Warning! You are not logged in. Log in or create an account to have your edits attributed to your username rather than your IP, along with other benefits.

The edit can be undone. Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then publish the changes below to finish undoing the edit.

Latest revision Your text
Line 14: Line 14:
Maintain the greenhouse structure and wall.
Maintain the greenhouse structure and wall.


== Spring 2019 Renovation ==
== 2019 Renovation ==


[[File:Finished Floor.png|thumb|Inside the new and improved CCAT greenhouse.]]
[[File:Finished Floor.png|thumb|Inside the new and improved CCAT greenhouse.]]
Line 20: Line 20:
In 2016 the floor of the greenhouse in the picture at the top of this page was replaced with a completely wooden platform that covered the entire greenhouse floor, as opposed to the walkway through the middle. This created several problems. First, floor was built on top of a frame which was elevated above the ground. This created a draft coming under a large gap in the door of the greenhouse that resulted from the elevated platform installation and cancelled out the greenhouse temperature control mechanisms. The wooden floor also started to rot out. This was likely caused by the fact that the floor had not been refinished on time. To avoid having to continually refinishing it and avoid any potential safety hazards from the rotting floor, it was decided to simply remove it.
In 2016 the floor of the greenhouse in the picture at the top of this page was replaced with a completely wooden platform that covered the entire greenhouse floor, as opposed to the walkway through the middle. This created several problems. First, floor was built on top of a frame which was elevated above the ground. This created a draft coming under a large gap in the door of the greenhouse that resulted from the elevated platform installation and cancelled out the greenhouse temperature control mechanisms. The wooden floor also started to rot out. This was likely caused by the fact that the floor had not been refinished on time. To avoid having to continually refinishing it and avoid any potential safety hazards from the rotting floor, it was decided to simply remove it.


Two different plans were created to replace the floor. The original plan was to dig out 1 foot of the existing gravel and clay and replace it with soil on either side of the house and a gravel pathway in the middle. This plan had the advantage of being fast and easy to implement. The second plan was to construct a elevated walkway which would rest on perpendicular beams that would stretch from the north wall to the south wall. The benefits of this plan are that the walkway allows people to move through the greenhouse without compacting soil and was designed in such a way that the draft from the previous wooden walkway would not exist. However, this plan would have been very tight on time in order to get the greenhouse up and running to grow starts for Spring. There were also many questions raised by the second plan, such as whether chemicals from pressure treated wood might seep into the soil. This plan also requires more maintenance than the other plan. Thus it was decided to go with the second plan. However, it was pointed out that gravel is not ADA accessible so that part was replaced with wood chips. The wood chips have the added benefit of being more wheelchair friendly, although not ideal, as well as adding heat to the greenhouse and nutrients to the soil from decomposition. The plan was also changed to add in some layers of wood chips in between soil layers and to place gypsum to allow water to penetrate the clay that lies under the top soil.
Two different plans were created to replace the floor. The original plan was to dig out 1 foot of the existing gravel and clay and replace it with soil on either side of the house and a gravel pathway in the middle. This plan had the advantage of being fast and easy to implement. The second plan was to construct a elevated walkway but one that only goes through the middle with soil over the entire floor. The benefits of this plan are that the walkway allows people to move through the greenhouse without compacting soil and was designed in such a way that the draft from the 2016 would not exist. However, this plan would have been very tight on time in order to get the greenhouse up and running to grow starts for Spring. There were also many questions raised by the second plan, such as whether chemicals from pressure treated wood might seep into the soil. Many of these concerns also raised other questions so it was decided to go with the original plan. However, it was pointed out that gravel is not ADA accessible so that part was replaced with wood chips. The wood chips have the added benefit of being more wheelchair friendly, although not ideal, as well as adding heat to the greenhouse and nutrients to the soil from decomposition. The plan was also changed to add a several inch thick layer of wood chips and _____ to allow water to penetrate the clay that lies under
 
The first step in construction was to tear out the old floor. Then the gravel layer that made up the ground was removed and dumped near the compost bin for later use. Several inches of clay were dug up and deposited near the compost bin as well for use in the green building class layer that semester. Once the site was ready for infilling, soil was acquired from Wes Green Landscaping and the wood chips were acquired from Professional Tree Services. The gypsum was already available at CCAT. The first layer to go on top of the clay was comprised of wood chips and gypsum. For the next approximately 4 inches there were alternating layers of mulch and soil that covered the whole floor area. Then, the center that would become the pathway was filled only with wood chips and the sides for planting were filled only with soil for the remainder of the volume that needed filling.
 
After the new floor was completed, the area was quickly filled with plants. The entire Southern wall was planted with various crops such as kale, tomatoes, lettuce, and more. Two of the tables which were in the greenhouse before were put back in along the North wall in order to have a space to grow seed starts and to propagate plants. To maximize our ability to do these activities, 3 shelves where installed on some the window panes along the North wall. The tables also provide a good place for storage and there's still room on either side to plant something in the ground.


<gallery>
<gallery>
Warning! All contributions to Appropedia are released under the CC-BY-SA-4.0 license unless otherwise noted (see Appropedia:Copyrights for details). If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly and redistributed at will, then do not submit it here! You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource. Do not submit copyrighted material without permission!
Cancel Editing help (opens in new window)

Templates used on this page:

This page is a member of a hidden category:

Retrieved from "https://www.appropedia.org/CCAT_greenhouse"
Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies.