Whatarepitgreenhouses, also known as underground gardens or underground greenhouses?Pitgreenhouses have been constructed in the mountains of South America for at least a couple of decades with tremendous success. There are a few different types of pit or sunken greenhouses. All of them use the sunken design to harness the insulating properties of the earth and passive solar to provide heat. Let’s start with the Chinese style. 1. Understanding PitGreenhouses: WhatAre They and How Do They Work? Pitgreenhouses, also known as underground greenhouses or Walipinis, are a unique way of growing plants in a controlled environment. Pitgreenhousesare extremely energy efficient, as they are essentially a hole dug into the ground with an attached glass structure. At a depth of four feet, the Earth retains a temperature of roughly 50 degrees year round; almost 10 degrees warmer than that of an above ground greenhouse. Walipini or PitGreenhouse (Below Ground Greenhouse).The name “walipini” originated from a 2002 agricultural project where volunteers from the Benson Institute went to Bolivia with the goal of building low-cost pitgreenhouses for local farmers to use year-round. In principle the sun pitis an “unheated” greenhouse. That is, it relies entirely upon solar and ground heat rather than auxiliary furnaces — which are always required in conventional greenhouses. The pitgreenhouse receives poor natural light in the morning and the evening. Since the roofline is at ground level it is easy for dogs, livestock, or humans to walk on and damage the roof or even fall into the greenhouse. Passive Solar House or Lean-to Greenhouse. A relatively recent entry in the fight to defy the local weather is the walipini greenhouse aka the pitgreenhouse aka the underground greenhouse aka the earth-sheltered greenhouse. sunken greenhouse for plants The unique design of these structures is what sets them apart from traditional greenhouses.What To Plant In An All Year Round Greenhouse. The key to making the most of a sun pitgreenhouseis to know what to plant and when to plant it. The walipini (an Aymara Indian word for a "place of warmth"), also known as an underground or pitgreenhouse, is a much more affordable and effective year-round option than the traditional glass greenhouse.
