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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1980-04-17, Page 33Build By Doug prmrod, Department of Horticultural Science • .,University of Guelph ' When the sun shines on a greenhouse, quantities of_ 1, t 'solar energy are trapped, and most gardeners open the ventilators or switch on a fan to g et. rid of the waste heat. Why waste it? Capture it in a storage unit and use it to heat the greenhouse at night, or to help heat your house, We have developed an attractive home greenhouse over a heat sotrage unit. It has come through its first i. ear successfully. Precise ergy savings have not en calculated, and vary in ,, any case with the weather, but the greenhouse has proven to be an absorbing hobby providing interest, _enjoyment and a steady supply of s.aii vegetab.es. The above -ground portion is illustrated in the photograph. The design includes several essential features. The door ' opens onto a closed breezeway to prevent sudden heat loss - a small enclosed 'air lock' porch would serve the same purpose. The entire struc- ture is double -glazed glass, in this case to preserve the view from the window in the house behind. All wood members are cedar, for rot resistance and good in-il. ulation value. The walls are ulated with styrofoam. e structure is sealed thoroughly with caulking compound, and even the ventilators are sealed through the winter. A fan removes the heat to the storage unit, so the ven- tilators aree not needed until late spring. The unique part of this structure is a full basement packed floor -to -ceiling with water -filled containers (glass," metal or plastic - anyth ing-in 'fact that Can be scrounged from neighbours and friends). This basement has a standard concrete floor - and concrete block walls, insulated on the outside with 5 -centimetre (2 -:inch) styrofoam sheets. Be sure the sheets are well protected on the outside with tar to -frustrate the mice, who will otherwise demolish the styrofoam in a few years. The wa,lls and water -filled containers 'store the heat of several sunny days ef- fectively, and release it as needed. A large fan (barn exhaust Wise old, tasty sage "Eat sage in May, and you'll live forever," the En- glish have been saying ever since the herb was first intro- duced by the Romans, who borrowed it from the Greeks. Though you may prefer to grow old more gracefully than ye olde English, you can't deny that the use of sage makes a remarkable dif- ference in cooking. With its strong and pun- gent flavor, it should be used very sparingly to enhance the flavor of poultry, veal, stews ,and stuffings. Sage can be grown easily in your own backyard, started from seed, from stem cut- tings, or by dividing mature lumps in the spring, accord• g to the Ortho book 'When the Good Cook Gar dens." All you need is well - drained soil, full sunlight, and a minimal amount of wa- ter, since over -watering may cause mildew. You can pick sage leaves anytime before, during or after bloom. And; don't forget to keep some around for May just in case the English are right. luse f� store solar energy fan) is mounted on the floor Over a'plenum .chamber with a pegboard. wall. The heated, air is blown down from the greenhouse into the plenum chamber, through' the holes in; the pegboard wall across the entire cross-section of the basement, into a similar plenum chamber at the, other end. Having given up its heat, the storage. area, the air is forced up through vents in the greenhouse floor,. The large fan is thermostat controlted to start whe,n the temp eratu.rearises to about 25 C (78 F). Another thermostat operates a smaller ',fan (kitchen exhaust fan) which blows air into the same plenum chamber when the temperature falls to about 10 C (50 F). Another small fan, controlled by the same thermostat as the barn. exhaust fan, delivers warm air to the adjacent house on sunny winter days. To supplement the heating during long periods of dull weather, a small thermostat- controlled fan blows warm air from the adjacent house into the greenhouse. Finally, a smallelectric heater comes on if. the temperature approaches 7 C or (45 F) . Plants in the greenhouse are grown in containers. Large pots around the Perimeter hold tomato plants (garden cultivars, pruned and sjaked). flanging baskets (round `plastic dish pans, .each held by .a lengths of r/" nylon rope) hold bunching .onions, parsley, chives, herbs. spinach, ,Swiss chards: and weekly plantings of leaf' lettuce and radishes '(also garden cultiYars)..Although f" &.foie l we lave concentrated on salad vegetable production, others may prefer Qr. ttanctentals, The greenhouse makes an attractive addition to the house. It is also very productive, supplying fresh salad vegetables all winter long. The solar storage below the green- house makes it possible to collect sunlight in the daytime for use in the greenhouse at 'night. The extra heat can also be used to supplement heat inside the house proper. VERSATILITY makes Kubota mid-range diesel tractors ideal for... 17 -HP L185DT with four-wheel drive, and moldboard plow. • Hydraulic lift with position control. • 8 forward, 2 reverse spedds. ■ Category 1. 3 -point hitch. CONSTRUCTION 30 HP L295DT with four-wheel drive, and front loader/backhoe. 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