Deep Winter Greenhouse Project Chooses 5 MN farms
The University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) will partner with five farms in Greater Minnesota to conduct research and outreach on the newest farm scale deep winter greenhouse design.
This project, supported by a Minnesota Department of Agriculture program, brings together small- and medium-scale fruit and vegetable growers in Minnesota with University of Minnesota researchers and designers to develop the next generation of innovative, sustainable winter food production technology (click here for more info).
The five farms selected through a competitive process are:
● Tintah Beach Farm in Thief River Falls, Minnesota
● Chelsea Morning Farm in Two Harbors, Minnesota
● Marvin’s Gardens in Melrose, Minnesota
● New Story Farm in Hutchinson, Minnesota
● Owl Bluff Farm in Houston, Minnesota
These five farms will build the newest version of the farm scale deep winter greenhouse designed by the University’s Center for Sustainable Building Research.
A deep winter greenhouse is a heavily insulated greenhouse designed with a steeply sloped south-facing glazing wall to capture solar heat in the daytime, which is drawn underground and stored in soil or rock for use later in the night. This structure is optimized for growing cold-hardy crops throughout the winter such as brassicas, Asian greens, and lettuces. Some growers are experimenting with more exotic crops such as ginger, turmeric and tropical perennial fruits.
“The new farm scale deep winter greenhouse builds on previous versions, but reduces construction costs by utilizing a simpler underground thermal mass system to store heat.” said Greg Schweser, Director, Statewide Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems, RSDP. “The new
greenhouse is also scaled more appropriately for farmers who grow crops for sale at local markets. With low-energy input winter food production, growers will increase their revenues and Minnesotans will have year-round access to fresh, locally grown, healthy foods.”