Maine 4-Season Greenhouse Grow

That is an awesome design!!!! I love using that solar heat to keep the plants feet warm. Awesome. Is this a common method for GH’s? I’ve only been indoor.

It is a design from the 1970's and was (and remains) popular in the Midwest (Colorado) where they get extreme temps. It's definitely more work and a little extra $ in the construction but it is definitely worth it long term imho.
 
Really glad I came across your design. We intend to build a GH when we finally get our land. I have no experience with them so seeing yours is a great learning experience and has my mind spinning lots of directions.
 
Really glad I came across your design. We intend to build a GH when we finally get our land. I have no experience with them so seeing yours is a great learning experience and has my mind spinning lots of directions.

The one thing that would make it even better is if the north side were bermed or dug into the earth (if you were on a south sloping hill for instance). I have south sloping acreage but 3 feet down is ledge rock! If you can bury or berm it you will get all that free insulation both in winter and summer. Another (cheaper) option is a simple hoop house which can also be multi tasked for storage, workshop, etc. We put in a 21x48 last summer for $4k and it is has a huge interior. My Box would work just as well inside a hoop house...maybe even better. I was just in the GH and it was 105F on a sunny 18F day. I imagine my hoop house is about 80F, which would actually be easier to mitigate extreme temps (the Box can handle 15F with lights on).

We developed our farm from 3.5 acres of raw land over the last 4 years (and going). Feel free to bounce ideas or questions.
 
The one thing that would make it even better is if the north side were bermed or dug into the earth (if you were on a south sloping hill for instance). I have south sloping acreage but 3 feet down is ledge rock! If you can bury or berm it you will get all that free insulation both in winter and summer. Another (cheaper) option is a simple hoop house which can also be multi tasked for storage, workshop, etc. We put in a 21x48 last summer for $4k and it is has a huge interior. My Box would work just as well inside a hoop house...maybe even better. I was just in the GH and it was 105F on a sunny 18F day. I imagine my hoop house is about 80F, which would actually be easier to mitigate extreme temps (the Box can handle 15F with lights on).

We developed our farm from 3.5 acres of raw land over the last 4 years (and going). Feel free to bounce ideas or questions.

Yeah I have held off diving too much into GH research until we can settle on a location. We want to go to NH but their laws aren't appearing to be as cannabis friendly as we were hoping when they legalize recreational so if that holds true, it will either end up being Maine or Mass most likely. I hate Mass's plant limits so Maine with their much friendlier plant count limit is ranking higher on our list despite the fact Maine is one of the highest taxed states in the country. So much for "live free or die" huh.
 
Yeah I have held off diving too much into GH research until we can settle on a location. We want to go to NH but their laws aren't appearing to be as cannabis friendly as we were hoping when they legalize recreational so if that holds true, it will either end up being Maine or Mass most likely. I hate Mass's plant limits so Maine with their much friendlier plant count limit is ranking higher on our list despite the fact Maine is one of the highest taxed states in the country. So much for "live free or die" huh.

We moved to Maine to raise our kids and never once regretted it. Taxes are higher than our previous state (being zero!) but also the population is a fraction of other places, which suits us. Can you grow for other people in Mass? Maine allows you to grow other people's six (6) plants for them, so technically you could grow hundreds and still be a "home cultivator". Additionally, there is no rule limiting who gets what in the harvest. Law allows me to give 2.5 oz to another adult...repeatedly, no limit. Law also allows you to keep (no time or amount limit) all that you grow.
 
We moved to Maine to raise our kids and never once regretted it. Taxes are higher than our previous state (being zero!) but also the population is a fraction of other places, which suits us. Can you grow for other people in Mass? Maine allows you to grow other people's six (6) plants for them, so technically you could grow hundreds and still be a "home cultivator". Additionally, there is no rule limiting who gets what in the harvest. Law allows me to give 2.5 oz to another adult...repeatedly, no limit. Law also allows you to keep (no time or amount limit) all that you grow.

Unfortunately no, Mass won't let us grow for others yet. Still so new to the laws on the books they haven't figured out what they are going to do. I unlimited seedlings that you are allowed in Maine is what is the most appealing thing to me. Its our intention to pursue breeding for a profession over the next handful of years and to really do that I need to be able to pheno hunt and I can't do that with a 12 plant limit. I suppose I could say screw it and not worry about the law, but I really would like to remain legal if I can.

Mass allows me to give away an ounce to anyone of legal age, but 2.5 is even better! I tend to produce far more than I use for my back so I tend to be very giving with my bud. We can possess up to 10 ounces in our home unless we grew it all ourselves and then in that case, we can keep our full harvest.

I have always loved Maine and if it wasn't for the high taxes, I would have considered it higher on this for potential landing spots. I have relatives all throughout the New England area including an Aunt in Bar Harbor.....though she is only up there in the summers (florida the rest of the year).

Quick question for you Blew, do you have issues with snow or ice on your green house? I think what really captured my attention about GHs was a guy in Milwaukee that grows veggies commercially year round in urban green houses and heats them via compost piles. Fascinating stuff to me to think that decaying material produces sufficient heat to warm his entire greenhouse at night in Wisconsin winters. He has set up programs with local business where he takes their potential garbage (compost) and utilizes it as fuel and then raises veggies (also does aquaponics with fish) and then sells stuff to local restaurants and markets as well as donates to food banks and places to feed the homeless.
 
Unfortunately no, Mass won't let us grow for others yet. Still so new to the laws on the books they haven't figured out what they are going to do. I unlimited seedlings that you are allowed in Maine is what is the most appealing thing to me. Its our intention to pursue breeding for a profession over the next handful of years and to really do that I need to be able to pheno hunt and I can't do that with a 12 plant limit. I suppose I could say screw it and not worry about the law, but I really would like to remain legal if I can.

Mass allows me to give away an ounce to anyone of legal age, but 2.5 is even better! I tend to produce far more than I use for my back so I tend to be very giving with my bud. We can possess up to 10 ounces in our home unless we grew it all ourselves and then in that case, we can keep our full harvest.

I have always loved Maine and if it wasn't for the high taxes, I would have considered it higher on this for potential landing spots. I have relatives all throughout the New England area including an Aunt in Bar Harbor.....though she is only up there in the summers (florida the rest of the year).

Quick question for you Blew, do you have issues with snow or ice on your green house? I think what really captured my attention about GHs was a guy in Milwaukee that grows veggies commercially year round in urban green houses and heats them via compost piles. Fascinating stuff to me to think that decaying material produces sufficient heat to warm his entire greenhouse at night in Wisconsin winters. He has set up programs with local business where he takes their potential garbage (compost) and utilizes it as fuel and then raises veggies (also does aquaponics with fish) and then sells stuff to local restaurants and markets as well as donates to food banks and places to feed the homeless.

Interesting, I never understood why made a provision for unlimited seedlings in Maine (since you can only grow out so many mature and flowering per adult). We definitely work within the law here and, as discussed, it is very forgiving.

Yes, I know the operation in the Midwest using compost and aquaponics. I think they are scaled up so much that they can make certain things work which would not on a smaller scale. Heating from compost being one of them (you need a lot of active compost, continually tended, to generate efficient heat). I think an earth bermed GH with some active heating elements (water barrels, thermal mass floors, etc) makes more practical sense on a smaller scale. Yesterday we got 5" of really wet/heavy snow and, while the poly GH is impervious to all weather, the hoop needed me to manually pull off the snow today.
 
Ok, good. Glad to hear someone else has seen that operation. Fascinating to me really. I love this sort of stuff.

Yes you are correct, their scale allows them to do things that I probably can't, but it at least lets me see what's possible. Then I am only limited to what I can do with whats possible and try to push those boundaries into something that will work for what I want. I am not very good at thinking up something like from a clean slate....but if I get a few wild crazy ideas that others made into reality, I am very good as taking those and altering them into something that works for me.

My father was a NASA engineer on the space shuttle. He built his house out in Northern Idaho and he designed it so he can heat his full house (3000+ square feet) with one fireplace. And he can heat it up to 75 degrees in winter weather comparable to ours. If he gets both fireplaces roaring he can heat it up to over 90. Its what he used to cure his drywall when hung it. That 90+ temp had it dried real quick. I think he and I could come up with some fascinating ideas for GH uses!
 
Ok, good. Glad to hear someone else has seen that operation. Fascinating to me really. I love this sort of stuff.

Yes you are correct, their scale allows them to do things that I probably can't, but it at least lets me see what's possible. Then I am only limited to what I can do with whats possible and try to push those boundaries into something that will work for what I want. I am not very good at thinking up something like from a clean slate....but if I get a few wild crazy ideas that others made into reality, I am very good as taking those and altering them into something that works for me.

My father was a NASA engineer on the space shuttle. He built his house out in Northern Idaho and he designed it so he can heat his full house (3000+ square feet) with one fireplace. And he can heat it up to 75 degrees in winter weather comparable to ours. If he gets both fireplaces roaring he can heat it up to over 90. Its what he used to cure his drywall when hung it. That 90+ temp had it dried real quick. I think he and I could come up with some fascinating ideas for GH uses!

There is tons to be said about the proper design and insulation factor (be it foam, dirt, straw, etc) of any structure. We have always liked small, efficient homes...easy to clean, heat, etc.
 
LOL, it took him about 14 years to build it. He built the garage and studio apartment first so he could live in that while he built the actual house. Awesome house up on a cliff overlooking a lake. Would be a great place to live if they would make cannabis legal in Idaho LOL.
 
Week 9:

Everything clicking along with the three (3) autos. One of the freebie Diesel Autos did not pop, but the one is coming along fine. In addition to the Jack Herer Auto that starts in 3 days, I am going to pop another freebie from Seedsman which is "limited edition" and I now see "out of stock"...so we'll see how she goes!
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Here is the Diesel Auto Week 1
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And here is some bud porn of the autos :clap:

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Week 9.5:

Everything clicking along with a few new additions, Diesel Auto and Jack Herer Auto (seed). I am participating in a group grow for the JH auto which you can see here.

A little shuffling around in the Box

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JH Auto germinating in soil

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Diesel Auto looking healthy

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The three ladies look FROSTY!

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