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Gardening Greenhouse. Brittany Crocker. Introduction. Importance of food Learned effects of current production methods Morris movements of sustainability Wind turbine Biomass gasification Hybrid vehicles Local and organic foods. History. Origin thought to be 5 th Century B.C. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Brittany Crocker
IntroductionImportance of foodLearned effects of current production
methodsMorris movements of sustainability
Wind turbineBiomass gasificationHybrid vehiclesLocal and organic foods
HistoryOrigin thought to be 5th Century B.C.
Greeks wrote about “gardens of Adonis”1st Century A.D.
Romans grew fruits & vegetables in simple greenhouses
History16th Century
Time of exploration and tradeEuropean travelers would bring back exotic
plantsInvention of microscope and beginning of
botany17th Century
Missions to collect new speciesGardening was very respectableWitchcraft
History17th Century Buildings
Faced North with few windows Not ideal for photosynthesis
Open fires or burning charcoal Toxic chemicals harmed workers and plants
1691, John Evelyn coined the term “greenhouse” Created the first hot-air heating system
History18th Century
Sunlight was deemed primary growth factorExperts worked on optimal building anglesFirst steam-heated systems
19th CenturyRecreational use and decoration1845, England revoked glass taxFrame materials shifted from wood to metal
20th CenturyPopularity fizzles and large corporations take
over
Other CollegesCarleton—Northfield, MN
Fewer than 2,000 studentsCowling Arboretum, 880 acres for classes and
recreationGustavus Adolphus – St. Peter, MN
Roughly 2,500 studentsLinnaeus Arboretum, 100 species trees and
gardensUniversity of MN – St. Paul
Flowering , teaching, and renting space
Other CollegesWest Central Research & Outreach Center –
Morris, MN
Local Movement Carol Ford and Chuck Waibel – Milan, MN When did you first begin your greenhouse project?
Research began in 2002, including online, in textbooks, site visits, and taking Land Stewardship Projects “Farm Beginnings” course.
What inspired you to build your greenhouse? We get summer vegetables from a local CSA farm. We were
inspired and alarmed by the last share box of the summer, meaning that we’d have to buy inferior supermarket vegetables. “Someone should do something” became “We should do something.”
What is the size of your greenhouse? 16x22 feet, with a peak at about 16 feet.
What were the building costs? The overall business costs were $18,000, including many non-
construction items. Just the greenhouse cost about $12,000- but remember, that was for a prototype, so costs could be reduced.
How much can you grow? We grow just over two bushels per week of fresh greens and
vegetables per week.
Local Movement What is the most challenging part of your greenhouse project?
For us it was the learning curve- we virtually invented our techniques from scratch, as our kind of growing differs from more “traditional” methods, and is much more energy efficient. The project involves much “thinking outside the box” working for synergy in many fields. That’s why we wrote a book. It’s not that hard once someone has shown the way.
What is the most rewarding part of your greenhouse project? This is different for each of us. Generally, it’s knowing that we
are making a positive contribution for the local economy and against climate change.
What is your book about? This book is a basic “how to build and run a winter greenhouse”
manual. We are planning a larger, more anecdotal, volume with more history and philosophy.
UMM GreenhouseLearned about in
classesTalked to Plant
ServicesNot really available
space
Distribution4 Plausible Options
Sell to local grocerHave a campus
marketCSAProvide for campus
UMM Dining ServicesDonna Bauck (General Manager)
Could not disclose costsEasier to buy from campus than “farmer Joe”
Trish Arndt (Retail Manager) Joshua O’ Brien(Executive Chef)
All sorts of vegetables, greens, and herbs.1 lb herbs per weekContract through SedexhoLocal foods through Bix produce distribution
What to grow?Tomatoes
Especially grape and cherryYellow Squash and Zucchini
Pick oftenCucumbers
15-30 on a cage 4 ft tall with 18 in diameterSpecialty Peppers
High yielding plantsHerbs
ConclusionMuch larger task with many contracts and
financesGrant moneySupport from relative campus staffFurther sustainable missionOpportunities to reduce footprint, provide
learning, supply Dining Services with delicious fresh foods
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