High Altitude (8300') Earthship Greenhouse for Four Season Food Production

Commodities

• Agronomic: potatoes
• Fruits: avocados, bananas, berries (strawberries), citrus, figs, grapes, melons, olives, papaya, pineapples, other
• Nuts: almonds, other
• Vegetables: artichokes, beans, beets, cabbages, carrots, celery, greens (leafy), greens (lettuces), peppers, sweet potatoes, taro, tomatoes, turnips, other
• Additional Plants: ginger, herbs, native plants, trees, other
• Miscellaneous: mushrooms

Practices

• Crop Production: continuous cropping, greenhouses, season extension
• Education and Training: demonstration, farmer to farmer, on-farm/ranch research
• Energy: byproduct utilization, energy conservation/efficiency, solar energy
• Farm Business Management: apprentice/intern training, new enterprise development, other
• Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, carbon sequestration
• Production Systems: organic agriculture
• Soil Management: composting
• Sustainable Communities: community development, food sovereignty, urban agriculture

The growing season in the high desert of New Mexico is very short (zone 3-5) due to the elevation and exposure. Annual precipitation is as low as seven inches a year. Most of this area is comprised of rural communities with deep (500'+) water tables making it cost prohibitive for most to drill a well. Without the necessary infrastructure to provide adequate water for residential and agricultural use, there isn't much in the way of vegetable and fruit production, thus food must be shipped in from California, Mexico, Colorado. In addition to inadequate water systems there is also limited garbage disposal and nearly no recycling services available. An Earthship inspired greenhouse resolves both these issues, creating a turn-key opportunity for farmers to get growing on marginal land, in remote spaces, with limited water, using mostly free and renewable materials. By utilizing used automobile tires rammed with earth into the construction, you eliminate dumped tires from landfills and sequester them as both foundation structure and thermal mass which helps to passively equalize the interior climate to about 70 degrees without any supplemental heating or cooling. The Earthship design alleviates the reliance on wells, municipal water lines or irrigation ditches for water, and the need to be grid-tied for electrical service, as well as the necessity of supplemental heating for cold and winter months. Rammed earth tires, a semi subterranean design, passive solar heating, water catchment and grey water recycling elements together create an ideal growing environment for year round food production in any climate. Through the construction process, data and progress will be recorded to prove the ease of erection and efficacy of the design. Upon completion, building plans and systems design will be available open source on our website and available through grassroots dissemination at farmers markets.

Construction of low-cost four season Earthship greenhouse using recycled materials (automobile tires, bottles, cans, insulation), water catchment, a grey water recycling system and solar electric technology to demonstrate a high-yield season extension option that is passively thermoregulating, self-irrigating and off-grid. Research will consist of implementing alternative materials and design in the construction process, comparison to conventional season extension metrics, trials of crops not capable of being grown outdoors in this zone, compilation of material lists, video and illustrated manuals for do-it-yourself, as well as data gathering on indoor growth cycles, pest management, maximizing yields and optimizing growing space through vertical farming. Education objectives consist of the development of construction plans and media for the design and implementation of the greenhouse, its systems and operations to be disseminated to other established and potential argicultural producers residing in rural Northern New Mexico through non-profit organizations and farmer's market.