13 replies to this topic

[Sicshroom]

I was wondering if anyone here had any experience with smart green houses or raspberry pi programing that can be used with sensors for growing. A few friends and I want to market produce and do catering and we want to be able to automate the feeding and supplemental lighting. Aiming for hairloom tomoatos lettuces shittakes as our main produce. Any thoughts or advice is always welcome!

[GLP]

Sicshroom, depending on your location the heating and cooling can be quite a task for greenhouse growing. Assuming that you are in the temperate climate zone, I have always been partial to a Walipini style greenhouse.

 

https://www.peakpros...yle-greenhouses

 

https://permies.com/...pini-greenhouse

 

Raspberry PI makes a lot of sense as there are many good tutorials out there to code and to setup the complete control of the greenhouse. We did this for one customer, I am not allowed to provide all the details but I am allowed to tell you that solar panels were used to provide power, minimal battery backup 2-3 days and all controls were run off of this so the owners could travel on weekends without worry. Ventilation fans, shades, and blinds were automated and run off of the solar power and tied into their home wifi so they could check on it will traveling. That is about all I can share.

 

https://www.autoflow...whatever.63902/

 

Good luck with the project and keep us posted.

 

GLP 

[riseabovethought]

Lovin that Walipini concept!

[Sicshroom]

Sicshroom, depending on your location the heating and cooling can be quite a task for greenhouse growing. Assuming that you are in the temperate climate zone, I have always been partial to a Walipini style greenhouse.
 
https://www.peakpros...yle-greenhouses
 
https://permies.com/...pini-greenhouse
 
Raspberry PI makes a lot of sense as there are many good tutorials out there to code and to setup the complete control of the greenhouse. We did this for one customer, I am not allowed to provide all the details but I am allowed to tell you that solar panels were used to provide power, minimal battery backup 2-3 days and all controls were run off of this so the owners could travel on weekends without worry. Ventilation fans, shades, and blinds were automated and run off of the solar power and tied into their home wifi so they could check on it will traveling. That is about all I can share.
 
https://www.autoflow...whatever.63902/
 
Good luck with the project and keep us posted.
 
GLP 

Thank you so much for this information, I'm on the Eastern shore of Maryland and unfortunately we have ground water after about 3 inches anywhere you dig. The 20x80 manufactured green houses are very common here but most of the farming done around us is all feed grains ether corn, Milo(sorgum), or soy beans but the green houses are normally tomato houses or Bibb lettuce. I really like the idea of solar convection heating in the winter but gas will always have to be an emergency back up

[GLP]

Sicshroom, you can download a solar greenhouse design manual from the link below. The Walipini idea will still work in your situation, unfortunately you would have to berm around the greenhouse instead of digging into the ground, but there is still a benefit. I could not  attach the file, it is too big to be attached.

 

Books

http://lib1.org/_ads...04C3D2A47246CBA

 

http://gen.lib.rus.e...042E8A8CA1B521A

 

http://gen.lib.rus.e...69ED38D5E593D07

 

Info

http://www.prairieco...greenhouse.html

 

https://www.permacul...olar-greenhouse

I love the subterranean heating in this design, but with your given site considerations it might be a stretch.

 

Let us know as you progress.

 

GLP 

[Sicshroom]

Man you are awesome, this community is the best.

[GLP]

This place is a special bunch of misfits, that is for sure. I love them here.

 

GLP

[GLP]

This is an interesting project based on residential sizing.

 

http://citrusinthesnow.com/

 

This project is on a much larger scale, but the concepts are the same and very well done.

 

https://www.phipps.c...st-conservatory

 

GLP 

[Sicshroom]

GLP thank you for all this info, I often design my dream workspaces with georegulated water with the convection idea of heat rises and will cause flow, solar convection heating is another free source of heat I like.

[GLP]

In Permaculture we are taught that everything that crosses your property is your energy, we hold it, direct it, use it for our purposes but direct it away when it reaches a dangerous level, using only what we need so others may also benefit from it.

 

GLP

[Sicshroom]

I want to live a 0 carbon life and teach my son how to live more comfortable in this capitalist society, removing debt and increasing personally production to have a 0 carbon and sustainable food and energy would mean less time working to make others money when I could live with little money enough to pay mortgage where heat light and food come from natural resources. I feel my entire generation should be looking into the same things but sadly most people around 30 years of age are trapped in a system they don't even know they're in

[Alder Logs]

Zero carbon, along with zero methane, would be good.   See the documentary, Cowspiracy.  No one likes to talk about the more powerful greenhouse gas, and all the carbon generation and water it takes to make the industry that produces it.  Even if your carbon footprint is small, your efforts could fail because your methane footprint is in a blind spot.   The sad thing is, groups like the Sierra Club and Green Peace want to keep their meat.

[GLP]

Alder, it is very difficult waters to navigate. Making your own photovoltaic panels are difficult, purchasing panels can lead to higher outputs but the overall cost for the manufacturing is higher than the actual output of the panel. Sometimes it seems that we all move too fast to actually take stock in what is important and what makes sense for the overall system. But stepping in the right direction is still a step. My Wife and I move on items at different speeds and at different time, we have learned that as long as we work together we are still making a positive impact and that we can have different views and opinions on the speed and the arrival time to the goal. I am blessed that she listens to my rants. LOL

 

GLP 

[Alder Logs]

If all the beef became grass fed organic beef, the amount of land it would take for pasture to feed the USA's current consumption of beef would start way up in Canada and extend way down into Central America, and that includes removing all the pavement and buildings.    But, I suppose we could put solar collectors on top of all those cows, but since we'll be sleeping on the ground between the cows and the cow patties, we can just put LED lights on the cows' horns and light up the night.