Earth-sheltered Greenhouse

– Posted in: Hardscaping and Projects, Recommended Links
6 comments

Here are plans to make an Earth-sheltered Greenhouse from a man in Idaho. He actually built it into the side of a hill to help moderate the temperatures inside. It looks like he dug it all out by hand. (Click on slide show for close-ups.) He must have wanted vegetables badly! I’m pretty sure if we tried something like that on our land, the greenhouse would fill up with water. We have a pretty high water table when there isn’t a drought. If this doesn’t seem like it would work for your situation, check out some of the other season-extending books in my Amazon Store.

Thanks to Primrozie for the link.

About the Author

Kathy Purdy is a colchicum evangelist, converting unsuspecting gardeners into colchicophiles. She gardens in rural upstate NY, which used to be USDA Hardiness Zone 4 but is now Zone 5. Kathy’s been writing since 4th grade, gardening since high school, and blogging since 2002. Find her on Instagram as kopurdy.

Now, the digging and dividing of perennials, the general autumn cleanup and the planting of spring bulbs are all an act of faith. One carries on before the altar of delayed gratification, until the ground freezes and you can’t do any more other than refill the bird feeder and gaze through the window, waiting for the snow. . . . Meanwhile, it helps to think of yourself as a pear tree or a tulip. You will blossom spectacularly in the spring, but only after the required period of chilling.

~Adrian Higgins in The Washington Post, November 6, 2013

Comments on this entry are closed.

Eoin Beckett February 28, 2008, 5:17 pm

This looks like a fantastic idea if you live in a place with hills. I like the way the earth is used to cool the greenhouse – all very efficient. I would use an excavator, though.

Unfortunately, we don’t have many hills in Denmark, so I’ll have to dream on about this particular greenhouse.

j walker May 7, 2007, 5:13 pm

Excellent use of tera firma, I own a backhoe and live in maine. This earthen greenhouse is going on my to do list

lindsey the fardening and landscaping expert November 1, 2006, 5:53 am

really well thought out plans, thanks for sharing those.

Kathy Purdy October 23, 2006, 6:12 pm

Very cool idea, but a lot of work, unless you have a friend with a backhoe.

Jenn October 23, 2006, 6:07 pm

Very cool idea. Like you, I have a high water table. Sigh.

Mike Krepel December 18, 2009, 1:38 am

One way to combat a high water table is to bring in soil and build the whole thing above your current ground level. You would have to build a pretty big mound, but at least you could build the thing and get the benefit of the earth sheltering. Most of the additional “dirt” could be pit-run gravel which is usually pretty reasonably priced. The only topsoil needed would be that in the actual growing beds. That could come from your lot before you place the first gravel, so you could save that much.