Mici SERE - Pit Greenhouses (http://www.inspirationgreen.com/pit-greenhouses.

html)
Depending on latitude, but despite above ground air temperatures (and wind chill), 6 to 8 feet down into the earth, temperatures remain fairl constant, between !" and 6"#$. %eaning our pit greenhouse will be much warmer than an above ground greenhouse in winter and that cool earth will &eep temps bearable in the summer.

'it greenhouse in (petchle )ardens, *+. (tairs down to entrance on right. ,mage b %e--apod.

*nderground greenhouse. .he inside can be cased in stone, mud bric& or an dense natural material able to absorb large amounts of heat. /ool weather crops li&e lettuce, &ale and brocolli can be grown during winter in harsh climates. .he gla-ing creates a 0greenhouse effect.1 ,f our water table is high, obviousl that could spell disaster. ,t is recommended ou build our greenhouse at least five feet above the water table. growtest.org

%i&e 2ehler3s pit greenhouse design. %i&e digs a deep trench for access on the shaded south side which also allows cold air to sin& and be warmed b the deeper, warmer soil. %an install tubes within the soil to transfer warmed air into the earth, et %i&e believes ou need onl the cold sin& to allow the transfer in most climates. 4ow to: motherearthnews.com. %i&e 2ehler3s boo&: www.undergroundhousing.com

/alled a walipini in (outh 5merica (from the 5 mara ,ndian language, meaning 6place of warmth6). 5s ou dig, save our upper most topsoil (for the new bottom) and use the deeper soil as the new berm on the north side (or south side if ou7re south of the e8uator). 5ngling our window 9" degrees to the sun on the winter solstice will allow the pit to store the most heat during those da s when the sun shines the fewest hours. :enson ,nstitute :uilding a ;alipini: www.bensoninstitute.org

<arthbag pit greenhouse. During the da , the earth walls store heat, the walls are the batter that release their heat at night. 5 properl designed pit greenhouse is naturall warmed at night from five sides, in an above ground greenhouse, onl one side, the floor is heated during the da . 5 waterproof barrier e=tending along the peripher and down the berms are necessar www.naturalbuildingblog.com

(un pit greenhouse. ,llustration from the 2wner-:uilt 4omestead b :arbara and +en +ern. ama-on.com 4ere is a large walipini in >a'a-, :olivia. 5t two minutes the go inside the walipini, at four minutes the wal& around the outside. ,n (panish. 2bviousl the do not get much rain there. 2rganic $arm in *pper de la 'a-, :olivia.

'it greenhouse made of local stone in ?epal at almost @",""" feet altitude, where the temperature falls below free-ing @99 da s per ear. ,nside lush vegetation: www.rids-nepal.org

.his pit greenhouse in %ongolia is currentl producing food during three seasons of the ear. 5s the footprints show the entrance is on the opposite side. thegreenbac&pac&.blogspot.com

,nside of above pit greenhouse. ,n a cold climate, the north, east and west walls should be well insulated. .he north ceiling should be well insulated as well. thegreenbac&pac&.blogspot.com

)reenhouse built into a hill in .ennesee. >ots more pictures here: www.wind-sun.com

.his pit greenhouse is in .e=as, it is essentiall a hole dug into the ground. 4ere the soil was such hard sandstone, minimal wall support was necesar . 4ow to here: taroandti.com

<arth sheltered greenhouse with earthbag walls in 'atagonia. ?ote the use of plastic around the peripher : ourlittlething.ning.com

2ne might need to dig a shallow drainage ditch around the perimeter of the greenhouse which will lead the run off water awa from the structure. darfieldearthship.com

'it greenhouse. 2ft times barrels of rainwater will be stored at the bac& of a greenhouse to soa& up and store even more heat. ?ote the entrance wa to right. >ots more photos: greenhouseglimpses.blogspot.com

;alipini is another name for a pit greenhouse, this one is topped with old windows. %ore photos: onepin&hippie.com

'it greenhouse in ?ew %e=ico dug b handA (tep b step photos: coatinativesnurser .com

%ud bric& walipini in >ada&h which produces food ear round in a ver harsh climate. %ore photos: ashdenawards.blogspot.com

/are must be ta&en waterproofing, draining and ventilating the greenhouse. .he most efficient pit greenhouses face the windows south and use the north wall to store heat.

.his ama-ing couple bought a house with an old gunite pool and turned it into a 7closed-loop food-producing urban greenhouse.7 (upporting tilapia, chic&ens and h droponic vegetables and fruits. ;atch video here: gardenpool.org

<arthen walled pit greenhouse. >ots of natural cla to absorb heat. .he two most important factors in a pit greenhouse are the large amount of thermal mass (stone, soil, water), and its positioning toward the sun. www.organica.net.pl

5n eas wa to warm up and bring light into our basement. :uild a mini-pit greenhouse on the south side of our home. naturalbuildingblog.com

5 pit greenhouse used as dining area. www.solarinnovations.com

5 pit greenhouse for musicians. www.imrevolting.net

5t the ?ew 5,chem ,nstitue bioshelter, fish tan&s and compost heat the greenhouse and adBoining house. ;ater is dense and holds heat even better than roc&, soil ta&es third place in heat storage. .he solar a8uaculture ponds are above-ground, translucent tan&s. .he fertile pond water was used for irrigating crops. communit .thea8uaponicsource.com

Driftless $arm )reenhouse b Coald )undersen, ;isconsin. .he larger ou build our pit greenhouse the more efficient, as the temperatures inside of a small greenhouse can fluctuate 8uite 8uic&l . Cead more about the proBect: www.mwt.net

Driftless $arm )reenhouse, ;isconsin. 5 D8"" s.f. straw-bale insulated solar greenhouse. ;hole tee supports made from site-harvested blac& locust, which is a fast growing and e=tremel strong and rot-resistant, and abundant throughout ;isconsin. wholetrees.com

<arth (heltered greenhouse b 4iroshi ,guchi, Eapan. 5 greenhouse that obviousl does not completel close. www.fifthworld-inc.com

)reenhouse b Cob (tout, ?ew %e=ico. www.swsolardesign.com

'it greenhouse attached to a home. www.solarinnovations.com

(emi-underground greenhouse surrounded on two sides with a stone wall and earth behind. www.solarinnovations.com

)reenhouse built into a hill. www.solarinnovations.com

'it greenhouses attached to stone buildings are also e=tremel energ efficientA (ee inside here: www.solarinnovations.com

(traw bales are a great insulator (an C-value of @.! to F per inch). %anure below ground will also help to &eep these plants warm. 'hoto b .errie (chweit-er, www.flic&r.com

/old frame of old windows and straw bales. 'lacing manure or compost down below the la er of topsoil will help &eep the area warm. indianapublicmedia.org

4ow .o:

)reat step b step <arth (heltered )reenhouse with center wor& space/cold sin&. >ots of pictures: gee&trap.com :enson ,nstitute :uilding a ;alipini: www.bensoninstitute.org G%/5 (olar )reenhouse in Hirginia, partiall submerged: www.solaripedia.com I www.roperld.com <arth (heltered )reenhouse b %i&e 2ehler: motherearthnews.com %ud bric& walipini: ashdenawards.blogspot.com %ud 4eat (torage )reenhouse b Eoseph 2rr: motherearthnews.com (tep b step, cinder bloc&: greenhouseglimpses.blogspot.com 5 bermed, solar heated greenhouse in ,daho: www.builditsolar.com (mall bermed earth sheltered greenhouse: thehomesteadingboards.com 5 8uonset hut t pe greenhouse from chain lin& fence top railings: frugal-living-freedom.com /ompost 4eated )reenhouses: attra.ncat.org (olviva )reenhouse: www.solviva.com Books: The Earth-Sheltered Solar Greenhouse Book b %i&e 2ehler: undergroundhousing.com

The Solar Greenhouse Book b Eames %c/ullagh and printed b Codale press Gardener's Solar Greenhouse from the boo& b Ca ;olf, published b Codale 'ress How to Grow $500,000 on One Acre b 5nna <dd . www.solviva.com Solar Greenhouses: Under round Daniel )eer . @98D. .5: :oo&s, ,nc. More: (lope, orientation, gla-ing, etc: attra.ncat.org >ots of infoA >. David Coper: www.roperld.com /ompost heated greenhouses: attra.ncat.org ;ood greenhouse &its, the will ma&e a &it for our foundation: cedarbuilt.homestead.com (olar )reenhouse >in&s: www.builditsolar.com Video: )reenhouse with air heated subfloor: www. outube.com