Recently, I’ve been visiting local farms and nurseries to check out the how the locals have constructed their greenhouses and the creative ways in which they are heating and cooling them.
My first visit was to a lovely, little dwelling in Old Fort called Huckleberry Ridge Farm. The owners, Ken and Judy, have built a small greenhouse that they use to grow greens during the winter months. There is an infrared system that heats the dirt the on table beds where the greens grow. They supplement with a wood stove and small fan to circulate the warm air on cold winter nights which has substantially, lowered their heating bills. They’ve cleverly, placed bubble wrap on the inside of the roof covering for added insulation as well as insulating the backwall and using bagged leaves on the edges of the greenhouse. They’re always seeking more efficient ways to heat the space and to increase temperatures during winter to grow more food. A phase change material of 70 to 80 degrees F would be a perfect fit to store the heat for later use, for decreasing fossil fuel consumption and burning less wood.
Judy and Ken’s specialty is fine rabbit meat. They have beautiful, healthy rabbits which they process themselves at the farm, chickens for eggs, various greens and vegetables and lively ducks and geese that roam the property! I can attest that their rabbit meat is delicious and they’ve got the best tasting eggs we’ve had thus far!
Thank you for the visit, Judy!
Huckleberryridgefarm@hughes.net
