Greenhouses, conservatories, patios Books

Book Synopsis"Brimming with ingenuity, hope, and eminently practical advice, The Winter Harvest Handbook is an indispensable contribution."—Michael Pollan "Useful, practical, sensible, and enlightening information for the home gardener."—Martha Stewart With The Winter Harvest Handbook, everyone can have access to organic farming pioneer Elliot Coleman’s hard-won experience. Gardeners and farmers can use the innovative, highly successful methods Coleman describes in this comprehensive handbook to raise crops throughout the coldest of winters. Building on the techniques that hundreds of thousands of farmers and gardeners adopted from Coleman's The New Organic Grower and Four-Season Harvest, this book focuses on growing produce of unparalleled freshness and quality in customized unheated or, in some cases, minimally heated, movable plastic greenhouses. Inside, you'll find Coleman's clear, concise, and meticulous details [including many accompanying illustrations] on: Greenhouse construction and maintenance Planting schedules Crop management Harvesting practices Marketing methods Coleman’s painstaking research and experimentation with more than 30 different crops will be valuable to small farmers, homesteaders, and experienced home gardeners who seek to expand their production seasons. A passionate advocate for the revival of small-scale sustainable farming, Coleman provides a practical model for supplying fresh, locally grown produce during the winter season, even in climates where conventional wisdom says it "just can’t be done." "The incomparable Eliot Coleman is back."—The New York Times "A Renaissance man for a new generation."—Dan BarberTrade Review"If we are going to create a good, clean, fair food system, we've got to learn how to grow affordable, local food year-round and make a living at it. Eliot Coleman knows more about this than anyone I've met. Here he gives the detailed information needed to make it work. The only way to learn it better would be to follow him around for a few seasons. And he won't let you."--Josh Viertel, President, Slow Food USA"How do you produce first-rate food all year-round in northern places? This is the big question facing the local food movement, and Eliot Coleman, one of America's most innovative farmers, has come up with excellent answers. Brimming with ingenuity, hope, and eminently practical advice, The Winter Harvest Handbook is an indispensable contribution."--Michael Pollan "The Winter Harvest Handbook is a treasure trove of practical, proven techniques for producing crops on a year-round basis in any climate. Based on decades of on-farm research, this book is packed with useful ideas, tips and practices that anyone can use in pursuing the increasingly vital dream of local, organic food production using a minimum of precious resources. A masterful book from a master organic farmer. I wish I had had a copy 35 years ago!"--Amigo Bob Cantisano, President, Organic Ag Advisors "'Attention to detail is the major secret to success in any endeavor,' writes Eliot Coleman on page 156 of this absorbing and happily detailed report on his ongoing efforts to grow flawless vegetables without hothouses on the frozen 'back side' of the year. In chapters covering everything from The Yearly Schedule and Greenhouse Design to Weed Control and Marketing, Coleman tracks his own constant search for perfection, a quality that has led more than one young farmer to exclaim 'I'd follow him anywhere.' Well worth reading even if you don't grow vegetables, just to watch a master's mind at work."--Joan Dye Gussow, author of This Organic Life "Eliot Coleman's books have been called Bibles for small farmers and home gardeners. I suspect that's because he writes about not just gardening but about everything that connects to good food and pleasure; a Renaissance man for a new generation, he'll quote Goethe in the same breath as Ghandi, and as a result, you'll dig, weed, eat, think, and live more fully."--Dan Barber, Chef, Blue Hill and Blue Hill Stone Barns "I just finished picking my first carrots, beets, and radishes from my new 'cold house' in Bedford, New York. It is so rewarding to harvest fresh vegetables and salads in the middle of winter and I grow them following the techniques of Eliot Coleman. I have been a devotee of Eliot's for years, fully agreeing with his methods for growing in winter, spring, summer, and fall, tasty, nutritious produce with a minimum consumption of fossil fuels. Congratulations on another volume of useful, practical, sensible, and enlightening information for the home gardener."--Martha Stewart"When does gardening become farming? When are you no longer having dinner parties and running a restaurant instead? For those who are ready to graduate beyond coffee-can retail, the incomparable Eliot Coleman is back with THE WINTER HARVEST HANDBOOK: Year-Round Vegetable Production Using Deep-Organic Techniques and Unheated Greenhouses (Chelsea Green, paper, $29.95). I'm not one to quibble over the details of a "T-post anchor and homemade attaching bracket for securing the corners of a new rolling greenhouse design." Suffice it to say that this serious, meticulous, inspiring farmer and writer solves the problem of growing lettuce in Maine -- in January. Anyone living near Coleman's Four Season Farm is thrice blessed -- 1) to live in intense denial of the back-breaking effort he or she is 2) being spared in order to acquire what is surely 3) the tastiest, most wholesome and pure food available. Coleman's opus is as much a call to action for town planners to embrace local farms as it is a bible for small farmers. This book is for people who know what they're doing."-- The New York Times Book Review "Eliot Coleman is widely recognized as the 'master' of the master gardeners. His new book, The Winter Harvest Handbook--which tells us how to produce local food even in winter in cold climates like Maine, without a lot of energy--now joins his other delightful books as another lovely read, packed with powerful and practical ideas that every gardener will treasure."--Frederick Kirschenmann, Distinguished Fellow, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and President of Stone Barns Center for Food and AgricultureTable of Contents1. The winter harvest 2. Historical inspiration 3. Getting started 4. The yearly schedule 5. Sunlight 6. The "cold" greenhouse 7. The "cool" greenhouse 8. Winter crops 9. Summer crops 10. Greenhouse design 11. Year-round intensive cropping 12. Soil preparation 13. Sowing 14. Weed control 15. Harvesting in winter 16. Marketing and economics 17. Pests 18. Insects and diseases 19. Tools for the small farm 20. Deep-organic farming and the small farm

Read more less

Book SynopsisTerrariums are the ultimate way to bring the natural world indoors! The art of terrarium making is back in vogue and better than ever. Growing collections of adorable miniature plants in glass vessels is a great way to bring the indoors out and get back in touch with nature—no matter where you live and what time of year it is. Whether you reside in a tiny apartment, spend the bulk of your hours at an office desk, or just want to be better connected to green, living things, terrariums are the ticket. A wondrous combination of nature, gardening, and home decor, terrarium building and tending is both therapeutic and inspirational. Terrarium expert and teacher Maria Colletti makes designing your very own interior gardens easy with step-by-step photos of over twenty of her own terrarium designs. Plus, you'll get all the information you need about popular terrarium plants, such as tillandsias (air plants), orchids, mosses, cacti, succulents, and ferns. ​Transform basic glass containers, including vases, jars, vertical planters, hanging globes, tabletop greenhouses, and more, into miniature worlds of green. Once you know the basics (the plants, the vessels, and a basic understanding of soil, water, and humidity), you can mix and match for an endless exploration of your own creativity!Trade Review"Maria Colletti is no ordinary gardener. Instead, her green designs are small and portable. Hers is the domain of the terrarium--she creates miniature landscapes thriving in a world of glass, sunlight and minimal intervention. Known as the "terrarium savant" by a legion of fans, she has cultivated both expertise and a following that, like her creations, has grown organically with time." - Edible Manhattan"Other books on this subject verge into kitsch, with authors ornamenting their terrariums with miniature people, furnishings, and animals, but Colletti happily avoids this detour and focuses purely on plants" * Better Homes & Gardens Country Gardens *"Maria Colletti is no ordinary gardener. Instead, her green designs are small and portable. Hers is the domain of the terrarium--she creates miniature landscapes thriving in a world of glass, sunlight and minimal intervention. Known as the "terrarium savant" by a legion of fans, she has cultivated both expertise and a following that, like her creations, has grown organically with time." * Edible Manhattan *

Read more less

Book SynopsisNow with a revolutionary new “Climate Battery” design for near-net-zero heating and cooling "Jerome Osentowski is a master of simple, elegantly frugal, eminently practical indoor gardens."—Amory Lovins In this groundbreaking book, Jerome Osentowski, one of North America’s most accomplished permaculture designers, presents a wholly new approach to a very old horticultural subject. In The Forest Garden Greenhouse, he shows how bringing the forest garden indoors is not only possible, but doable on unlikely terrain and in cold climates, using near-net-zero technology. Different from other books on greenhouse design and management, this book advocates for an indoor agriculture using permaculture design concepts—integration, multi-functions, perennials, and polycultures—that take season extension into new and important territory. Chapters Include: Expanding the Possible with Season Extension The History and Mechanics of the Climate Battery Considerations for Building Your Own Greenhouse Several Off-site Case Studies And much more! Osentowski, director and founder of Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute (CRMPI) incorporates deep, holistic permaculture design with practical common sense. His greenhouse designs, which can range from the backyard homesteader to commercial greenhouses, are completely ecological and use a simple design that traps hot and cold air and regulates it for best possible use. With detailed design drawings, photos, and profiles of successful greenhouse projects on all scales, this inspirational manual will considerably change the conversation about greenhouse design.Trade ReviewPublishers Weekly- "Osentowski shows how building and maintaining a Mediterranean or tropical greenhouse full of figs, lemons, papayas, and bananas can be both affordable and practical. Drawing on his 30 years of experimentation and teaching in the harsh, dry mountain environment of his Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute, he offers lush descriptions of his five greenhouses and in-depth, layered advice on designing and constructing a balmy winter retreat. His method uses a 'climate battery’ consisting of tubes buried underground to collect and hold warm air from the greenhouse, which then recirculate it when the temperature cools, backed up in the coldest days with a pellet or wood stove that can simultaneously heat an attached sauna. Osentowski admits that he prefers a hands-on method of teaching, and his written tours through greenhouses are sometimes hard to follow. Novices may be intimidated by the lack of step-by-step, formulaic instruction. But more experienced gardeners, builders, and tinkerers, and even intrepid beginners willing to carefully observe, compute, and ponder, will find this readable guide jam-packed with enough information and inspiration to help them attempt their own indoor paradises.”“A grand master of American permaculture, Jerome Osentowski has pioneered school gardens, high-altitude/high-nutrient cropping, bio-islands for organic golf course management, and heritage fruit trees for the mountain West. Of them all, the forest garden greenhouse is the most impressive. A marvel of integration between humans, the built environment, and the natural world, the greenhouse, in a world of climate calamity, will prove indispensable for both home comfort and food production. The Forest Garden Greenhouse surpasses all others on the subject for technical innovation and practical design.”--Peter Bane, author of The Permaculture Handbook: Garden Farming for Town and Country, board member, Permaculture Institute of North America, and former publisher and editor, Permaculture Activist magazine“In 1997 I had the privilege of visiting Jerome Osentowski’s forest garden in Basalt, Colorado. There is no doubt that Jerome learns from nature with enthusiasm and is one of the few with the capacity to translate his observations into a garden that feeds people—and dreams. The Forest Garden Greenhouse not only makes you wonder how you could achieve forest gardens at home and in your community, but it also makes you take action without delay! There is a sense of urgency that we transform our resource use; with wisdom gained from experience, Jerome shows us how we can do just that.”--Gunter Pauli, author of The Blue Economy“This revolutionary book captures what Jerome Osentowski has learned in decades of building and tending his high-altitude food forest and extensive permaculture site. Jerome’s climate battery is a brilliant idea deserving a broad audience. It brings greenhouse technology into the twenty-first century using simple, appropriate materials. The Forest Garden Greenhouse clearly and elegantly describes the greenhouse, the garden, and the evolution of Jerome’s deep wisdom and creativity. This is much more than a greenhouse book; it’s a manifesto and guidebook showing how permaculture can help us live regenerative lives.”--Toby Hemenway, author of The Permaculture City and Gaia’s Garden“Jerome Osentowski is a master of simple, elegantly frugal, eminently practical indoor gardens that can grow lots of almost anything almost anywhere by not treating soil like dirt. His recipe for rich sheet-mulched soil has so far produced 58 passive-solar banana crops (and over 100 other kinds of higher plants including Bornean tropicals) in my own super-insulated passive-solar home near Aspen. Now The Forest Garden Greenhouse lucidly shares Jerome’s deep, versatile, and ever-evolving experience. Read, learn, apply, improve, spread, enjoy!”--Amory B. Lovins, cofounder and chief scientist, Rocky Mountain Institute“Living in a cold climate is no excuse for not growing your own tropical fruits and year-round vegetables. The Forest Garden Greenhouse teaches how to harvest not just food but year-round temperateness, based on the real-world experience of a seasoned greenhouse designer and manager. After my last visit to Jerome’s greenhouse, I came home to Massachusetts and we built a subtropical greenhouse. Once you read his book, you will want to, too!”--Eric Toensmeier, author of The Carbon Farming Solution and Perennial Vegetables

Read more less

Book SynopsisA polytunnel can be used as an affordable, low-carbon aid to growing your own food all year round, from crispy salads and fresh vegetables in the dead of winter to juicy melons and mouth-watering grapes in high summer. But once you’ve decided to invest in a polytunnel, there are many questions to be answered, including: • Do you need planning permission? • What are the different sizes and types you can buy? • Where should you put it, and how do you put it up? • What can you use it for, how do you look after it, and what are the likely problems? The Polytunnel Handbook looks at all aspects of using a polytunnel, from planning your purchase to harvesting the rewards, and includes a step-by-step guide detailing how polytunnels are put up and maintained. There are chapters on developing healthy soil and preventing pests, and a jargon-free guide to the range of often mystifying accessories that many tunnel retailers offer. For the DIY enthusiast there is a full set of instructions for building a polytunnel from scratch, and the authors explain how to keep your polytunnel productive in every season.Trade ReviewPolytunnels have a key role to play in the grow-your-own revolution, and a comprehensive guide such as this is long overdue. -- Simon McEwan, Editor * Country Smallholding magazine *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Planning your purchase 2. The big day 3. Self-build tunnels 4. The tunnel environment 5. Planting through the year 6. Preventing pests 7. Thinking outside the tunnel Afterword Appendix 1: Further information and suppliers Appendix 2: Further reading Appendix 3: Glossary

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade ReviewOffers practical guidance for beginner growers. * Daily Telegraph *This book will help keep the prickly houseplants going strong. * Belfast Telegraph *A detailed guide to buying and caring for succulents and cacti, with plenty of plant profiles and styling ideas to help you choose the right plant for your home. * Gardens Illustrated *Filled with details about how to propagate and care for over 200 cacti and succulents, it makes a perfect guide for growers both young and old. * Country Garden *

Read more less

Book Synopsis"Anyone purchasing a greenhouse should read this book first." -Home Greenhouse Magazine Do you want homegrown tomatoes in the dead of winter? Or to grow succulents and cacti in the coldest parts of the world? All you need is a greenhouse. In The Greenhouse Gardener's Manual, Roger Marshall shares the secrets of successfully growing vegetables, fruits, flowers, and houseplants in a well-maintained greenhouse. You'll learn how to choose the right design, create a healthy environment, use the space for propagation, and maintain the greenhouse year-round. Marshall also includes a plant directory of the 70 best fruits and vegetables and the 88 best ornamental plants for growing in a greenhouse.

Read more less

Book SynopsisBest practices for the eight most profitable crops: tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, peppers, leafy greens, lettuce, herbs, and microgreens "Mefferd’s book fills a gaping void in the literature for market growers. I highly recommend it to anyone growing in greenhouses, or who aspires to."— Ben Hartman, author of The Lean Farm Whether growing in a heated greenhouse or unheated hoophouse, this book offers a decision-making framework for how to best manage crops Today only a few dozen large-scale producers dominate the greenhouse produce market. Why? Because they know and employ best practices for the most profitable crops. The Greenhouse and Hoophouse Grower’s Handbook levels the playing field by revealing these practices so that all growers—large and small—can maximize the potential of their protected growing space. Whether growing in a heated greenhouse or unheated hoophouse, this book offers a decision-making framework for how to best manage crops that goes beyond a list of simple do’s and don’ts. Author Andrew Mefferd spent years consulting for growers using protected agriculture in a wide variety of climates, soils, and conditions. The Greenhouse and Hoophouse Grower’s Handbook brings his experience and expertise to bear in an in-depth guide that will help readers make their investment in greenhouse space worthwhile. Every year, more growers are turning to protected culture to deal with unpredictable weather and to meet out-of-season demand for local food, but many end up spinning their wheels, wasting time and money on unprofitable crops grown in ways that don’t make the most of their precious greenhouse space. In The Greenhouse and Hoophouse Grower’s Handbook comprehensive chapters include: Protected Growing Structures and their features Heating, Cooling, Lighting, and Irrigation Plant Basics Propagation, Pruning, and Trellising Grafting And Much More! Mefferd’s book is full of techniques and strategies that can help farms stay profitable, satisfy customers, and become an integral part of re-localizing our food system. From seed to sale, The Greenhouse and Hoophouse Grower’s Handbook is the indispensable resource for protected growing. Trade Review“This comprehensive book is a must-have for organic greenhouse and hoophouse producers, whether experienced or just getting started. Andrew Mefferd’s years as both a grower and a writer shine through. He clearly explains the basics of structures and environmental management, while also covering the nuances of grafting and ‘steering’ plants to be most productive. Growers will be pleased with the attention devoted to the best practices they’ll need to succeed with eight different crops.”--Vern Grubinger, vegetable and berry specialist, University of Vermont Extension“The Greenhouse and Hoophouse Grower’s Handbook answers the questions that both new and established farmers are asking, including which staple crops will sustain a farm’s operation and how to best maximize yield. As protected agriculture continues to grow in popularity and necessity, Andrew’s book will help farmers at every level achieve higher profits as they use this reference to guide them through the seasons under film. A must-have for any grower."--Nick Burton, owner, Victory Gardens, Paris, Texas; founder, State of the Soil“From small hobby farmers to advanced greenhouse growers, I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t benefit from reading The Greenhouse and Hoophouse Grower’s Handbook. Andrew does an exemplary job of highlighting basic principles of plant growth and microclimate modification to help producers design their own management systems and diagnose problems in the greenhouse or hoophouse.”--Cary Rivard, extension specialist, Kansas State University“When we started our wholesale greenhouse back in 1974, the best references were the equipment catalogs, and we pored over them each night. Now Andrew Mefferd has created the most complete greenhouse grower’s manual in the world. It contains the full spectrum of proper greenhouse growing for organic vegetable production and all its factors and, importantly, is detailed from a foundation of experience. This book is a fact-filled treasure, accessible for all. Thank you for debriefing, Andrew. You are a hero of horticulture!”--Alice Doyle, cofounder, Log House Plants“Finally! A book that makes the specialized and highly refined techniques of the big European and North American hothouse growers accessible to farmers, market gardeners, and growers at all scales, with clear explanations of the practices and why they work. It took me twenty years to figure out half of this on my own; I’m glad I don’t have to wait another twenty to figure out the rest.”--Josh Volk, author of Compact Farms; consultant, Slow Hand Farm“Hats off to Andrew Mefferd and his comprehensive guide to growing in a protected environment! While covering all the basics, this book takes growers to the next level, with in-depth discussions on the physical environment, plant biology, and their intriguing relationship. Once hard-to-find info on topics such as plant steering and grafting is presented thoroughly and clearly. Importantly, the last chapters cover the practical ins and outs of growing eight of the most significant crops for protected culture. Every grower will learn lots from this book; I sure did.”--Richard Wiswall, author of The Organic Farmer’s Business Handbook“Andrew Mefferd’s book fills a gaping void in the literature for market growers. I highly recommend it to anyone growing in greenhouses, or who aspires to. With experience few others have, Mefferd explains growing techniques used in advanced greenhouses, and then shows how smaller-scale growers might put them to use. I kept a pencil by my side and plan to use lots of ideas on our own farm.”--Ben Hartman, author of The Lean Farm“This is an important book that will give growers the tools and resources to increase production and profits in protected culture environments. In one book, Andrew has packaged the detailed technical growing information that took us years and thousands of dollars to acquire for our farm. This book will be one I refer to and recommend often.”--Michael Kilpatrick, farmer; cofounder, In the Field Consultants“The Greenhouse and Hoophouse Grower’s Handbook is a must-read for beginners as well as a valuable, up-to-date resource for experienced growers. Mefferd has written a comprehensive overview of the elements of growing crops under cover. So much of the food available now is from greenhouse production, and most from faraway lands. This book will help you be the one growing crops for your local market.”--Eric Sideman, PhD, crop specialist, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association“Although greenhouse and high-tunnel food production is a well-established industry, small and beginning growers have never had easy access to information about how the professionals do it. Andrew Mefferd has bridged that gap with this important new book. He makes technical information accessible in a lively and lucid style. Everyone who owns or plans to buy a greenhouse or hoophouse should read this book.”--Lynn Byczynski, author of Market Farming Success and The Flower Farmer; founder, Growing for Market“With this book, Andrew Mefferd, a firm supporter of the local food movement, offers a knowledgeable contribution to help growers (especially in cold climates) develop skills to deal with challenges and reap the benefits of protected cropping. This is not a generalist hoophouse book but a menu where growers can select specialized professional practices to suit their situation, whether growing microgreens; grafting, pruning, and trellising vine crops; or ‘crop steering’ to select for leaf growth or fruit development.”--Pam Dawling, author of Sustainable Market Farming; contributing editor, Growing for Market “The production of organic vegetables using protected culture to modify the natural environment and optimize plant growth is one of the most highly productive systems for organic vegetables. This handbook provides a broad spectrum of knowledge on growing structures and climate control as well as propagation, pruning, trellising, crop steering for maximum production, and grafting plants for natural disease control. For aspiring market gardeners, young and old, The Greenhouse and Hoophouse Grower’s Handbook is a must-read!”--Dr. Merle H. Jensen, professor, Controlled Environment Agriculture Center, The University of Arizona“Finally, a seasoned greenhouse grower has taken the time to share professional greenhouse techniques with the small-scale farming community. Such valuable work was a long time in the coming! Whether you’re currently growing in a greenhouse or hoophouse or planning to do so (and you should!), this book will teach you the best practices. It concisely and methodologically demystifies the all-encompassing skill set that you need to become successful at growing lucrative crops in protected space. Andrew Mefferd knows his stuff, and his book is absolute gold. Can’t recommend it enough.”--Jean-Martin Fortier, author of The Market Gardener

Read more less

Book SynopsisWelcome to modern matchmaking for plants! All you need to do is be honest about what you can invest into your plant relationship (attentiveness, experience sunlight) and voila The Modern Gardener will suggest the best matched plant partner for you.Nothing livens up a room, windowsill or small yard like the presence of leafy Swiss cheese plants, angular succulents, perennial peonies or your own little herb garden. And this comprehensive reference book starts by covering all the best types of plants and planting for every type of indoor room, patio and balcony from decorative and beneficial, low maintenance or useful edible plants you'll find everything you need to know about how to find the perfect plants for you and your lifestyle, and how help them to thrive.The second half of the book the Personal Plant Selector features an extensive directory of over 100 plants, in which you will be introduced to each species and their characteristics, benefits and needs, including quick facts on potting and repotting, correct care and more.This beautifully designed encyclopedia of plants also includes a comprehensive index and a cross-referencing system, to make it easy to find information quickly. It's the ultimate guide to your personal plant kingdom!

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn one affordable polytunnel, kitchen-garden guru Joyce Russell shows you how to grow vegetables easily, organically and abundantly so that you have something to eat every month of the year. Whether you are a beginner or more experienced, this comprehensive, practical, month-by-month guide to polytunnel gardening has got everything you need, telling you exactly what to do and when to do it, in order to grow the best fruit and vegetables all-year-round. From preparing the site to making a hotbed, from composts and organic feeds to identifying and coping with pests, plus information on how to get the best from each crop and month-to-month planting plans for year-round growing, The Polytunnel Book provides a wealth of practical tips and techniques as well as celebrating what can be achieved. Illustrated with 300 stunning colour photographs, this practical guide to polytunnels hand guidTrade Review'Enhanced by Ben Russell's colourful and purposeful photos, this is a great book to have by your side, demostrating the range and variety of what you can grow in a polytunnel - and all year round too!Table of ContentsCONTENTS Introduction How to use this book 1: SETTING UP A POLYTUNNEL Choosing the right location Choosing the polytunnel Preparing the land Putting up a classic, hooped polytunnel Laying out the inside of the polytunnel 2: A FEW ESSENTIALS Some thoughts on seeds Some thoughts on compost 3: A MONTH-BY-MONTH GUIDE TO A YEAR IN THE POLYTUNNEL January February March April May June July August September October November December 4: FRUIT AND VEGETABLES AT A GLANCE Aubergines Basil Beetroot Broad beans (early crop) Broccoli (Spring) cabbage Carrots (early crop) Courgettes Cucumbers Figs Florence fennel (as an overwinter crop) French beans Grapes Kohl rabi Lettuce Melons Peas (mangetout, as a spring crop) Peaches and nectarines Peppers New potatoes Pumpkins and squash Salad leaves: rocket, mizuna, etc. Spinach, spinach beet and Swiss chard (Early) strawberries Sweetcorn Tomatoes 5: PESTS, DISEASES AND OTHER PROBLEMS - AN ORGANIC APPROACH Some polytunnel pests Some polytunnel diseases Mineral deficiencies Some physical problems 6: ONGOING CARE Crop rotation in a polytunnel Ten steps to soil health Repairs and maintenance 7: MAKE YOUR OWN How to make a hotbed How to make your own potting mixes How to make liquid feeds List of suppliers Glossary Index Acknowledgements

Read more less

Book SynopsisPots is the perfect guide to help you fill your containers with plants, tend to their needs and watch them flourish every season.Trade Review“I have admired Harriet’s work with containers for many years – she is undoubtedly a leader in her field. How she creates a full-scale garden in containers is sensational, blending colour, texture and stature. Not only is it space-saving, but the artistry of this container work makes it an incredibly mindful and enjoyable process. The containers she makes are simply works of art!” –– Michael Perry, aka Mr Plant Geek "On street corners and on front doorsteps across the world you will find some lame and uninspiring pots. They are difficult to get right, which is why, when given the chance to learn from a maestro, you should grasp it. Harriet Rycroft is a very talented conductor of containers, a potentate of pots and a tycoon of tubs. Her book is a pleasure and her advice invaluable." –– James Alexander-Sinclair, Garden Designer "Harriet is the queen of ornamental container gardening!" –– Sarah Venn, founder of Edible Bristol Table of Contents1 Learn / Understand the art of planting in containers 2 Plan / Shape your space with the right pots in the right place 3 Grow / Discover the best plants for pots in all seasons 4Care / Learn to support your plants and help them thrive Index Resources, Plant names & Acknowledgments

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn inspiring sourcebook of classic and contemporary garden designs, with ideas and techniques to suit enclosed outdoor spaces of every shape and size.

Read more less

Book SynopsisDesign, build, and equip your very own greenhouse with the building plans and photo-illustrated step-by-step instructions in BLACK+DECKER The Complete Guide to DIY Greenhouses 3rd Edition. A start-to-finish book on building greenhouses for the home gardener, this is the most complete book on DIY greenhouses you’ll find anywhere. Featuring full-color step-by-step photos and comprehensive how-to instructions, the book features full plans for structures that are designed to extend the gardening season. From ornate, Victorian-style greenhouses to basic cold frames and simpler kits, you’re sure to find a project that meets your needs and fits your space. The projects include:   DIY Gabled Greenhouse PVC Hoophouse Sun Porch Kit Shed-Style Greenhouse Old-Window Greenhouse Low-Maintenance Sunroom Companion projects, includin

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe most comprehensive book on greenhouse gardening available today. Today, greenhouses and sunrooms are real living spaces where gardeners spend as much time with a book and a cup of coffee as they do with a watering can and a pair of pruning shears. In this fully revised edition of a best-selling classic, veteran gardener Shane Smith embraces this new "lifestyle" approach to greenhouse gardening. Through lively writing that balances wit with commonsense advice, Smith draws on his more than 20 years' experience to cover everything you need to know to establish a charming and productive greenhouse.

Read more less

Book SynopsisUnlock new growing opportunities and increase your property value with an outdoor conservatory. In this illustrated guide, Roger Marshall shows you how to build our own greenhouse using simple, easy-to-follow techniques. Covering everything from selecting a site to glazing glass, Marshall includes tips on laying a foundation, construction materials, ventilation, and much more. Whether your goal is to stretch the growing season or create a lush space for a year-round hot tub, you can build the greenhouse of your dreams.

Read more less

Book SynopsisCreate your very own hideaway for relaxing, crafting, reading, or simply to have a private place just for you. She Sheds provides the instruction and inspiration.They’ve got their man caves, and it’s time for you to have a space of your own. She Sheds shows you how to create cozy getaways with inspiration from across the country. You will start by defining the goal and purpose of your space. Will you use it for entertaining? Crafting? Alone time?Then, use the gallery of over 100 photos as inspiration for your decor, paint colors, and landscaping. Construction ideas, as well as ideas for upcycling, and other green resources are at your disposal throughout so you may truly personalize your she shed. Explore: She sheds in a variety of styles…rustic, colonial, Victorian, Spanish, modern, and more She sheds for a variety of purposes, including crafting and art, gardening, meditation, work, socializing, and simple alone time Style tips for decorating and organizing your she shed Builder’s notes with tips on choosing and working with materials Photo-illustrated step-by-step instructions for building a kit shed Get inspired, and get started on your very own tricked-out retreat!Trade ReviewShe Sheds feature in nationally syndicated column. Syndicated by Creators Symdicate which is part of the USA Today Network. -- Christine Brun * Creators Syndicate / USA Today Network *She Sheds awarded a 2017 Best of Houzz Design for the Allie + Olivia (Chicken) shed that is in the book -- Houzz * Houzz.com *"For any woman who’s ever wanted a space to call her own — a retreat to squirrel away and work or dream or read or just sit — this book is for you." * Try Smal Things *"Kotite spent almost a year studying the phenomenon - as well as building a She Shed for her sister, for her new book..." * Sacramento Bee *...offers useful information on how to build your own she shed, whether you’re using a kit, building your own or renovating another structure into one. You’ll have she shed envy by the end of the book. * Detroit News *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe founders of Brooklyn Grange, the world’s largest green rooftop farm, share their inspirational story of changing the world through entrepreneurship.   In their effort to build the world’s first and largest commercial green rooftop farm, the founders of Brooklyn Grange learned a lot about building and sustaining a business while never losing sight of their mission—to serve their community by providing delicious organic food and changing the way people think about what they eat. But their story is about more than just farming. It serves as an inspirational and instructional guide for anyone looking to start a business that is successful while making a positive impact.   In The Farm on the Roof, the team behind Brooklyn Grange tell the complete story of how their “farmily” made their dream a reality. Along the way, they share valuable lessons about finding the right partners, seeking funding, expanding, and identifying potential sources of revenue without compromising your core values—lessons any socially conscious entrepreneur can apply toward his or her own venture. Filled with colorful anecdotes about the ups and downs of farming in the middle of New York City, this story is not just about rooftop farming; it’s about utilizing whatever resources you have to turn your backyard idea into a sky-high success.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisCannabis, weed, pot, ganja, maryjane, whatever you call it, it’s now legal in many states (and Canada) and more will follow. Skip your local cannabis dispensary and grow your own.Anyone can buy marijuana seeds—they are legal to purchase—and with some soil, water, and light, you can grow your own plants. With step-by-step instructions, Tommy McCarthy will show you how to cultivate and raise beautiful hemp plants, as well as how to harvest and prepare the final product.The Marijuana Grower’s Handbook will teach you many important steps, including: Choosing the right plants. Knowing which seeds to buy. Nurturing your plants. Harvesting and preparing the final product. Avoiding common mistakes. Smoking equipment Hashish Eating marijuana And more! Growing marijuana should be an enjoyable and satisfying experience. You will be able to watch and enjoy the fruits of your own handiwork and won’t have to worry about dedicating much time or expense. Growing marijuana should be enjoyed, and with the tips and tricks included in The Marijuana Grower’s Handbook, you will be able to see your time and energy come to fruition in this beautiful and helpful plant.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis title shows you how to design and plant an outside space, with practical advice and 550 inspiring step-by-step photographs. It shows you how to create lovely and easy-to-maintain garden courtyards, patios, terraces and backyards. There are decorative ideas to suit all kinds of outdoor spaces from urban backyards to small garden spaces. You can choose a style to suit you - Traditional Lines, Mediterranean Warmth, Outdoor Living, The Edible Garden, A Peaceful Oasis and Modern Spaces - or select elements from each to create your own vision. It features more than 40 step-by-step techniques that provide practical guidance for making key decorative features, such as laying brick pavers, training a grapevine, planting a wall basket, making a parterre, fixing wattle hurdles, constructing a raised bed with sleepers, and lighting plants with uplighters. A final section on maintaining your patio shows how to keep the space looking beautiful, including gardening advice on deadheading, pruning and training, and seasonal jobs. Whether your patio is a tiny backyard hidden in the urban jungle or a terraced area in a larger garden, it is a personal space where you can garden, relax and simply escape everyday life for a while. This inspiring and practical book offers creative but achievable ideas for your patio space. Six chapters on favourite styles each offer advice on approaches for flooring, walls and screens, plants and containers, structures and furniture, ornament and water features, and lighting. An essential how-to manual and packed with lively ideas, you can use this book to transform your patio into a delightful personal space to give pleasure all year round.

Read more less

Book SynopsisMonsters under Glass explores our enduring fascination with hothouses and exotic blooms, from their rise in ancient times, through the Victorian vogue for plant collecting, to the present day. Our interest in hothouses can be traced back to the Roman emperor Tiberius, but it was in the early nineteenth century that a boom in exotic plant collecting and new glasshouse technologies stimulated the imagination of novelists, poets and artists, and the hothouse entered the creative language in a highly charged way. Decadent writers in England and on the Continent - including Charles Baudelaire and Oscar Wilde - transformed the notion of the hothouse from a functional object to a powerful metaphor, of metropolitan life, sexuality and being, replete with a dark underside of decay and death; of consciousness itself, nurtured and dissected under glass. In this beautifully illustrated, wide-ranging and vivid study, Jane Desmarais charts the history and influence of these humid, tropical worlds and their creations, providing a steamy window on our recent past.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book is the first of four dealing with bioclimatic design and construction by focusing on the most basic and polyvalent of modern environmental systems: the bioclimatic greenhouse, the "Swiss-army chainsaw" of architecture. More specifically, this first volume focuses on preliminary bioclimatic design of greenhouses, laying down fundamental principles that are also likely to be invaluable in designing, in more general terms, bioclimatic and low-energy architecture, with low environmental impact. This multi-volume book covers both free-standing greenhouses that can naturally heat and cool themselves, and lean-to greenhouses that support the natural heating and cooling of buildings; this includes both agricultural greenhouses and greenhouses suited to host people. As a result, it is a trans-disciplinary work deriving its areas of concern from a broad range of study areas, spanning from environmental, to constructional, to structural, drawing the clarity of the approach from the fact that the topics are presented by a single author with a single voice and a designer's mindset. To achieve this, the book adopts a composite set of explanatory strategies and communication registers – including extensive support by 3D construction drawings and examples – and presents not only stateof-the-art solutions, but also experimental ones.Table of ContentsForeword ixRemo DORIGATI Introduction xvii Chapter 1 Basic Concepts 1 1.1 What a greenhouse usually is -- and what it could be 1 1.2 The historical trajectory of greenhouses 3 1.3 The main design factors: shape, orientation and envelope characteristics, in the context of local microclimates 28 1.3.1 Climate analysis 31 1.3.2 Site analysis 33 1.4 Solar gains and air retention as conditions for the greenhouse effect 40 1.5 Solar gains and thermal losses 42 1.5.1 Facts common to all kinds of solar gains 45 1.5.2 Factors influencing the solar gains on surfaces 46 1.6 Thermal storage 51 1.6.1 Charging the thermal masses by direct radiation 54 1.6.2 Loading the thermal masses by reflected radiation 58 1.6.3 Loading the thermal masses by convection 59 1.6.4 Phase-change materials 60 1.6.5 Natural convection -- thermosyphoning 62 1.6.6 Further information on the solar utilization of directly radiated thermal masses 72 1.7 Passive ventilative cooling 81 1.7.1 Indoor air movements 81 1.7.2 Thermal buoyancy ventilation 84 1.7.3 Sound absorption for sound insulation when combined with ventilation strategies 86 1.7.4 Quantity of air changes 86 1.8 Dissipation of heat towards the sky 87 1.9 Dependence of solar control on the radiation type 90 1.9.1 Techniques and indicators for checking solar access 91 1.9.2 General shading strategies 111 1.9.3 Horizontal shading devices 114 1.9.4 Vertical shading devices 122 1.9.5 Horizontal shading devices for east and west exposures 124 1.9.6 Horizontal shading devices for south-east and south-west exposures 126 1.9.7 Grid-like shading devices (egg crates, brise soleils) 126 1.9.8 Frontal shading devices 128 1.9.9 "Green" shading devices: vegetation as a shading device 130 Chapter 2 Fundamental Relations Between Greenhouse Features and Climatic Factors 139 2.1 General considerations 139 2.1.1 On shape, with regard to solar radiation 140 2.1.2 On shape, as regards ventilation 144 2.1.3 Acoustics in greenhouses 148 2.2 Greenhouses for cold, cool and temperate climates 151 2.2.1 Additional information about the relations between greenhouse shape and climate 151 2.2.2 About the slope of the frontal transparent envelope 153 2.2.3 Relations between the character of daylight and the slope of the transparent enclosures 154 2.2.4 About east and west enclosures 156 2.2.5 About roofs 156 2.2.6 Ventilation openings 158 2.2.7 Solid thermal masses 158 2.3 Considerations on greenhouses for cold climates 164 2.4 Framing the theme of greenhouses for hot climates 165 2.5 Shadehouses and nethouses 166 Chapter 3 Fundamental Complements for Solar Greenhouse Design 173 3.1 On passive heating of greenhouses 173 3.2 On the role of solar gains 174 3.3 On the main passive heat transfer strategies in solar greenhouses 174 3.3.1 On the heat transfer by conduction between greenhouse masses and greenhouse indoor environments 175 3.3.2 On the heat transfer by conduction between attached greenhouse and building 177 3.3.3 On the heat transfer by convection between attached greenhouses and buildings 178 3.3.4 On the types of thermal masses within greenhouses 181 3.4 On the role of thermal masses for passive greenhouse heating 182 3.4.1 On the combination of heat transfer by convection and conduction in attached greenhouses 182 3.4.2 On the thermal masses loaded by direct radiation 183 3.4.3 On the thermal masses loaded by reflected radiation 183 3.4.4 On the thermal masses loaded by convection 183 3.5 Passive cooling of greenhouses 184 3.5.1 The role of thermal masses in the passive cooling of greenhouses 185 3.5.2 Thermal mass for thermal inertia 185 3.5.3 Thermal mass for coolth storage via "night flushing" 186 3.5.4 Natural ventilation 188 3.5.5 Wind-driven ventilation 189 3.5.6 Criteria for predicting wind flows by means of streamlines 192 3.5.7 Stack-effect ventilation 196 3.5.8 Mixed -- wind-driven and stack-effect -- ventilation 196 3.6 Evaporative cooling 208 3.6.1 Direct evaporative cooling 211 3.6.2 Indirect evaporative cooling 213 3.6.3 Evaporative cooling from still water under still air 213 3.6.4 Evaporative cooling with still water and air moving over it 213 3.6.5 Evaporative cooling with water in movement in a container or channel, possibly on corrugated surfaces 214 3.6.6 Evaporative cooling via water sprinkled by pressure as droplets through nozzles, or falling by gravity 214 3.6.7 Evaporative cooling by wetting surfaces and transferring the coolth by convection or conduction 215 3.6.8 Downdraught cooling 218 3.6.9 Radiative cooling 223 3.6.10 Heating and cooling through seasonal storage strategies involving thermal exchange with the ground 225 3.6.11 Layout of cooling strategies in bioclimatic charts 226 3.7 Greenhouse features deriving from use and typology 229 3.7.1 Agricultural greenhouses 229 3.7.2 Specificities of inhabitable attached greenhouses 234 3.7.3 Stand-alone solar greenhouses 235 3.7.4 Lean-to, attached solar greenhouses 240 Chapter 4 Advanced Complements for Solar Greenhouse Design 249 4.1 Considerations related to shape 249 4.1.1 On the symmetry between solar aperture and heat-loss aperture 249 4.1.2 On the optimal tilt of front façades 250 4.1.3 On the greenhouse "thickness" 251 4.1.4 On the greenhouse width 252 4.1.5 On the greenhouse height 252 4.2 Considerations combining shape and construction 253 4.2.1 On gable enclosures 253 4.2.2 On roofs 254 4.2.3 On the greenhouse "knees" 257 4.2.4 Rainwater catchment and collection 258 4.2.5 Floors 260 4.2.6 Additional considerations about the shared wall between the greenhouse and the building 267 4.2.7 Stack-effect-driven heat exchange with the ground during daytime 276 4.3 Ventilative considerations related to shape 278 4.3.1 Openings on the greenhouse and the building as regards wind-driven ventilation 278 4.3.2 Directionality control for wind-driven ventilation 279 4.3.3 Openings in the shared wall with respect to wind-driven ventilation, with the greenhouse front in pressure 281 4.3.4 Openings in the shared wall as regards wind-driven ventilation, with the greenhouse front in depression 282 4.3.5 Openings in the shared wall as regards wind-driven ventilation, with the wind direction parallel to the fronts 283 4.3.6 Combination of stack-effect and wind-driven ventilation using the openings in the shared wall 284 4.3.7 Ventilation openings on the greenhouse façades and the roof 284 4.4 Position of the shading devices 285 4.4.1 External shading devices 287 4.4.2 Internal shading devices 293 4.5 Movable thermal insulation 294 4.6 Microclimates in solar greenhouses 295 4.6.1 Cold-sink pits 298 4.6.2 Human thermal comfort in solar greenhouses 299 4.7 Walkways, in growing greenhouses 301 Conclusion 303 References 305 Index 329 Summaries of other volumes 333

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book is the second of four dealing with bioclimatic design and construction by focusing on the most basic and polyvalent of modern environmental systems: the bioclimatic greenhouse, the "Swiss-army chainsaw" of architecture. More specifically, this second volume focuses on how the structure of bioclimatic wooden greenhouses may be designed and built. In more general terms, it helps us consider how to design and build the structure of bioclimatic, low-energy architecture, with low environmental impact. This multi-volume book covers both free-standing greenhouses that can naturally heat and cool themselves, and lean-to greenhouses that support the natural heating and cooling of buildings; this includes both agricultural greenhouses and greenhouses suited to host people. As a result, it is a trans-disciplinary work deriving its areas of concern from a broad range of study areas, spanning from environmental, to constructional, to structural, drawing the clarity of the approach from the fact that the topics are presented by a single author with a single voice and a designer's mindset. To achieve this, the book adopts a composite set of explanatory strategies and communication registers – including extensive support by 3D construction drawings and examples – and presents not only stateof-the-art solutions, but also experimental ones.Table of ContentsIntroduction ix Chapter 1 Light Frames (Wooden Frames) 1 1.1 Commonest solution: platform-frame-like or balloon-frame-like curtain walls framed with studs/mullions 6 1.2 Types of connections in wooden construction 7 1.2.1 Head-to-head butt joint 7 1.2.2 Head-to-side butt joint 9 1.2.3 Lap joints 11 1.2.4 Nailed connections 12 1.2.5 Screwed connections 14 1.2.6 Bolted connections 14 1.2.7 Tooth plate connections 14 1.2.8 Glued connections 15 1.3 Types of connections between structural sub-systems 15 1.3.1 Interfacing the frames of the front façade and the roof 15 1.3.2 Interfacing the frames of the side walls and the roof 17 1.3.3 Gable walls 21 1.3.4 Opaque enclosures 29 1.3.5 Back walls 30 1.3.6 Connection between the roof of a building and the roof of the greenhouse attached to it 42 1.4 Alternative structural solution: light-frame curtain walls supported by horizontal purlins 42 1.5 Alternative structural solution: trussed light-frame structures 43 1.5.1 Trusses and trussed portals or semi-portals orthogonal to the front façade 44 1.5.2 Light-frame trussed portals parallel to the front façade 44 1.6 Criteria for the construction of light-frame trusses and trussed portal frames 45 1.6.1 Chords, diagonals and uprights overlapped on different planes 45 1.6.2 Chords, diagonals and uprights on the same plane 45 1.6.3 Transversal connection of portal frames 46 1.6.4 Bracing strategies in light frames 46 1.7 Intermixing parts of timber frames into light frames 51 1.8 Analogies with cold-rolled light frames 52 1.9 Arched and vaulted construction in light frames 53 1.9.1 Lamella vaults 53 1.9.2 Geodesic domes 57 Chapter 2 Timber Frames 61 2.1 Intermixing light-frame parts into timber frames 62 2.1.1 Light frame completely additional to the timber frame 63 2.1.2 Combining timber frames and light frames 64 2.2 Connections in timber-frame greenhouses 75 2.2.1 Traditional connections in timber frames 76 2.2.2 Modern connections in timber frames 77 2.3 Structural solutions with the primary beams of the frames orthogonal to the front façade 110 2.3.1 Post-and-beam greenhouses with primary beams perpendicular to the front façade 111 2.3.2 Trussed post-and-beam greenhouses with primary beams perpendicular to the front façade 118 2.3.3 Portal frames perpendicular to the front façade 120 2.3.4 Spans of the secondary structural elements in greenhouses having the principal beams orthogonal to the main façades 129 2.3.5 Frames or portal frames, solid or trussed, parallel to the front façade 130 2.4 Pole construction 132 2.4.1 Treating timber poles for a longer life span 132 2.4.2 Solutions for cantilevering the poles from the ground 134 2.4.3 Solutions for connecting girders or beams to the poles 136 2.4.4 Pole greenhouse construction 137 2.5 Bracing strategies in timber frames 149 2.5.1 Bracing with cables or rods 151 2.5.2 Bracing with short massive diagonals 152 2.5.3 Bracing the bays with full-length diagonals connected with butt joints by means of steel plates 152 2.5.4 Bracing with full-length lap-joined diagonals 152 Chapter 3 Foundations 161 3.1 Foundation walls and foundation sills 161 3.2 Construction strategies for foundation walls 168 3.2.1 Preparing the ground for a foundation wall 169 3.2.2 Boulders-and-mortar wall foundation 169 3.2.3 Brick masonry wall foundation 170 3.2.4 Conventionally mortared hollow concrete block wall foundation 170 3.2.5 Parged hollow concrete block wall foundations 172 3.2.6 Concrete foundation walls 172 3.2.7 Wooden-frame foundations 172 3.2.8 Timber foundations 175 3.2.9 Pier foundations 184 3.2.10 Insulation of the foundation wall 184 3.2.11 The foundation wall as a sill 186 3.3 Drainage around the foundation wall 186 3.4 Pavements 187 3.5 Platform frame floors raised above the ground 188 Chapter 4 Heating and Cooling Systems; Watering Systems 191 4.1 Heating and cooling plants 191 4.1.1 Air-based systems 191 4.1.2 Water-based systems 193 4.2 Heat recovery via air-to-air heat exchangers 193 4.3 Passive and low-energy heating and cooling solutions based on the thermal exchange with the ground 194 4.3.1 GAHT systems 195 4.3.2 Ground-air heat exchangers -- Canadian wells 197 4.3.3 Considerations about the transfer of heat to remote masses by convection 199 4.3.4 Surface air-to-ground heat exchange (experimental) 202 4.4 Auxiliary heating systems 204 4.4.1 Electric heating 206 4.4.2 Common stoves 209 4.4.3 Rocket mass stoves 209 4.4.4 Water systems coupled with burners or heat pumps 209 4.4.5 Active systems using renewable energy sources 210 4.4.6 Heat pumps 211 4.5 Auxiliary cooling systems 211 4.6 Integration of photovoltaic panels in greenhouses 213 4.7 Integration of passive solar heating panels in greenhouses 214 4.8 Watering systems 215 4.8.1 Most common water sources 216 4.8.2 Water containers 217 4.8.3 Water distribution 217 4.9 Solutions for water catchment and storage suitable for self-building 219 4.9.1 Creation of low-cost ponds 220 4.9.2 Rainwater collection 221 Conclusion 225 References 227 Index 241 Summaries of other volumes 245

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book is the fourth of four dealing with bioclimatic design and construction by focusing on the most basic and polyvalent of modern environmental systems: the bioclimatic greenhouse, the "Swiss-army chainsaw" of architecture. More specifically, this fourth volume focuses on architectural integration, environmental prediction and how to simulate and structurally size a bioclimatic wooden greenhouse. In more general terms, it helps us to consider how to design and build the structure of bioclimatic, low-energy architecture, with low environmental impact. This multi-volume book covers both free-standing greenhouses that can naturally heat and cool themselves, and lean-to greenhouses that support the natural heating and cooling of buildings; this includes both agricultural greenhouses and greenhouses suited to host people. As a result, it is a trans-disciplinary work deriving its areas of concern from a broad range of study areas, spanning from environmental, to constructional, to structural, drawing the clarity of the approach from the fact that the topics are presented by a single author with a single voice and a designer's mindset. To achieve this, the book adopts a composite set of explanatory strategies and communication registers – including extensive support by 3D construction drawings and examples – and presents not only stateof-the-art solutions, but also experimental ones.Table of ContentsIntroduction vii Chapter 1 Greenhouse Typologies 1 1.1 Stand-alone greenhouse typologies 1 1.1.1 At the core of the stand-alone solar greenhouse conception 4 1.1.2 Cold frames 10 1.1.3 Solar pit greenhouses 11 1.1.4 Tall stand-alone greenhouses 11 1.1.5 “Non-solar” stand-alone greenhouses 14 1.2 Greenhouses serving buildings 19 1.2.1 Integrating the direct gain strategy 19 1.2.2 Integrating the indirect gain scheme from attached solar greenhouses 21 1.2.3 Atria 44 1.2.4 Greenhouses as buffer spaces 46 1.2.5 The house-in-greenhouse scheme 47 1.2.6 Solutions using the ground as primary thermal storage 50 1.3 Additional readings 59 Chapter 2 Calculation Approaches 61 2.1 Thermal calculations 62 2.1.1 Calculation of the heat transmission through an opaque panel 62 2.1.2 Determination of the average temperature of a greenhouse in steady state 68 2.1.3 A simplified calculation method of the steady-state temperature in a stand-alone solar greenhouse (experimental) 72 2.1.4 Thermal flux through an indirect solar gain system like a solar wall 88 2.1.5 Thermal flux through an attached greenhouse 89 2.2 Computer simulation as a calculation approach 90 VI Design and Construction of Bioclimatic Wooden Greenhouses 4 2.3 Environmental simulation by means of open-source tools 92 2.3.1 Basic thermal modeling and simulation criteria 93 2.4 Structural calculations 136 2.4.1 Preliminary structural sizing 136 2.4.2 Preliminary structural sizing with open-source simulation tools 174 2.4.3 Techniques for exploring the design options on the basis of the simulated performances 178 2.4.4 Metamodeling 201 Chapter 3 Design Studies 211 3.1 What is still to be said in greenhouse design 211 3.2 Calimali’s greenhouse in Fagnano Olona, Italy By Greenhouse Design Workshop 212 3.3 House “D” in Nantes Xavier Fouquet 220 3.4 Bioclimatic house in Villeneuve-Tolosane, France – Nycholas Eydoux 229 3.5 House in Vals, Italy Studio Albori 247 3.6 Rehabilitation and extension of the house “AT” in Fagnano Olona Paolo Carlesso 257 3.7 Greenhouse from recycled windows at “Casamatta”, Gurone, Malnate (Varese), Italy Marta Robecchi 261 3.8 House “GdA” in Cairate, Italy Paolo Carlesso 270 3.9 A conference greenhouse at Cascina Cuccagna in Milan Studio Arcò 275 Conclusion 285 Afterword 287 Appendices 289 Appendix 1: Thermal and Acoustic Properties of Construction Materials 291 Appendix 2: Strength of Timber According to the Norm EN 338 295 Appendix 3: Properties of Transparent Materials 299 References 301 Index 319 Summaries of other volumes 323

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Little Book of Crops in Small Spots introduces newbie gardeners to the art of growing successfully.Particularly focused on small space gardening, this book is the ideal modern guide for those with a compact urban gardens, courtyard, patio or even just a balcony.Including a handy directory of the best 40 fruit and vegetables to grow no matter how small your space, Jane will show you how to get started with her expert tips and indispensable gardening advice to becoming more self-sufficient.Discover how to maximise your growing power and enjoy getting stuck in as you produce crops to harvest all year round.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe greenhouse is one of the most useful tools a gardener can have. It is a place to propagate seedlings, nurture young plants, experiment with exotic planting and hide from the rain. This book provides all the information and advice you will need to decide which greenhouse is right for you, set it up and get your planting going, and all under the watchful eye of the nation's favourite gardener.Includes:* guidance on selecting, installing and maintaining a greenhouse* recommended vegetables, fruit, herbs and ornamental plants for growing under cover* practical advice on general care, harvesting, storage, propagation and pest control* seasonal management guide* step-by-step illustrations showing essential techniquesAlan Titchmarsh imparts a lifetime of expertise in these definitive guides for beginners and experienced gardeners. Step-by-step illustrations and easy-to-follow instructions guide you through the basic gardening skills and on to the advanced techniques, providing everything you need to get the most from your greenhouse.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisGlasshouse Greenhouse fuses together cultures and countries under one glass roof. In their debut book, photographers India Hobson and Magnus Edmondson take you on a worldwide journey through their favourite botanical spaces. The Haarkon Greenhouse Tour began as a self-initiated adventure in Oxford’s botanic garden four years ago. Since then, Magnus and India have visited countless locations in the UK, Europe, America, Asia and beyond in search of dream glasshouses and greenhouses, capturing dramatic palm houses, tropical hothouses and private potting sheds along the way. Divided into seven thematic chapters – History, Specimen, Community, Research, Pleasure, Hobbyist and Architecture – the featured spaces in Glasshouse Greenhouse are depicted via a series of photo-essays that draw out the style, plant collections and character of each space.Trade Review‘The authors have a talent for storytelling through images…the photography throughout is exceptional.’ * The Garden magazine (RHS) *'[S]umptuously illustrated.' * The Irish Times *‘[I]ts dreamy, contemplative feel will transport the houseplant lover to the warm fug of a greenhouse on the coldest winter day.’ * Gardens Illustrated *

Read more less

Book SynopsisBotanical gardens represent people's centuries-old fascination with exotic plants. Werner Pawlok has photographically explored special tropical greenhouses within Europe and shows us here his most beautiful pictures in his usual colourfully expressive manner - from the Palm House in the Botanical Garden in Copenhagen, to Kew Gardens in London, and the Great Palm House at Schönbrunn. The scent of the warm earth and the breath of the plants can almost be felt when looking at the large-format and colourful pictures. Fascinating interplays of colour allow the filigree architecture of famous master builders and the impressive plants to shine in a special light. Pawlok, self-taught and intuitive photographer, captures these magical places in a fascinating way. Each photo is a work of art in itself. Interesting texts about the cultural history of greenhouses, from the simple wooden construction to the efficient glass dome, accompany this extraordinary photo book. Let yourself be inspired by Pawlok's high-end photographs and embark on a nostalgic journey. As Pawlok himself puts it: "Being allowed to enter these wonderful glass palaces and explore their green-scented, tropical interiors with my camera felt like an expedition into the heart of the 19th century." Text in English and German.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe book comprises 17 chapters, each focusing on various aspects of agriculture. Specifically, it covers space-saving techniques, the optimization of fertigation efficiency, and the use of mulching, integrated pest, disease, and nutrient management (IPDNM). Additionally, the book delves into the engineering aspects of various structures, such as net houses, poly houses, rain shelters, poly tunnels, and the utilization of plastics in horticulture. Moreover, it discusses the use of cold chains for storage and marketing, as well as hydroponics and aeroponics. The text has not been modified in any way, and all citations, references, and in-line citations remain unchanged. No numbers have been altered.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFloriculture has been gaining considerable attention from both scientific and agricultural perspectives, leading to an increased demand for technological advancements in production. Adopting protected cultivation techniques is one such approach, and this book addresses this issue by providing information from renowned scientists and faculty members across the nation. The book also covers specific crops in an easily understandable manner, making it accessible to students.

Read more less