Starts On Wednesday April 4 @ 11.30a PST/ 2.30p EST

Special Session w/ Rob Avis

From Eugene Plotnyk

1.  Is there any correlation with a wind that we have in Lethbridge area ? With wind we can loose a lot of energy/heating. How to deal with it wisely?

2. When we talk about 1000 sq feet green house - is it the whole building size or just the area where we grow plants ?

3. Can be the floor of green house be an actual soil with some mulch to walk on or do we need foundation/floor and then we use beds with soil ? Can the beds with soil be mounted right on the floor - so if you grow trees the root can go deep down to the soil?

4. Do you have a list of providers in Alberta where it is possible to buy actual materials( pipes, blocks , PC etc ) to build the green house?

5. How far from shelter-belt ( few rows of trees that are used for wind brake on the south and west of the farm) is good idea to build a green house and have enough Sun?

6. If you plan to build a room with a bed, kitchen and bathroom that could be a living area ( temporary recreational area ) where  is the best spot? To use part of the Kitchen area or above root cellar?

7. Any ideas if hempcrete insulation can be used? Where is possible to find actual hemp and lime in Alberta ?

From Deborah Martin

1.     We like your idea of integrated design and would like to explore that topic further. How do you design a space that functions well for growing plants and is a pleasant social space?

2.     We are also interested in accessibility. It’s nice that Shane Smith has a discussion of wheelchair access in the “Greenhouse Gardener’s Companion.” Do you have additional ideas?

3.     We would like to explore using phase change materials in our solar greenhouse. What are the considerations and pros and cons of using this technology? Ceres Greenhouse Solutions markets phase change materials for $5-$ per square foot.

4.     Ceres uses two layers of pipes for their GAHT (Ground-to-Air Heat Transfer) system, one set of pipes at 2 feet and the other at 4 feet below the ground surface. What are your insights about using two layers of pipes compared to the single layer you use in your subterranean heating and cooling systems?

5.     You mentioned incorporating a cistern in your design for the greenhouse and root cellar. Can you elaborate on that discussion? Though we are not allowed to collect water off of the roof of any detached structure on our land according to Colorado water law, we can pipe water from our well or rainwater collection system associated with the roof on our main structure to a cistern in the solar greenhouse. We see several advantages to incorporating a cistern into our detached solar greenhouse structure but would like to hear more about your ideas.

6.     Can one create different climate zones within a single solar greenhouse? We can imagine that we might grow cacti and orchids and propagate native plants in the solar greenhouse and those activities probably have different climatic requirements.

7.     Where are the opportunities to collect additional data to enhance our understanding of how to operate our solar greenhouse? In other words, can we think ahead during the design and construction phase to locate and install appropriate sensors?

Ivan Burnley-Davies

Q: Rob, In the plans the subterranean ducting is lated out in 2 areas. Running from front to back. In the video of Curtis Stone's build the pipes run the length of the building. Why the change.

Chris Drew