Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["mtncats" <mtncats@myway.com>]

Hi Pego, David, and everybody,

Glad you enjoyed looking at air wells.  I haven't yet built one, just did a 
lot of looking.  There's an international body with the express purpose of 
promoting them.  Unfortunately, they weren't interested in answering my 
questions.  Arid and humid climates often have differing results.  We're 
humid.

My interest was a little different.  Here in central Virginia I almost never 
need to water my crops.  What I was looking for was a passive 
dehumidification method other than earth tubes, not a water source.  Air 
wells do that.

Earth tubes will do a good job of moderating earth temps.  David, Don 
Stephens' AGS does not consider phase change, only running hot air through 
the storage.  Don and I've been acquainted for many years, butted heads 
frequently as we don't agree on better system.  I'm a major Passive Annual 
Heat Storage (PAHS) fan, having built two.  Much of what he put up on that 
page is misleading, as he's well aware.  It's his livlihood, selling non-PAHS 
house designs.

Pego, I have no ideas for your summer predicament as here I grow greens and 
tomatoes together, tomatoes shading the greens.  Works very well, both 
self-seed nicely.  I do almost nothing but add mulch occasionally, and 
harvest.  Large bag of arugula yesterday to return a favor, and we're 
over-run.  Recipient was delighted.  Thanks to Harvey's good advice about 
keeping it going all winter.  About to go to seed again.    

Will cooler earth actually solve your problem Pego?  If you need both cooler 
earth and cooler air, you can get it passively, or actively, with annual heat 
storage.  There are forums devoted to the subject, focus on residences not 
greenhouses, but the same methods apply.  Very simple concept, details 
somewhat more complex.  Doesn't even require earth tubes, which are one of 
the options.

Tom (in central Virginia)


 --- On Fri 03/30, Pego Rice < firekeeper38@yahoo.com > wrote:
Hi Tom, Deiter

The Air wells are new to me and I am intrigued at a
second application in greenhouse management. I am
really stupid tired from work and simply cannot find
or remember where I put the links to show what I am
talking about. However, What I am remembering is a
small farmer that placed a series of earth tubes 
under his greenhouse to create a moderated weather
system there for 12 month a year growing conditions. 
The article had it at several years down the road that
he had managed this system and he'd hooked his house
into it because if it's efficiency. Here, in the
hideous heat south I simply can't get lettuce or
tomatoes to talk to me during the summer, among other
things, so the energy to build such a system seems to
promise an efficient return in creating optimal
growing conditions. 

This isn't an everybody kind of thing, it is a system
that probably only appeals to very hot of cold growing
areas/seasons.

I'll knock off before I reach total gibberish.

Yous, Pego



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