Underground Greenhouses

[Sam Rossi]

While going through websites, I came across an article about an underground greenhouse. I'm wondering would this work in the Adirondacks? Here's the article, http://www.bioprepper.com/2014/03/17...und-gardening/

[W.Lynn]

Should work, rammed earth (as the instructions say to do) can be very stable if done well. Just figure the pitch you need carefully, so the sun hits it right.

[RD]

W. because of the cool weather I think it could work depending on where you are, as for plants that need the heat It won't work. Having said that, what you can grow that is good with cooler temps, is some we generally lack in the winter.

RD

[W.Lynn]

I doubt if it would get warm enough for okra, but it would keep you in lettuce, cabbage, peas, and a few other things over winter.

Here's a thought, scavenge enough solid-core doors, or metal-clad entry doors off of mobile homes, to keep near it (under a tarp or in a shed, but keep a tarp with them!) Also keep the dirt pile loose and handy near by from digging the pit.

You want enough doors & tarp to cover the poles & plastic sheeting of the roof.

Make sure to bend your entry, vent as per "expedient shelter" from the old civil defense manual. Use leftover plastic sheeting to make Kearney air pump, keep it with the doors.

At need, hang the pump, and carry other stuff you need in there - like more tarps and plastic sheeting, because open dirt surfaces will make it humid. Place the doors over the original 'roof' and cover with tarps and as much dirt as you have time for. Greenhouse turns Kearney style fallout shelter.

Talk about a great excuse for as long a greenhouse as you can dig.

[Sam Rossi]

I never thought about using it for a fallout shelter. But what a thought! I can't wait for the property to able to attempt this. If I dig in my backyard currently, I'd be hitting the water table. Thank you.

[W.Lynn]

I didn't even think of it when I first looked at your link, but it bugged me that it resembled something, so I had to remember what.

[Tex]

In the springtime when the snow is melting off or the spring rains come, what is going to keep it from filling up and crumbling in on itself from saturated earth? I don't understand how a flat roof will be able to handle any type of snow load either. If you have to build something over the top, like was in one of the pictures, you may as well just build an above ground greenhouse.

I think the idea is good, but I am very skeptical as to how practical they would really be.


Tex

[W.Lynn]

For a permanent one, you'd eventually take time to spread some gravel in the floor. And since it's intended for, and already in use in, cold, mountainous places, I guess you bury a piece of pvc and "drain to daylight."

As an expedient shelter, maybe dig a hole to put a barrel in, use straight on your veggies, but filter and treat any for human use. Then you'd need an overflow possibility, so sump or drain would still be wanted.

[W.Lynn]

Tex, from what the diagram looked like to me, seemed the uphill side was bermed up a fair bit, probably helps a lot. I would bet a smart guy would extend that out, maybe curve it down past both ends, protect the entrance.

[Tex]

What I was getting at, was the ground being saturated. Around here anyway, in the spring as the ground starts thawing, water would just start coming into the whole from the walls.

I am sure there are probably some areas of this country that a system like this would work. In most areas though, I tend to think that it would need alot more work and maintainence to keep it viable and working. This system was brought up a while back and I did quite a bit of studying on it and I can't see where it has value over a conventional greenhouse in most situations.



Tex

[W.Lynn]

That would matter, where it was designed is near permanent drought conditions though. Between the rammed earth, and other steps available in civilized areas, specialty drainage pipes you can put in below ground on the uphill side, regular drainage from inside to somewhere down hill, heck, bury a 55 gallon drum to collect water with a cover so you don't break a leg falling in, and dip from that to water your veggies.

Where there's a will, there's a way - and probably a little bit of redneck engineering.

[Dode]

It's been a while since I read the article, but I do recall that some type of plastic sheeting, at a slope, was used under the berm areas to encourage water to drain away from the walipini. Also, some French drains diverted water away from the structure.

In the Adirondacks, one would need to go with a steep roof. There's a ytube video of one in CO(?) and the guy talked about needing to knock off the now, because it blocks the light and the plants die. However, it stays nice and warm, due to thermal mass surrounding it.

If you had the walipini right next to your house, you could vent the warm air into your house on cold days. My aunt has a long wall of 8'-10' tall windows on the south side of her house, where they enclosed the back porch. They leave the KIT door open and the sun heated solarium helps to heat the house in the winter.