How the Soil Heater Works in My Off-grid Greenhouse

I bury pipes in the raised beds and install a solar powered fan to draw warm air through the soil at root level to prevent them from freezing during the winter in my off grid greenhouse.
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[@TheUserid82]

Compost piles to heat greenhouses is a fun topic to look at when you have time as they have a few ideas for direct heating and indirect heating.

[@A-contented-Aussie-life]

Thats actually why I scanned down the comments, to see if anyone else was thinking that too.

[@randomroses1494]

“Hotbeds” have been successfully employed for centuries to grow crops like strawberries out of season.

[@hirsutusi5536]

Checkout "the lost gardens of heligan" - growing pineapples in England in winter.

[@timhyatt9185]

he's got the bottom each bed stacked with rotting wood for a hugelkultur effect....that will generate some heat as well (also provides a really great water "reservoir" and lots of available nutrients)

[@arvindcaliaberah5703]

Lemongrass plant / citronnelle works well for repelling bugs and mosquitoes and in addition you can infuse it and drink as a good tisane. Great job.. The GH is looking nice 🤩!

[@darthdebby]

Happy June 1! Three months of good weather ahead. Good building weather.

[@andrewgruber7483]

Happy June to you too, how are you ?

[@CATherine001]

Rabbit Rabbit

[@marthaadams8326]

Shawn, you have me thinking about another way to heat my greenhouse. We have freezing, but for not as long or probably as cold as you get. I am in TN. So far, I have put up fencing around the outside and am filling it with hay bales. They tend to hold the ground temp for the greenhouse. I am now thinking of a farm tub full of water at the one end where I do not grow as much and use it to moderate the temp too. Mine is a long rectangle attached on the side of the garage. Right now, I am using plastic bottles full or water to collect heat and also to use for watering. Wish I had had the time and money to think it through more when it was added. As far as winter, my herbs do fine and potatoes and cherry tomato survive most of the winter and reseed themselves. I also do greens when the sun light works for them, although I use various methods to cut off the sun. I just created a tunnel out back of my house with 2 raised beds because it is impossible to grow root veggies in rock and clay. Got a lot last year and my swiss chard and cabbage made it through the winter - afraid the swiss chard is like a huge plant now and the cabbage was cut back due to bolting and I cut it back and it is now forming 3 heads of cabbage :-). I added a greenhouse5'x5' inside of the tunnel to give extra protection in the off season and start plants. It is a great learning experience. I will keep following you to see what other great ideas you have to make it easier to grow all 4 seasons.

[@katerepko3662]

Shawn, I thank you so much for these videos. I live in the north woods of Minnesota, where it also can get to -40 in winter. You are helping me learn how I can grow year-round. I admire your work ethic and what you are able to create very much. You are inspirational!

[@tomikamedley7484]

I learn something from you Shawn every time I watch

[@auntiepam5649]

This is so very interesting! Northern climate person here,even if I don’t do exactly what you are doing you give us usable information.

[@ladyofthemasque]

There's a fellow in Nebraska, which gets slammed by cold winters, who grows oranges all year round in his greenhouse; his secret is to run almost 300 feet of air-pipe like what you're doing, only he does it about 8 feet underground where the ground temperature is 50F all year round. That pipe length will cool hot air in summer and warm frozen air in winter, and just requires simple fans to operate, hooked to a temperature gauge system. One end of the pipes sits up at the ceiling height to better suction out the hot air in summer..

[@auntbeth448]

Yes! I have seen the system and bought the plans for $30 in prep for my future...very elegant system of passive geothermal heating/cooling!

[@Moosiemoon]

Another great video. Love watching the progress being made. Hi Cali my love, you sweet lil ol punkin you. I just love you!!!

[@serdartuncer672]

I'm watching you from Turkey. You enjoy the things you do. Me and a number of people, on the other hand, is courage. May you continue to be binding on life.

[@huntermckinney18]

It’s interesting to see your thought process on how greenhouses/ food growing differs from mine. I understand why you have to think about efficiency so much more than me because of the shorter growing seasons and cooler climate (I live in Virginia). It makes me thankful for the “easier” climate. Glad to see the progress!

[@iispjhanna]

excellent progress Shawn. Interesting and informative.

[@cynthia9144]

It looks like this type of greenhouse will be suitable for the climate zone where you live. Especially in the winter...I'm looking forward to seeing how successful your plants grow, produce and survive throughout the seasons...thank you for taking the time to share how you construct & implement your ideas...always be careful & always be safe...Hug Cali for me 😊

[@prebensrensen9144]

In wintertime he only grow ice-flowers :-)

[@lakeportlighter]

@@prebensrensen9144 Just finished watching a video of a retiree growing oranges in Nebraska year round using geothermal.

[@prebensrensen9144]

@@lakeportlighter I don't know the climate there, and I don't know what oranges tolerate as lowest temperature. But I don't expect that Shawn can produce food at wintertime. Let's see.....

[@jilliemak2024]

@@prebensrensen9144 Sure he can. We are using these geodesic greenhouses in the Arctic. The Japanese company JGC Evergreen produces 1,000 tons of cucumbers and tomatoes in Siberia, a group called Growing North provides geodesic dome greenhouses to communities in Nunavut, Canada. google em.

[@prebensrensen9144]

@@jilliemak2024 I didn't say that nothing would grow, I said that it wouldn't grow in wintertime. Shawn wil show us the realities.

[@thomasprinsen1241]

Shawn James video, what a great way to start a short week!

[@elisabethserrano8264]

I can only say in a amazement how your reimbursed your green house from the inside so wonderfully with such beautiful woodwork ,it is a Pice of Art,the wonder of nature

[@benjaminhartman4488]

It seems that every time I ask a question, you release a video addressing the identical items. Thanks for clarifying the content!

[@patriciabarnes7034]

You are doing wonderfully, Shawn. Looking forward to seeing the greenhouse producing at full capacity, soon. Everything takes time obviously, so all in due time. Stay blessed and safe. UK.

[@janetwithers7427]

This will be every homesteaders dream now. Great project.

[@andrewgruber7483]

Happy June to you 👋

[@lucindaayala4111]

Mr James: I am growing peppermint, mint Spearmint, chamomile, lemon grass, and cat nip to deter mosquitoes and unwanted bugs. I do grow lavender, rosemary and other herbs . I love the fact that they are medicinal and plant them as part of my yard eatable garden. There is also a citronella plant that can be grown but have not been able to successfully harvest seeds.

[@bonilsson3161]

This "Arcticacre" greenhouse must be so much more resilient to snowload compared to a regular greenhouse !

[@0623kaboom]

that would be a fair assumption ... the potential failure would be IF any of the joints are not set fully so the snow load has a potential to sag one joint section ... with the way it was built in the video's a large portion of that was looked after as they fit the last pieces in so I would expect it to support near a 1000 Kg of snow load .. but with geothermal heating he will also get melt water and that will keep the load down in the safer areas of load too ...

[@jameskniskern2261]

Gardening! Sustainably! Reliably. Love it!

[@bobobrien8968]

It’s important to be willing to change things as you go. Your expression, ( mine too): we’ll see, says it all. Change or fail basically. Intelligence, flexibility and stick-to-it ness are what keeps you on top of your game. And your followers are always rewarded. I think tech schools could use your videos someday.

[@glendajune9140]

The project is coming together Shawn, can’t wait to see the fruits of your labor.💯🙋🏽‍♀️✝️🙏🏾🇺🇸

[@alpha-alpha-alpha]

Don't forget that building terrace like structures for plants inside the dome can triple and quadruple the amount of plants you can plant and the yield you will get. Terrace gardening also takes advantage of the water flowing from top to bottom of the terrace to use the same water to water the entire terrace as the water flows down from top to bottom.

[@jodyreay733]

Very nice! I can’t wait to see your progress through out the year!

[@kalinystazvoruna8702]

Tip for growing huge tomatoes (from someone who ran a commercial tomato greenhouse in the 1970s) : pinch back the sprouts that come up from the bottom of the plant as well as in between leaves. They suck energy out of tomatoes and use that energy to grow new branches. You can, if the branch is large enough, snap it off at the base of the main stalk, pop it in water and it will root to give you a new plant. :)

[@lydiaale3505]

You always do things the best way forgetting you get tired... God bless you give you more energy to stay healthy & strong. 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@TigerCarpenter]

that's probably the 1st time ever when you can't wait for the winter to come, so that you can test your greenhouse infrastructure and ingenious solution. I myself am curious how it works out

[@screamindemon811]

Honestly When I first saw the dome I was kind of intrigued, the more you have done with it and now you explaining the theory behind it and further explaining how some of it works it ought to be interesting to see how it works and perform over the summer and then into the winter as it gets cooler . People are doing some amazing things to grow their own vegetable and what not these days from making and using plastic to to set up little greenhouse to making greenhouses with plastic and instead of using just a regular ground based soil and plant system some are using barrels and water and doing their own little home made hydroponic systems No matter what the more you can grow on your own the better you are, it will be interesting to see how this all fares out in the coming months, you sure have put a lot of work into it now to watch and see how things turn out... but look forward to learning more about it

[@barbaramaria162]

Can't help laughing if I see Cali patiently waiting behind you with her orange tool. She is so cute and calm.

[@barbaramaria162]

@Just Live Absolutely.

[@sagbrady8414]

You're an incredible builder...I grab the will to check if I am still beneficiary ever time my husband grabs a screwdriver..

[@bensiemers5094]

Looks awesome Shawn. I think you are going to get some geothermal energy migration in your green house since you are preventing the ground from freezing. I live in the Edmonton area and have a well insulated garage that, although I have a heater, seldom use it. The garage in the middle of winter seldom drops below minus 5 and often is above freezing. Even in minus thirty weather this year, it hovered at about minus 5 to minus 7. With you sunlight and your pond and the ground temperature carrying heat up, I am really interested to see how your temperature regulation works. Best wishes Shawn. Thoroughly enjoy your thought process and ambition.

[@bryan17293]

You will enjoy hanging out in here in winter. And also eating all your favorites. Onward James :)

[@danielkarcher9574]

Cool set up. Hope it works out. Can't wait to see the outcome this winter.👍

[@deannacalef3513]

Thank you for the explanation about the green house heating/cooling features. Looking forward to seeing succulent veggies thriving there.

[@randycornell9796]

Well that answers my question, thanks!! Stay safe my friend.🤓👍🤓👍 Randy.

[@jamesellsworth9673]

It is highly interesting and informative to watch your experience with this food production system.

[@annanet1973]

Add basil next to the tomatoes 🍅 perfect companion plant 🌱 😀

[@memyselfandeye8377]

Awesomeness 👌! Love watching the progress.

[@TheKnacklersWorkshop]

Hello Shawn, Many thanks for taking the time to explain how the soil heater system works... Take care. Paul,,

[@patrickrose1764]

Thanks for the quick and very specific reply to my question. About the black tubes.. thank you sir . Even if I was one of many asking the same question 😃👍

[@Richie016]

Working on the soil and plantation, indoors in the greenhouse, gives a start to the structure.

[@njanderson4342]

Avocado trees would grow in there on the south side.

[@iremun]

great to see you seem excited about your green house Shawn so is everybody else who's become part of our new home stead CHEERS

[@patparsons218]

Please consider constructing a thermal mass cob/adobe rochet stove in your green house. Connect the soil heater tubes so they can draw warm air from near the stove. Could save your crops during a really cold snap.

[@michellelindsay5727]

Your so ingenious and I’m excited to see what the outcome will be as your plants start producing their fruits and veggies. Good luck Shawn.

[@ubiquem5964]

hey there, it might be a very good idea to also grow mushrooms inbetween and around your plants. i am not sure how well that goes with the wooden confinements you built but i have seen a video where people did that in their garden, maxing the outcome of their harvest and keeping the ground especially health. just an idea that you might like. thanks for sharing your heroic actions there, i can not think of any more satisfying content to watch here in youtube and i wouldnt say this if i didnt really mean it. best wishes and lookin forward to your next videos

[@hanneken4026]

Mr.James already has a square stack of logs inoculated with mushroom spores beside his workshop. Once they're grown, he can harvest mushrooms from those logs without the chance their mycelium will eat his cedar plantbed walls 🙂

[@shalom1310]

Thank you for explaining. Didn’t expect that you would make a whole video about this. Very cool.

[@drgunsmith4099]

That greenhouse is the looking great 🙏

[@margaretcooke7016]

This is very interesting cannot wait to see the rest of it. Thank you.

[@jonathanhall7903]

Appreciate how you put yourself out there, James. Open season on all things Shawn it seems, but vast majority of us subscribers greatly admire and very much like your authentic content.

[@jerrym1240]

Going to run out of time on the new cabin build. Wash house and Root cellar should take priority since you have the tiny house. Will give you another season to get the logs ready for the main house. Glad you have the Geo completed for growing. I look forward to seeing your variety of plants. Thank you for taking time out of your very busy schedule and sharing your life with us.

[@thizizliz]

Really clever! So you woll have fresh produce all year. May take some experimentation but imagine biting into a freshly picked tomato in January! Brilliant.

[@brianiller2793]

That fan is a very good idea it should give you a longer growing season hopefully, nice JOB

[@chrisblack8390]

Always unusual things on your channel but I learn alot! Thanks

[@browsedeweb8834]

7:32 Nice center bed peek! I'm guessing that effort will be in the next video. Now that is a greenhouse to be proud of!

[@murrayandru7527]

Always a Great watch ! Thanks for Sharing ! Enjoy your summer your busy as a Bee !

[@allenlarabie8854]

Futuristic space age greenhouse..

[@restezen]

Thanks so much for the explanation. It's amazing that Arctic Acres provides all the extra features.

[@gman2185]

In your new cabin, you should think of adding a floor heating system to your wood stove. You can add glycol if you fear freezing. The confort you would get is remarquable.

[@amandar7719]

Ingenious! How’s Emily? Hope her own cabin is coming along well.

[@BraxxJuventa]

Thanks for the explanation Shawn. 👍😁

[@bassamkawasmi4596]

Top excellent Mr.James . Looking very efficiency . Good luck

[@Psi105]

An important thing to consider with fans that try to pull air through a long tube is that the air will always take the easiest path to get to the fan blades. Any small gaps between the tube and the intake side of the fan will result in a massive reduction in airflow through the tube.

[@LoomyX]

That was my immediate consern as well. It looks like it may end up just sucking air from the open bottom of the wooden box, unless it's really tightly seated in the dirt. Either way I'd generate some smoke on the intake side to see if it's actually sucking in air.

[@judithburke1539]

He did say something to the effect that the air flowing through the soil would help keep it from freezing and also help the plants grow.

[@mk-xq1tt]

Don't know why I am so envìous of that greenhouse (I live in a sub-tropical climate), maybe because it is so pretty and I could sit there during our cold days and knit and watch the veg grow.

[@DJ-nh6wq]

I’m with you Marie! A nice cup of tea and a cross stitch project for me. 😊

[@jenniferbringman9054]

Ladies, love your ideas.! Tea, crumpets, and crochet!

[@DJ-nh6wq]

@@jenniferbringman9054 YES! So cozy!

[@melodybarker9336]

Love your green house can't wait till new cabin starts love it so much thank u ❤

[@marianfrances4959]

Ingenious system! Just love it! 👍👍👌🌿🌷🍅🫑🌶🥬🐾💜🌞

[@diannawilliams761]

Really looks great, fantastic greenhouse.

[@janettelworth9398]

You do so much work in such short periods of time that you amaze me. Please don't burn yourself out because I would miss all you do very much. Very grateful for your channel.

[@marius1004]

Thank you for demystifying your wizardry Shawn. The greenhouse looks fantastic.

[@geoffreybartlett9293]

Maybe check the discharge temp at the fan compared to room temp. I think there is also some cooling benefits with that type of air pipe system.

[@jackkeeble9272]

Great job, look forward to your videos. Your doing what I've always dreamed of doing!

[@challenger2ultralightadventure]

Consider insulating the air pipes with Styrofoam where it goes under the entrance way. That short section will suck the heat right out of the pipe in the dead of winter. Also, if you haven't considered it yet. Maybe some hanging planters up higher, to take advantage of the heat rising in the winter may work? Cheers from Winnipeg.

[@martinwinfield2935]

Looking really good, and a practical solution. I hope the system works out. Thanks for sharing.

[@CanineWild]

I'm excited to see how this works for you in the winter- something like this could be extremely useful in my future with such a cold and long winter. Very cool! (or warm, lol)

[@Shanngella]

Glad you explained it because I want to purchase this greenhouse..can't wait to see your results in winter

[@Go4Corvette]

Great job Shawn and take care, Mike

[@marygordon3032]

Thanks Shawn l’m sure it’s gonna pay off in abundance! 👍👍👍💯💯💯

[@dominacio]

Thanks for this video Shawn. I fondly (or not so - lot of digging) in a greenhouse for a lady here in Colorado way back in '96. Very efficient system. Good luck with yours.

[@robertlemoine3500]

Thankyou Shawn for the wonderful program.

[@r.scottmacleod4564]

I think your biggest concern is freezing rain that forms too much ice on the outside...I would build some sort of porch or double door entrance/exit for cold and bugs control.

[@irenebrown645]

INGENIOUS, YES, A WORK OF ART ! So beautiful

[@pamalapeterson5352]

A most intriguing venture!...God bless y’all abundantly!

[@genefoust5569]

A great video to start a new month June thanks

[@leonidkokaurov9847]

Great progress! Really enjoy your video.

[@waterbeest123]

Thanks for explaining what you were doing in this video! Really appreciate the insight :)

[@danielbirch212]

Beautiful! Congratulations!

[@larryjacobs5713]

Great job Shawn, very interesting!

[@Gordonseries385]

Cool! Thank you for sharing Shawn

[@austinskylines]

i love your solar tech info

[@KidBiff]

Looking good, Shawn! Cali approves!

[@ArielleViking]

Really fascinating and amazing greenhouse. 💯❤👍

[@csnelling4]

Coming on nicely Shawn👍🇬🇧

[@lindasands1433]

Awesome structure!

[@ericeverson5956]

Loved it. Thanks Shawn. Peace

[@PatNetherlander]

Another ingenious contraption Shawn! It'll work well I reckon!

[@Thegoldenbliss]

As always a lot of thought went into this. I'm sure your results will be perfect.

[@TheoriginalANGEK439]

It’s a genius concept. I like it 👍💙🦴

[@kerra3699]

I always learn something new. Thankyou 👍🏼

[@matthewcooper8170]

good investment in the greenhouse Shawn, well done it will pay for it self in the end