Indoor ecosystem management

Overview This section summarizes my research into permaculture designed and managed indoor ecosystems. At Brook End we have inherited 7 greenhouses and a pollytunnel. The previous owners were clear indoor enthusiasts and these new glassed structures present a unique design challenge. From myself previously, greenhouses were a future fantasy, having to make do with propagating seedlings on warm windowsills (never enough space), spilling compost on carpet, an indoor greenhouse in a tiny flat or later a shed with a few polythene panels to create a quasigreenhouse. I have now been presented with what could be very high maintenance structures, which require cleaning, opening and closing of shutters and windows, intensive watering of thirsty plants and multiple journeys left right and centre. This is combined with the new learning challenges of understanding pollytunnel dynamics. As a designer I have been inspired to ask and explore: *How can we maximise the use of these spaces, both in livelihood creation and increased selfreliance? *How can we minimise the amount of daily energy spent in the growing season visiting the different greenhouses, watering and feeding plants and cleaning them in the winter? *How can we manage potential pests and diseases organically? * How can we apply the design principles of permaculture to these spaces? Darrel Frey describes his farm's bioshelter ecosystem as a dynamic place, "From the ecology of the soil to the building's role in the larger farm system and from the daily work schedule to the seasonal cycles, a complex web of energy, nutrients and organisms act as a whole system - and we are its directors."

Indoor ecosystem dynamics

Indoor Ecosystem Dynamics This led me to explore the concept of indoor spaces being ecosystems in and of themselves, applying the following ecological concepts: Resource cycles: The building 'takes in' nutrients, gasses and energy from the surrounding environment and it produces food and waste. Structure and Glazing: act like a cell membrane, controlling gas exchanges and energy absorption. Plants & animals: plants, soil fauna, insects or other animals living in greenhouse structures act as energy processors and nutrient recyclers.

Another example is the Buckminster-Fuller, Geodisic dome greenhouse. We have a dome at Brook End near the kitchen garden and so I have research how to best take advantage of this amazing space. The example of the dome at La Loma Viva, an experimental farm in Southern Spain, is massively bigger than ours at Brook End however reading about this example has informed me about the effectiveness of a dome's interior structure because air and energy are able to circulate without obstruction4.

purpose sPurposes of Greenhouses: Maximising

Photosynthetic efficiency The purpose of a greenhouse is to capture solar radiation & provide an optimum environment for the rapid growing of plants3. Conditions in protected structures can be manipulated to capture more solar radiation, which is essential for plant growth and photosynthesis. To enable maximum light, structures such as greenhouses and glasshouses can be sited effectively to get the longest amount of sun e.g. east to west. Light radiation is also enhanced by keeping glass clean and avoiding items which shade plants (where desirable, depending on the unique needs of the plants and their growth habits). Environmental conditions can also be manipulated through the control of carbon dioxide levels, either electronically using computers or by utilising ventilation controls. Humidity can also be controlled to prevent plants drying out affecting their photosynthetic efficiency. Supplemental lighting may also be used to enhance plant growth during winter when natural light levels are lower Important factors in traditional greenhouse management The advantages of greenhouses: Greater control of the growing environment Season extension Species & variety diversity Plants receive a headstart in development Factors affecting plants grown undercover: Fertility Temperature Light Air circulation Carbon dioxide levels Insect pests & diseases

examples
Examples include the Three Sisters Bioshelter, detailed in Darrell's book, as well as the popular concept of the 'chicken greenhouse' where the chicken house is placed in relation to the greenhouse to maximise the heat retention and nutrient capture. They may also help with pest control. Learning from site visits locally: In September, our local Transition Group visited our local market garden, Torganics. There the grower has 4 pollytunnels and to save energy and time he: - Uses drip irrigation Dries his garlic crop to make the space multifunctional Grows tomatoes on line to make most of levels - fleeces his cabbages to protect the from damaging pests (essential for commercial purposes).

There is also Chris Marron's Perpetual Harvest Greenhouse System (PHGS)5, which provides an indoor ecosystem capable of growing equal yields of organic produce 52 weeks per year. It is designed to optimise growing techniques and energy management. Implementing something similar at Brook End would take a lot of reinvestment, to imitate the greenhouse's subterranean heating and cooling system however it is still an inspiring example of ecological design. Similar ideas have been promoted in Permaculture Magazine, including a self-watering greenhouse that had a central bad that collect surface run off which would slowly infiltrate into the surrounding beds.

bioshelters
These questions led me to search for resources, on which I found the book, Bioshelter Market Garden: A Permaculture Farm, by Darrel Frey about his family's farm, Three Sisters, in Pennsylvania and the construction of their 'bioshelter'. A bioshelter is a solar greenhouse managed as an indoor ecosystem. The concept was first coined by the New Alchemy Institute in the US and designers Sean Wellesley-Miller and Day Chahroudi who used the term to distinguish their work in greenhouse design and management from twentieth century petrochemical fuelled monoculture greenhouses1.

BROOK END
Nicole Vosper, Wild Heart Permaculture 2011