The Chinese Greenhouse: Design and Build a Low-Cost, Passive Solar Greenhouse

by Dan Chiras

Overview

"A prescription for survival in this gorgeously illustrated and accessible guide to the future of farming." —Albert Bates, author of The Biochar Solution
Grow vegetables year-round in a greenhouse powered only by solar energy!
Originally developed in China to feed millions, Chinese greenhouses are earth-sheltered, solar-heated, east-west oriented, intelligently glazed, and well-insulated. They have proven highly effective in growing warm-weather vegetables and fruits like green peppers and tomatoes in cold climates through fall, winter, and early spring using passive solar energy as the sole heat source.
The Chinese Greenhouse is a full-color comprehensive guide to these passive solar greenhouses for self-sufficiency and growing year-round in soil or aquaponic grow beds with no additional heat. Coverage includes:

• How to design, build, and operate a Chinese greenhouse
• How to improve performance via short-term and long-term heat banking
• How to provide additional heat to make your greenhouse operate even more effectively
• How to cool the greenhouse during the summer.

Become a more self-sufficient gardener, growing and harvesting a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables year-round, with your own Chinese greenhouse.
"Wonderfully researched . . . brilliant." —Jean-Martin Fortier, farmer and author of The Market Gardener, editor of Growers Magazine
"Essential reading for pioneers of Chinese greenhouses." —Pam Dawling, author of The Year-Round Hoophouse and Sustainable Market Farming
"Every enthusiastic vegetable farmer dreams of this winter-growing miracle, and Dan shows how to do it." —Shawna Coronado, author of 101 Organic Gardening Hacks

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771423175
Publisher:	New Society Publishers
Publication date:	08/20/2024
Series:	Mother Earth News Books for Wiser Living
Sold by:	OPEN ROAD INTEGRATED - EBKS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	241
File size:	29 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Dan Chiras, PhD, is the author of 38 books, including Solar Electricity Basics, Power from the Wind, Power from the Sun, and The Homeowners Guide to Renewable Energy. He has taught workshops on solar electricity and passive solar heating for the Evergreen Institute, the American Solar Energy Society, the Colorado Renewable Energy Society, the Missouri Solar Energy Industries Association, and the University of Colorado. Over the past 45 years, Dan has published articles on natural building, green building, solar electricity, passive solar design, self-sufficiency, and sustainability in publications such as Solar Today, Home Power, and Mother Earth News. He has installed numerous solar electric and wind systems in Missouri and has lived on solar electricity since 1996. He lives on a solar- and wind-powered farm in Gerald, MO.

Dan Chiras, Ph.D, is the author of numerous books on renewable energy, including The Solar House and The Homeowners Guide to Renewable Energy. He has been growing in greenhouses for nearly two decades and in his own passive solar Chinese greenhouse since 2017. Dan lives in Gerald, MO.

Table of Contents

1. My Introduction to Chinese Greenhouses
    Early Experiences with Greenhouse Growing
    Building a Four-Season Greenhouse
    The Chinese Greenhouse
    Meeting Dr. Sanjun Gu and The Real Chinese Greenhouse
    What's this Book about?

2. What's Wrong with Conventional Greenhouses?
    Shortcomings of Conventional Greenhouses
    Conclusion

3. What Makes the Chinese Greenhouse so Special?
    A Closer Look
    The Advantages of Earth-Sheltering
    How Earth-Sheltering Actually Works
    A Brief History of the Chinese Greenhouse
    Evolutionary Changes to Chinese Greenhouse Design
    A Chinese Farming Success Story
    Do Chinese Greenhouses Really Work?
    Chinese Greenhouses and All-Season Greenhouses
    Conclusion

4. Building a Chinese Greenhouse: Site Selection, Excavation, and Drainage
    Above Ground or Underground: That's the Question
    Compensating Strategies
    Selecting and Excavating Your Site
    Getting it Right: Proper Orientation
    Proper Drainage: Protecting Your Greenhouse from Water Infiltration
    Water, Water, Everywhere, and You can be Sure It Will Find a Way In
    Conclusion

5. Thermal Mass, Framing, Glazing, and Insulation
    Thermal Mass
    Framing Your Greenhouse
    Roof Slope: What's the Optimum Angle?
    Glazing or Plastic
    Insulation
    How Much Glazing do you Need?
    Conclusion

6. Improving Performance: Daytime Internal Heat Banking
    Daily Internal Heat Banking
    Additional Considerations
    Conclusion

7. Improving Performance: Daily Heat Banking with a Solar Hot Air System
    Using a Solar Hot Air Collector to Bank Heat
    Where Can I Purchase a Solar Hot Air Collector?
    Mounting a Solar Hot Air Collector
    How does a Solar Hot Air System Work?
    What's the Proper Tilt Angle?
    Mounting a Solar Hot Air Collector on a Rack
    Controlling Hot Air Systems
    Build Your Own Solar Hot Air Collector
    Conclusion

8. Improving Performance: Daily Heat Banking with Solar Hot Water Systems
    What Is a Solar Hot Water System?
    Drainback Solar Hot Water Systems
    Pump-Driven Glycol-Based Solar Hot Water Systems
    Which System Should You Use?
    Evacuated Tube Solar Hot Water Collectors
    Installing a Solar Hot Water System
    Conclusion: How about Long-Term Heat Storage?

9. Improving Performance: Long-Term (Seasonal) Heat Banking
    Long-term Heat Banking: A New Idea?
    Long Term or Seasonal Heat Banking
    Heat Banking in Earth-Sheltered Buildings like the Chinese Greenhouse
    Active Annual Heat Storage
    Which Way to Go?
    Daily Internal Heat Recovery System
    Solar Hot Air System
    Seasonal Heat Storage with a Solar Hot Water System
    Conclusion: An Invitation to Share

10. Battling the Heat: Summertime Production
    Summer Options
    Retiring the Greenhouse for the Summer
    Continuing to grow in a Chinese Greenhouse in the Summer
    Quit Bugging Me
    Conclusion

11. Getting it Right: Designing Climate Batteries
    Climate Battery Design and Construction
    Climate Batteries and Cooling
    Conclusion

12. Supplementing Solar Input: LED Lighting
    Do You Need to Supplement Lighting?
    What Kind of Lights Work Best?
    Understanding Light
    Understanding PAR
    When do you Need Supplemental Lighting?
    DLI: One More Thing About Lighting
    Conclusion
    Determining Daily Light Integral

13. Building My Chinese Greenhouse: A Pictorial Documentary
    Site Selection and Preparation
    Building the Thermal Mass Wall
    Building Rammed Earth Tire Walls
    Earth-Cooling Tube Installation
    Waterproofing Mass Walls
    Framing the Greenhouse
    Installing the Roof
    Mudding the Walls
    Exterior Insulation and Backfilling
    Insulating the Interior Walls and Roof
    Installing Siding
    Revegetating the Berm
    We Made It!

Index
About the Author
About New Society Publishers

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"We live in times where the agriculture that feeds us must transition towards real sustainability and we should all have doubts that our blind, society-wide belief in technological progress will bring us there. Low-tech Chinese greenhouses and the tested, trialed, and true solutions they offer is more proof that interesting possibilities arise when you combine old technology with new knowledge and new materials. Or when you apply old concepts and traditional knowledge to modern technology. The book is wonderfully researched and I thank Dan Chiras for having gifted us such brilliant work."
— Jean-Martin Fortier, farmer, author, Market Gardener, editor, Growers Magazine

"We are no better prepared for the climate chaos catastrophes of the 2030s than we were for the coronavirus of the 2020s. How we have grown food since the last ice age no longer applies. Thankfully, Dan Chiras has written a prescription for survival in this gorgeously illustrated and accessible guide to the future of farming."
— Albert Bates, author, The Biochar Solution: Carbon Farming and Climate Change

"I was an early adopter of hoophouses, extending the seasons without fossil fuels. Chinese Greenhouses can be the next step, producing warm-weather crops in cold weather without heating bills! Dan presents the options and gives recommendations on design, construction, and vegetable production based on his deep experience. Essential reading for pioneers of Chinese greenhouses. Fantastic guidance to embark on this rewarding journey!"
— Pam Dawling, author, The Year-Round Hoophouse and Sustainable Market Farming

"Dan Chiras has done it again! The Chinese Greenhouse answers the question: "how do I continue gardening all winter long?" This fantastic guide teaches you how to design, construct, and operate a greenhouse using only solar energy. No expensive supplemental heating equipment needed. Every enthusiastic vegetable farmer dreams of this winter-growing miracle, and Dan shows how to do it. Want to learn how to have a climate controlled growing space to garden every vegetable your heart desires? This is the book for you."
— Shawna Coronado, author, speaker

"In The Chinese Greenhouse, Dan Chiras dives deep into this means for growing food year-round without fossil fuel heat. From the history and concept learned from the original inventor, through improvements over time, to the current state of the art, Dan illustrates in detail all the steps and products required to build your own fourseason greenhouse. Beyond simply describing the process, Dan shares his personal experience of building one for himself, and he offers the reader many alternative approaches, tailored to various circumstances, which fully address the advantages of each. Richly illustrated and detailed in plain, but thorough language, Dan takes you through the process with his typical rigor and humor. If you want to grow your own food year-round, without burning fossil fuels, this is the book for you."
— James Plagmann, Architect + LEED AP, HumaNature Architecture, LLC

"COVID has shown the world that our food systems are fragile. This book gives you invaluable information on how to construct a greenhouse that will allow you to grow food in a northern climate with little to no additional energy. If you are looking to increase your antifragility by building a truly passive solar greenhouse you will get a ton of value from this book."
— Rob Avis, P.Eng, co-author, Essential Rainwater Harvesting

"Dan has described the Chinese greenhouse in such a practical way that interested farmers can easily follow and build one themselves. Dan also expanded the Chinese greenhouse by adding more elements that are feasible in North America, which will make the Chinese greenhouse even more efficient. I am very impressed and believe other readers will be as well!"
— Dr. Sanjun Gu, professor, extension horticulture specialist, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University