Project Overview
Commodities
- Additional Plants: flowers
Practices
- Education and Training: demonstration
- Production Systems: general crop production
Proposal summary:
The goal of this project is to design and build a small commercial greenhouse (1000 sq. ft) consistent with some "green" design goals of energy efficiency, longevity, affordability and minimally polluting systems and materials. We will use technologies that show promise, but are not well established in the greenhouse industry. The innovations we are testing include: -new frame design -airtight and affordable glazing system -heat recovery ventilation in heating season (passive ventilation in cooling season) -ventilation preheating using "earthtubes" -temperature moderation and heat storage with subsurface rock bed -insulated, airtight shell Our original plan for the greenhouse was to grow flowers for the fresh market. We have changed our plans and are now concentrating on growing heaths and heathers and own-root hardy roses to sell both wholesale and at farmers markets. To date, we have started with rooting heath/heather cuttings in the fall of 2003 and will be experimenting with rose cuttings in spring/summer of 2004. Our farm consists of about 55 acres, with 30 acres in hay and the rest wooded.