Building the glasshouse

A big project, but one that should deliver very significant benefits. The primary objective is to extend the growing season at both ends to allow for easier more predictable results for things like capsicums, cucumbers and other frost sensitive plants.

The main feature is a north facing stone wall sealed behind a skin of rigid plastic. This acts a simple trombe wall. With concrete vents buried beneath each of the four garden beds. A passive solar cycle will drag slowly warming air through the vents, imparting some of that heat to the soil.

A 'key hole' type garden bed layout allows for easy access to reach directly into the waist high beds.

	Stage 1 - remove old woodshed and prepare the ground
	Stage 2 - Laying the primary foundation for the front wall
	Stage 3 - North facing stone wall for heat retention. The concrete tiles were laid back to back and buried beneath the soil to form a vent that allows air to pass completely from the front to back of the garden.
	Stage 4 - Framing and garden bed edging
	Stage 5 - Plastic skin in place, sliding door, five bottom hinging windows. Water on, transplanted peppers, tomato and basil in a rich 'lasagne' of rotten wood, decomposing leaves, seaweed, chook house cleanings and pig manure. Mmmmmm.

Temperature inside the glastic house is the yellow line. Click to see larger