252 263

Glossary 278 Bibliography 281 Index 282

ForestGardenGreenhouse_finalpages.indd 6

8/14/15 3:50 PM

Th e Fo r e st Ga r de n Gr e e nho use

Figure 1.08. The east-side view, showing annual beds and the first greenhouse I built with a climate battery over twenty-five years ago. Drawn by landscape architect Cornelia RuĂ&#x;ig

Figure 1.09. Floor plan of Pele. Drawn by landscape architect Cornelia RuĂ&#x;ig

12

ForestGardenGreenhouse_finalpages.indd 12

8/14/15 1:45 PM

n C HAP TER 3 n

A Tour of the Ark

An object seen in isolation from the whole is not the real thing.

and outdoor gardens. In all these aspects, it is a multifunctional, multicrop structure that supports a larger nursery operation, agricultural research, and an educational facility more complex than most greenhouses. Moreover, Phoenix is not a production greenhouse, and none of the activity or ambience of a production greenhouse exists, with the exception of our south bed, which I have reserved for winter and summer annuals that yield enough produce for a household or a small community year-round. You will not find large areas planted with a single crop, and the planting is not one-dimensional, spatially or functionally, as it usually is in industrial greenhouse operations. The growth of the plant communities are designed in multistories, and the yields manifest in many ways, from the top canopy where you’ll find papayas and bananas; to the midstory, with citrus; all the way to ground cover with medicinal herbs; then roots and tubers belowground.

An attached workshop makes it possible to carry out building and repair projects. An attached sauna offers relaxation and healing as well as supplementary heat. There are opportunities to practice mindfulness on the archery range, to work or relax on Pebble Beach (a hammock-draped interior patio), and even to retire to a sleeping

—Masanobu Fukuoka* A greenhouse is an ark, separate from its surroundings but connected to the outside world through the sun and its doors and vents. If we are to survive the impending perils of sea-level rise and climate change, what kind of structures should we build?

My Phoenix greenhouse rose from the ashes of a very destructive fire, and it reminds me of nature’s power and of the importance of responding to change. This rebirth has also given me a chance to deepen my observations of the intricate web of relationships in the indoor garden and of all the structures and systems interconnected with that garden. Contact with nature nourishes the imagination and intuition and, in turn, allows you to create your indoor dream garden.

Phoenix, which is the largest and most refined of my greenhouses, is filled with tropical fruits and vegetables. It enables me to grow medicinal plants and culinary herbs, raise worms and fish, produce natural fertilizers, and propagate plants for indoor

* Fukuoka, p 26, The One-Straw Revolution.

37

ForestGardenGreenhouse_finalpages.indd 37

8/14/15 1:46 PM

Th e Fo r e st Ga r de n Gr e e nho use

Figure 3.01. Jerome harvesting from his emerging food forest in Phoenix.

platform in the northwest corner for a midday nap or a peaceful night’s rest at the end of the day. As with all the systems at CRMPI, Phoenix was designed to fulfill the three ethics of permaculture: Care for Earth, Care for People, and Share the Surplus. The resulting space is conducive to work, relaxation, social activity, teaching, exercise, bathing, and sleep, in addition to its more traditional function of food production and soil building.

This chapter is a virtual tour of my tropical greenhouse, which I hope will illuminate the intricate web of relationships that sustain this indoor ecosystem and will aid and excite you in designing your own indoor garden.

Phoenix can be described as a prototype experimental tropical greenhouse built on a high, rocky slope, but every greenhouse is different. In the

following chapters, I will refer to my other greenhouses and projects I’ve worked on, which will bring to light possible greenhouse permutations at other scales. Your greenhouse will not be the same as mine, but there are many important elements that should exist in every greenhouse.

A well-designed greenhouse is similar to a well-designed sailboat, where every square foot has conveniently usable space. When you step down the companionway of a well-designed sailboat, to starboard there will be a U-shaped kitchen and to port there will be a navigation station. The seat to the navigation station is also the pilot berth that sticks back under the cockpit. The control panels and electronics are in front of you, and if you lift the floorboards, you might find bilge pumps and water and fuel tanks placed above the keel. That’s how I 38

ForestGardenGreenhouse_finalpages.indd 38

8/14/15 1:46 PM

A To ur o f th e Ar k

Figure 3.28. Aquaculture tank with four aquaponics grow towers above. It is stocked with five varieties of tilapia, which feed basil in the towers with their waste. Note compost tea machine in upper left of photo, and climate battery exhaust (blue tube) on the right.

the sauna begins to rise. The fan in the northwest corner pumps hot air down into the pipe and pushes it through the coil, which then heats the gravel and sandstone in the floor. The warmth from the stove also heats up the walls of the sauna, which can hold this heat for up to twenty-four hours. Thus the sauna is an extremely important source of thermal mass; when the door is left open, the sauna releases warmth into the greenhouse through the night and into the following day.

When the temperatures outside threaten to fall too low for an extended period of time, the sauna can provide Phoenix with the boost it needs to keep its temperature above 45°F. A small fan hung in the doorway directs warm air out of the sauna into the greenhouse, which gets redistributed by the circulation fans throughout the night.

By building the sauna to share the north wall of Phoenix, I was able to save on expense and can enjoy its benefits without having to leave the greenhouse or infringe on space for the plants.

Figure 3.29. By coiling a 4-inch pipe beneath the sauna floor and connecting it to a fan, I can charge the floor with the sauna heat to make it a more efficient backup heating system for the greenhouse and keep our feet warm during a sauna at the same time.

61

ForestGardenGreenhouse_finalpages.indd 61

8/14/15 1:46 PM