posted 1 hour ago
I am wanting to build a small commerical greenhouse where I can grow heat-loving crops through winter.
Frosts of -2C are frequent on Fine nights, and occasionally to -4C. (Similar to USA 9b/10a Hardiness Zone).
It is 7km from the sea, and never snows.
Eggplant and tomato stress if they go under 10-13C and Snake Bean don't like going under 18C.
First of all - how hard will it be to maintain the 20C heat differential required to keep Snake beans above 18C?
I plan to buid an east-west alligned greenhouse with passive solar and thermal mass heating and rocket mass heater back-up feeding water thorugh the soil.
I don't plan to make a solid rear stone/brick wall, as we are in the Earthquake capital of the world.
I have been trying to work out the best design and dimensions.
-Chinese Greenhouses are 8M wide and up to 50M long but they have the thermal blanket.
- "Greenhouse in the SNow" give the ideal dimensions of 5.5m/17ft by 30m/100ft when blowing around geothermal heat. (Ideally, I would like to keep it warmer than Geothermal temperatureso of 13C, so not considering this).
- Other people speak of the 2-1-1 ratio.
What is ideal for a mixture of passive solar/ thermal mass and rocket stove thermal mass?
Also, what is the best insulation for radiant heat from a thermal mass? I had thought of a single lauer of film on the outside and then a mikroclima frost needing as an inner greenhouse to help hold in the radiant heat.