DIY Geothermal Greenhouse Pt 9: PLANTS & PROBLEMS

[@searcy95]

From An Old FFA Member To A Young FFA Member, Great Work & Proud of You. My Hat Is Off To Your Dad !

[@kswildcat1989]

To help solve the flooding issue, install a water catchment system. Helps with the runoff from the rain, provides water for the plants that does not have chemicals. Great job on the geothermal greenhouse, it is so nice to see a family working together instead of looking at a cell phone. My hats off to the whole team (Together Everyone Accomplishes More).

[@curtistruong7372]

I thought he had foam walls put down, is there that much runoff into the greenhouse that it's causing water to get into the pipes?

[@xpeeriments6452]

John, that will not work. but thanks for the concern.

[@MsK-xm7vw]

My suggestion exactly. A water catchment system could easily maintain the needs of the entire greenhouse without consuming any excess water and is cheaper than anything else they've done to date to install.

[@MrJonouk]

I am a permaculture and systems designer organics here in the Uk. I just wanted to tell you all that I am so happy to see young people coming into the work of Mixed sciences. You are dealing in many disciplines with the design and bringing them together. When the you have completed the science mechanics and start to work the ground. You will then enter the next section. I will mention in advance the "Soil Food Web" this will be the next stage of works. I will point you to a couple a few things 1. Wood Chip to make soil & "Gypsum" to add negative charged irons to the clay to help break it up. Mycelium to help connect the plants and feed."Brix testing" for quality and plant health. Out of all of those I will point you to research heavily in Mycelium. Bravo and well done I will expect to see solar designs in the future :) If you have a river then I would like to see "water Ram Jet" as well! Keep it up and keep going.

[@StIsidoresFarm]

Thank you for the support and encouragement! We feel like we have a lot to lear, so thank you for taking the time to watch, comment, and offer suggestions. We're grateful!

[@oby-1607]

Issac is awesome. Your whole family is a good family unit unlike what a lot of america is going through. Hope to see more on this earth battery project as I want to heat our high tunnel in the winter with no fossil fuels.

[@HomesteadingNorthernMichigan]

Definitely something to be excited about... Congratulations

[@thegardenfarmer]

Great update !!! So glad to see more younger people interested in growing :) Great work.

[@1982MCI]

Hey guys, just found your channel and I sure wish I could adopt your son for a few weeks or months, lol. You are just a few steps ahead of me on my farm that we bought and are trying to convert from old wore out tobacco fields to heirloom veggie production. I want to buy some of your sons plants please and will be happy to come pick up. My wife and I aren’t far, we are in snow camp which is just south of Burlington. Please keep us updated and soon as they are ready I will come, even if they are still small. I bought a greenhouse last October and had plans of getting it up before new year came but it’s still sitting in a pile beside the barn. I need some younger hands to help me get it up soon so it’s ready for fall production. Great channel, even better family, keep those kids heading down the right roads like you do and they will have some very bright futures, hats off to you mom and dad for leading them down a good road. Take care and keep us posted on plants please!

[@StIsidoresFarm]

Ha! He's still very needed most everyday around here. Seems the farm provides a never ending supply of projects! We would be thrilled to have you visit and buy some of his plants. We'll certainly let everyone know as soon as they're ready. If you're on Facebook or Instagram, you can follow information there as well. Thanks for all the kind words. Were trying! Blessings to you and your wife!

[@1982MCI]

St. Isidore's Farm thank you so much for your reply! Believe me, I understand how much Isaac is needed around your farm cause I could probly keep him and four of his classmates busier than they would like to be for the next few years. My wife just resigned from her job two weeks ago in order to help me get this farm up and running and to help make it productive this summer. Unfortunately I’m one of the 4 people left in the country that hasn’t and probly won’t sign up for Facebook so I’m left to only be able to follow you here so please don’t sell out all of the good items to Facebook monsters (lol) before you let us know here that items are ready! Good luck to you and yours on the farm. I’m trying to catch up on all of your past videoed now but am very interested in the earth battery to see if that was worth the investment or not. Take care and we will see you soon

[@StIsidoresFarm]

Ha! Good for you on no Facebook! Were it not for a business reason, we would not be on it. Once the seedlings are up and growing, they will no doubt be in a future video. We're happy to sell them on a day other than the open house if it is convenient. And we hope to be able to share data about the earth battery soon. It certainly helped last night! Frost on the ground this morning and it was in the upper 50's in the greenhouse.

[@terencegorman4672]

Watching from Australian great info and blue print for for people too feed them selves or the community

[@LifeinFarmland]

I didn't realize you guys were getting so much rain. I like the drain design idea! Great job working as a team!

[@StIsidoresFarm]

Thanks. More rain coming this week, but at least it's not the snow you guys keep getting. Hoping y'all see spring soon!

[@PatrickWagz]

you seem to be raising a fine young farmer

[@StIsidoresFarm]

We hope so!

[@jenniewilliamsmural]

Your family is phenomenal. Great job raising people. Warmest regards Jennie

[@StIsidoresFarm]

jenniewilliamsmural Thank you - these are the best kind of comments!

[@jenniewilliamsmural]

@@StIsidoresFarm Hey, sounds like you are still going strong, I'm so happy to know you are still there.

[@StIsidoresFarm]

@@jenniewilliamsmural Thank you!

[@maryhoelscher1671]

CONGRATS ISAAC WAY TO GO YOU ARE VERY HANDY AND YOU AND YOUR BROTHER CAN ALWAYS USE YOUR SKILLS. CONGRATS TO THE WHOLE FAMILY

[@StIsidoresFarm]

Thank you!

[@gregkahle9046]

Step by step, looking good. Wow your son and family really did an awesome job! Good workers lol

[@StIsidoresFarm]

Thank you, Greg, I'll pass on the kind words.

[@gerhardbraatz6305]

I,m in Supply N.C. and will be watching with interest. I,m thinking of building a small green house myself. Thanks for the great vids.

[@markfogleman8438]

Great job Issac! Also great job Mom and Dad for getting him prepared to be able to handle this huge project! I wish we were closer. A few of my tomatoes got bit by the freeze Sunday and need replacing.

[@StIsidoresFarm]

Thanks, Mark. We appreciate the thought and kind words. Sorry about your tomatoes!

[@HomesteadingNorthernMichigan]

Very nice.... That red stuff is what's really hard to dig through up here.... Great job guys....

[@glenw3814]

Congrats!! Good job and thank you for all the inspiration. :)

[@AgeBeforeUgly]

Looking good, glad the greenhouse held together, fingers crossed with the interesting variety of crops, very exciting. Hope it all goes well and the weather is better for you, looking forward to future updates, many thanks to you and your family for sharing the progress with us! :)

[@StIsidoresFarm]

Yes, it was an anxious walk to the door the next morning to see if we still had film left on the greenhouse. Very thankful it all held! Thanks for the best wishes about the crops - we're looking forward to sharing the results!

[@farm_in_themiddleofthewood3339]

Congrats Isaac! That is a lot of hard work and it looks great!!! Careful on using a battery charger for the pump power source..... I was always told that the charger provided too little amps and would damage the item (in this case your pump).... just what I was told but it makes sense... If we were closer, we would have loved to come for the open house!!!! Thanks for sharing!!

[@StIsidoresFarm]

Thanks - didn't know that about the charger. Best wishes to you and yours as we head into summer!

[@toddhower8215]

thanks for sharing your experiences! Great video!

[@seek2find]

Great family cooperation! Good luck on your venture, don't be shy about talking it up around town or amongst other youth.

[@StIsidoresFarm]

Thank you! We're hoping to promote it more once we see a lot of germination.

[@philhannah100]

Awesome! Good to see how you find solutions to all the problems 👍🏻

[@StIsidoresFarm]

Thanks, we're trying - hoping we eventually don't have any more problems 😂

[@yankey4]

WOW WOW!! What a TRUE Blessing!! Thanks so much for taking your time to share with us. Would love to know more about the pots and where you guys got them from. If I had the cash I would love to help out some. Lord willing soon things will clear up for us. The sound in this video was spot on. Thanks so so much for this true blessing. I live close to Charleston South Carolina. Maybe one dau we can meet up. Would love to see your place or just meet up some where to shake yall's hands. One more time thanks for all you guys do. KEEP up the hard work. God Bless

[@StIsidoresFarm]

We were just down in Charleston at Patriot's Point! We love the city and hope to be back soon - if we do, we certainly need to meet up. And of course if you're ever up this way let us know and stop by. The pots are coir pots - made out of coconut husks. Supposed to be a more sustainable alternative to peat pots and allow for plants to be planted directly in them. We'll see how they hold up to repeated waterings and plant growth.

[@radickd2]

Excellent videos. Thank you for sharing all your hard work and even mistakes. One thought, you might want to keep the plants off the walls directly. That area has the biggest temperature fluctuations. An air gap of a foot or two would be advisable to keep them from feeling the swings in temp and humidity.

[@farginargle]

Very impressed with your work.

[@StIsidoresFarm]

Thanks!

[@psychicnumber6493]

Such a good vibe. Fam of the year :)

[@jongyoonoh6721]

It looks good working together, that's all I miss always.

[@davidbradford2897]

Another great video. Thanks. What kind of wood did you use? It looks like treated pine.

[@hoosiersolarpower974]

curious as to why you wouldn't use that water for your plants

[@tckingfish]

Your dog is awesome!

[@StIsidoresFarm]

We think so! Thanks!

[@reimerdairy7080]

Thanks for the update when you have the open house film some of it

[@StIsidoresFarm]

We'll "try" to - hoping it will be a busy, fun day!

[@Goodellsam]

What about mold / fungus, growing and blowing around the greenhouse? That is my concern.

[@Mulberrysmile]

For summer months invest in some shade cloth to hang inside. This will allow you to extend the usefulness of the structure you have invested time and money into. Also recommend some screen doors asap. You don't want to provide a feast for bugs as spring advances, and since you don't have vents, you will need that ventilation before you know it.

[@StIsidoresFarm]

Funny, was JUST thinking about the need for screen doors. Automatic vent vans will go in eventually, but yes, screen doors are a must already. And thanks for the suggestion about shade cloth inside! Kept thinking about putting something over on the outside and wondering exactly how to do that. Again, thanks!

[@JohnGuest45]

Putting shade cloth inside will generate heat much like a solar collector absorber. If you`re using shadecloth, heat is likely to be the #1 reason you`re using it ;) If the shade cloth is on the outside, the heat generated by it will also be outside.

[@williammcasey7650]

A quick thought...... maybe some foam coverings on the four corners of the upper posts??? save the plastic from rubbing on the wood!! God bless!!

[@holyword6348]

Cool! I will have to remember St. Isidore when I plant next May 15th! I am thinking of an earth-battery system if I add a greenhouse and was wondering about pipe size, so this was very informative. I also like a manifold system so that if 1 of the pipes was blocked the others aren't, compared to 1 continuous pipe. 1 Question: How often does this air-based system help? If I have 50 degrees underground, and it is 70 above ground, I wouldn't want cool air coming up, so is this system only useful when it is overly hot in the summer (to cool) or overly cold in the winter (to keep from freezing)? Thanks.

[@joepeeer4830]

Ty

[@grandmastermicochero]

question? where did you get your metal structure for the greenhouse?

[@dmolldude]

Great video, I like this series. You're far enough south that I'm wondering if you've considered planting some "control" seeds in pots that you will not put in the greenhouse to see how growth compares between the two environments?

[@StIsidoresFarm]

For now, the plants we are growing are all for sale and our garden. We hope to eventually put in a raised bed in the greenhouse (for fall), so I guess for now the answer is no.

[@katiegreene3960]

Question? Why didn't you use non perforated pipe for earth battery? I've heard pro and con for both but curious on your take.

[@cameronmurray4479]

Excellent video!

[@StIsidoresFarm]

Thanks!

[@shawnncheriyoung3597]

Children, not kids...kids are baby goats...I am building a similar system (by hand) so I know it's a lot of work...you and your children have done a great job...

[@rjaquaponics9266]

In my 2' x 5' deep "sump hole", I had to use a 330 gallon pump to stay ahead of the flooding. I ran the pump every 5 minutes and I watched water pour in from the side of the sump hole wall, right out of the clay, like a garden hose was turned on. We have clay soils as well. Heavy rain causes ground water to flow at alarming rates. Merely relying on the French drain to remove all water surface water may not be enough. If I do build another greenhouse and I use the geo-tubes like you... I intend to dig a sump hole and grade the tubes to dump the water into the sump where it can be pumped out. FYI We just got 2' of snow here in NE Wisconsin last weekend! Mini ice age is upon us!

[@StIsidoresFarm]

I must admit some worry that the french drain will be overwhelmed, but we're also going to grade away from the greenhouse even more and give the drain a significant drop toward the end. Hopefully, we prevent the pipes from filling up, but in the case of extreme rain, we'll just pump again. Yeah, can't believe the weather you guys are getting up there.

[@karlInSanDiego]

I guess we weren't the only ones who got caught offguard by the amount of water that you need to divert from a greenhouse roof. I'm in good company. I think your drain plan will mitigate it well. Eventually, you can design a capture system. Anxious to see your inflation video!

[@Itswriter07]

Amazing progress. Do you plan on having a storefront on your property to sell what you all/Isaac have/has grown? Or were you thinking more a local farmers market? Also, is your feast day going to be an annual event? It seems like it would build a reputable base of support, potential interest, and likely a good amount of funding to further expand or tune the farm, which is brilliant. St. Isidore, what a guy.

[@StIsidoresFarm]

Unfortunately, not in the near future. We're in a fairly rural location, but suburbia is quickly spreading our way. We may be surrounded by subdivisions before we know it, and a market stand might be a more realistic option. Farmer's Markets aren't really an option for us yet. We don't produce enough to warrant the cost and commitment. Yes, we hope the open house will be an annual event - God willing.

[@cameronmurray4479]

St. Isidore's Farm Might I ask where at your farm is? My wife and I are considering North Carolina as a place to get to for some land to get a homestead going. Blessings!

[@StIsidoresFarm]

We're in the piedmont of NC - just north of Raleigh. North Carolina is a wonderful state and there is a LOT of land available.

[@karynlee9632]

Great job! Use stakes to mark the plants. Once the potsget wet. You might not be able to read them.😮

[@jasonhobbs3722]

Hey I’ve enjoyed your build and I showed my 17 year old daughter and she was so interested that she asked can you give her information about the grant i personally never applied for one and have no idea how to even start. Any information would be a blessing. Thanks in advance for any information cause we are clueless And we’ve lost our home and really need good sources of income

[@speedbuggy16v]

I assume you are on an actual farm where water availability is not an issue, but for me I would be reclaiming all that rainwater runoff. I live in a small town with incredibly high water rates though. The amount you can gather off a 66 x 26 roof in a average rainfall is incredible.

[@StIsidoresFarm]

We do collect water in several places on our farm (chicken coop roof especially), just not yet in the greenhouse. We do have a farm well and water is usually in full supply - especially of late. We also have ideas for creating a gutter system in the greenhouse to catch condensation drips.

[@speedbuggy16v]

nice, as I said it may not matter for some, but you would think we live in AZ with our water costs here, the water has high nitrates so the feds made the city shoot a new well, but being in a valley, guess what? Same water.....oh well, the plants love it, but the cost is insane.

[@pms1953]

It’s a shame you don’t have a water catchment system to save and use that water for the vegetables in the greenhouse

[@colinblankenship2401]

nice

[@spex357]

I had mine a foot off the ground level with a waterproof and vermin proof base.

[@АнтонАвдюков-к2н]

ХОРОШО что использовали глину как акамулятор но снизу тогда тоже нужен изолятор и трубы должны быть из железа сверху можно и пластик😊

[@shantelfullerton9865]

I made it by myself. I used Avasva solutions for that.

[@jamespower9190]

Shantel Fullerton n

[@jessithom9056]

Thanks Shantel:)!

[@tommysanfilippo3165]

You spammers with the whole Avasa need to quit. You didn’t use that crap you just wanna make a few pennies for directing people to their pay for plan site. Why would we do that when people post the info for free.

[@johnbeckman8916]

Well, the "GOOD" news about the rain is that it didn't flood out your plant starts because they were in a nice, environmentally controlled Greenhouse!

[@StIsidoresFarm]

Indeed - and really glad our son got the tables built to get everything up off the ground!

[@scottsutton7989]

Who is going to buy all those veggies starts??? Does he have a market already??? Inquiring minds want to know ???

[@StIsidoresFarm]

Ha! Good questions. In truth, the majority are going in our own garden with produce to be sold. He did sell $700 worth of plants on our first ever open farm/plant sale. One of those things that we believe will increase over time. A real challenge was that the greenhouse took longer to complete than expected, and plants were smaller than hoped at the time of the plant sale, so we didn't advertise as much as we might in the future. We also need to wrestle with the idea of liability insurance 🤔 for people coming on our farm.

[@scottsutton7989]

St. Isidore's Farm my father was a farmer, he never had liability insurance for that very reason “cost”!!!

[@StIsidoresFarm]

We looked into it for the open farm. $1,000. Our son would have ended up $300 in the red to have customers visit the greenhouse.

[@caseG80]

St. Isidore's Farm what if you make them all sign a waiver of entry accepting you are no liable they are and they understand there maybe risks

[@yankey4]

I hope it's ok I did not think to ask before I did it. I put your link at the end of my video. Hope it send some of you guys MY KICK BUTT SUBS or as I call them friends over. God Bless guys.

[@eastcoastcustomsreadingcus2950]

sounds lie you are from PA

[@StIsidoresFarm]

Born in southern Illinois, raised in North Carolina surrounded by a bunch of other folks that relocated from all over (especially PA). So a bit of a mutt in terms of accent.

[@seek2find]

You might love watching videos about greenhouses on you tube channel called Vergepermaculture.

[@davefroman4700]

Another geothermal system that is trying to work against physics. Pushing fluffy less dense air underground where it shrivels up to nothing. The easiest way to get air to release its energy is for it to experience a drop in pressure. By pulling the air out of the cold side of the system, you enable that pressure drop to occur and the efficient transfer of energy into the mass. By pulling on the cold dense side of the system you will pull an exponentially larger volume of hot less dense air off the peak of the green house.

[@JohnGuest45]

Air doesnt shrivel up to nothing, you need to work on your physics :)

[@davefroman4700]

@@JohnGuest45 Its shrinks in volume. You can have 1000cfm hot being pushed in, but you are only getting enough to flicker a candle out the other side.

[@JohnGuest45]

@@davefroman4700 I suggest you learn a lot more before posting any more ridiculous comments. A lb of dry air at 90F equates to 13.5 cubic ft, a lb of dry air at 30F equates to 12.34 cubic feet. At -10F, a lb still equates to 11.33 cubic feet. Your idea of it shrivelling to nothing is a fantasy :)

[@davefroman4700]

@@JohnGuest45 Yes. But you are not dealing with dry air. You are dealing with moist hot air. For every degree you heat a volume of air, it is capable of holding 7% more moisture. The number one problem with these systems is always inadequate drainage issue because of the amount of water that leaves the air as it cools. The mechanical input may be moving 1000 CFM but at 30C and 85%+ moisture dropping to 12-15C? It literally rains underground. The fan does not differentiate between the air and the moisture in it, and they both occupy volume.

[@JohnGuest45]

@@davefroman4700 ok, lets make the 90F dry air, 90F air with 50% RH. A lb of 90F 50% RH air equates to 14.19 cubic feet, if you run it through a tube it wont magically shrivel to nothing. Condensate in the tubing is a result of the air dropping to dewpoint. I designed and installed my system back in 2009, it works exactly as designed, this summer we had record 104.5F temperatures (in the shade) and my greenhouse never got above 85F thanks to the system. My neighbours glass box greenhouses became plant killing ovens. The amount of moisture released by cooling 1000 cubic feet of air at 30C 85% RH to 12C will be approx 430ml or 0.43ml per cubic foot. In practice, you wont have a stable air temperature or a stable RH%, it will be in constant flux due to the cool air mixing with the warm air in the greenhouse, solar gain and transpiration from the plants. The mass temperature near the tubes will not be stable due to heat transfer. The condensate will affect the heat capacity, diffusivity and conductivity of the mass, which will have an indirect impact on the heat transfer. Mass with a low conductivity and diffusivity will move heat slower than mass with high conductivity and diffusivity. Most folks with systems dont install temperature sensors so they have no clue what is happening inside the tubes, in the mass near to the tubes or in the mass at various distances from the tubes. I suggest you install a system and put your theories to the test, but dont be too surprised when it doesnt perform as you expect :)

[@chucktrent4771]

If this is your boys project, why are you dominating the videos? Are you self centered and can't let anyone have the spot light.?