B J Stal

A couple of years ago, I tried growing Chayote, and had a poor experience.  A few, but quite small.    I plan on trying it again this year, and now have three plants about a month old and looking good.  These are inside ,  and  are a few inches tall at this time.  I read where people farther north than I am have had good results.  I am located in the SW part of Idaho.    It is basically a desert here.

The Chayote’s  I worked with before, and now have starting, are the smooth skinned ones from the grocery stores.  I have read that the spiky or spiny ones are better for the northern areas.  

Also, what is the story on white ones?

I am looking for someone that can comment on this subject.  Have you, or someone you know, tried various types, what were the results, where did you get the starts, what area and conditions did this happen in, etc.?

Thank You,

Planning on moving from the wet N.W. to sunny CO. this summer.  Probably settle about 50 miles S. of Denver at about 7500 feet.  Considering what I will be leaving, how much more of an opportunity for solar heat can there be?

Plans are very preliminary at this point, however I hope for something along this line.  Please comment on any and all issues both + & - that may come to mind.

Along the S. side of my shop, build a lean-to a few feet out.  This will be protection from hail storms that come through.  Under this cover mount ten mirrors such that they reflect the sun onto a common point about thirty feet out.  At this common point, mount a collector made out of a flat metal panel with copper pipe mounted on.  This assembly is then painted a flat black.  This collector is protected from the weather and in a closed home of its own.  The front of it would have a window such that the suns reflection could get in.  I would then have piping running into my shop and house basement.  In the shop and basement would be something like a radiator out of a car with a fan moving air through.  Now some concerns:

From looking on the internet, in this area there is something like 900W/Sq.M available.  It appears that I might be able to get about 30% recovery or ~250W/Sq.M.  If there are ten mirrors reflecting the sun onto the collector, there is the potential for 2500 W of energy.  (For ease at this point I am thinking one meter square mirrors and collector.)     QUESTION:  What percentage of reflective energy can I expect using various types of mirrors?  What will be my losses after the mirrors?  What is the best mirror material?  How about the loss going through the window into the doghouse and onto the collector?

I am thinking about moving the heat using water.  The collector to the shop will be about thirty feet, and then about 100 feet to the house.  QUESTION:  What is the best way to minimize the heat loss?  Thinking about burying about a 4 inch PVC pipe, and then running the two pipes wrapped with something inside.  This would still give me a lot of heat loss, so looking for ideas.

Since the pump to recirculate the water, and some of the piping will be in the shop, I am thinking about building some type of stove in the shop and have the water pick up some heat from there also.  There is basically an unlimited source of pine needles available in the area and we are looking at some method to use this as a heat source.  QUESTION:  Anyone have any experience of burning pine needles, and especially forming them into something similar to wood pellets?  This would simplify an automatic feeding of a stove.  I think some type of “rocket stove” that is so heavily discussed in this forum would fit in here quite nicely.

Anyone who has stayed with me on this long blabbering, I appreciate.  Thanks for any and all comments.