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Greenhouses and Compost Bins
Greenhouses
It doesn’t matter where you live or how much space you have to work with when it comes to growing food. Greenhouses can be the size of a warehouse or small enough to fit in front of a window in an apartment. Even compost bins can be built in various sizes and styles to fit the specific needs of the living situation. The only limit is your imagination and what you can afford to create. So let us explore the basics of Greenhouses and Compost Bins.
Publisher Update
(NOTE: Update June 2019 - This post was originally published in 2011. There were several references to videos and YouTube channels that no longer exist, so we are including some newer resources for your reference.
And because numerous references from the original post are no longer relevant, we will keep the "nuts and bolts" of the original post, and plan some newer articles on the topic going forward.)
I will say that once we have the raised garden beds and side shelving constructed our total cost for the entire Greenhouse will be around $800. Most Greenhouses that are constructed of steel and glass that you can find usually cost from $1500 and up. As nice as they are it is not necessary for a nice and sturdy Greenhouse. So here are some links to help.
I combed YouTube to find one specific video that would best show building your own Greenhouse but there are way too many good ones to choose just one so instead I will let you browse them all HERE.
As far as the topic of Hydroponic Gardening is concerned, Dan Sullivan's course here may be of great help. We like the looks of what he's doing.
Of course it wouldn’t be a Truth Survival report without some links for you to browse on the topic.
The Year-Round Solar Greenhouse: How to Design and Build a Net-Zero Energy Greenhouse
How to build My 50 Dollar Greenhouse
Simon's Simple Survival Greenhouse Plans
That should be a good start for you in regards to Greenhouses and remember to have fun as well as let your imagination do the work. Building one and knowing that it will eventually provide you with rich and organic food you will be satisfied from the hard work.
So now let us get into Compost Bins.
Compost Bins vary in size and shape but there are basically four kinds and they are Holding, Turning, Worm and the one that requires no construction which are Heaps. Obviously the Holding, Turning and Heap require at the minimum a yard of some kind but the Worm Composting method does not.
Here is a great video from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension about worm composting.
More videos on building Compost Bins can be found HERE.
When making the decision on what kind of Compost Bin would best suit the needs of my Wife and I, we did some research and found the perfect one. A Three Bin Composting unit which if planned out correctly can be done at a low cost. I was fortunate enough to have a good amount of reusable wood after I tore down our barn which was a necessity due to wear and tear.
Now our bin is three feet wide, nine feet long and three feet high but with the size of garden we have this size was needed. Normal cost for a bin like this can vary from $350 to $500 depending on wood and hardware. It is very possible to build one and keep the bill to around $200 but there are many options and types you can build for practically nothing. (2019 Update: Remember that these figures were from 2011, so it's probable that materials are more expensive today.)
Trust me when I say there is a special kind of satisfaction in doing these projects knowing that once you are rolling then getting fruits and vegetables at the grocery store will become history. Chicken Coop is coming soon as well so stay tuned for that.
Nature's gold in your household is not an impossibility.
We all deserve to eat Organic food and have the right to do so by growing our own so allow yourself to take the next step in Self-Sustaining Freedom!
