It's the time of year to make plans and dream big. Inspired by an Alternative Kitchen Garden podcast, I've fallen in love with these geodesic greenhouses. Geodesic structures are extremely cool, and it would be perfect in our north-facing garden because it catches solar energy from whichever direction it comes, not just from one long wall like a rectangular greenhouse. But I'm pretty sure I can make one myself without paying over a thousand pounds for a kit. I have some grand plans involving bamboo canes and polytunnel sheeting. Watch this space.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Greenhouse
It's the time of year to make plans and dream big. Inspired by an Alternative Kitchen Garden podcast, I've fallen in love with these geodesic greenhouses. Geodesic structures are extremely cool, and it would be perfect in our north-facing garden because it catches solar energy from whichever direction it comes, not just from one long wall like a rectangular greenhouse. But I'm pretty sure I can make one myself without paying over a thousand pounds for a kit. I have some grand plans involving bamboo canes and polytunnel sheeting. Watch this space.
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9 comments:
Melanie if you can do this you're a genius ... I have longed for one of those greenhouses, but, I too, balk at so much money. But the spirit of Blue Peter lives on here, so I'm watching your space with eager anticipation - good luck :)
Joanna
"I've fallen in love with these geodesic greenhouses."
you too, huh? i read her transcript and was salivating and green with jealousy.. lol.
if you can build one for cheaper.. i'd love to know about it!!
xx
Make this a science project for your kids. It saves you a lot of work, impresses the teacher, and gets the job done pretty well in my experience.
My youngest will be building me a solar oven this spring for his scout project.
Project gets done and I have something useful. Win, win.
If you can build that, then put your name down for the first manned Mars Mission! I'm sure they'll need a builder and gardener...
I admire you for aspiring to do this. I can't wait to see the final product. We live in a condo right now so we don't have a full yard to do this is in. I can't wait to have a "real" house.
I'll be watching this project with interest!!!
About 25 years ago we found a product called 'Starplates'. Check on line, they are still available in the US. Using 2/4s and the metal plates and bolts it made an almost geodesic dome. We covered it with greenhouse plastic for the spring, added shade cloth for the summer and it was pure heaven. Used it as greenhouse, a warm sunny haven, a place of relaxation. After about 2 years we added a regular door entry. In the fall/winter we even used it for shelter for pets and kids playing in the snow. It was wonderful.
It seems like the trick is going to be making it (more or less) airtight. I don't really see how you can do that with the bamboo, but perhaps you could use some kind of pitch-like substance to stick the sticks together...
It would be nice to see it from another angle..
Oh! We made one of those when I was a kid! Ummm...around 1972, I guess. I don't know where we got the plans, but probably Whole Earth Catalog, or someplace like that.
Anyhow, ours was around thirty feet across. We made it with 2x4's (I dont know what you call those in the UK) and 8 (5?) mil plastic. The main problem, we made the "hubs" that the 2x4's slotted into out of wood, so they rotted a bit. The plastic was cut up into big triangles (for some reason, I want to say 20 of them) and then ironed together and stretched over the structure.
We didn't peg it down, and one day a windstorm blew into our valley and lifted it away like a giant umbrella.
I remember somebody giving me a bunch of little cut up triangles of cardboard and some tape and asking if I could figure out how to build one. He gave me a hint: 5. And, yes, I worked it out...the points of five triangles meet at each hub...and each point is part of some hub.
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