Roberto Abazoski Capstone

Posted by Roberto Abazoski in Capstone - Hull - Wed on Friday, May 30, 2014 at 1:23 am

For this project, I teamed up with two other SLA students, Ryan Doyle and Juan Rivera, my two mentors, Mr. VK and Ms. Dunda, an organization called Phresh Philly, and an engineering class at G.W. Carver HSES to design and build a self-sustaining greenhouse. This greenhouse would be able to prolong the life of plants that grow vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and onions as well as keep them watered adequately to mitigate the amount of times someone would have to go back and water. With the grown produce, SLA students would be able to sell it as a method of fundraising for sports or trips. The locally grown produce is organic, not genetically modified, it promotes healthier eating, cuts back on transportation costs, making it more affordable for anyone even stores to buy, and also provides valuable life skills for anyone interested in gardening.

Bibliography

Bellows, Barbara. N.p.. Web. 30 Jan 2014. <https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/viewhtml.php?id=59>.

Provides real numbers in terms of light transmission based on the type of glazing (walls of the greenhouse). It also gives some information on the temperature certain plants live in, so we can plants seeds based on the temperature that can be accomplished in the greenhouse. Along with that, it also covers the other areas of greenhouse building such as in insulation, solar orientation, and etc.

Poly-Tex: Greenhouse & Display Systems. N.p.. Web. 30 Jan 2014. <http://www.poly-tex.com/>.

This website is useful for its many greenhouse designs. It offers inspiration to go off of into creating our own design. Poly-Tex also sells greenhouse kits, so it includes a materials list with every greenhouse. That shows us the necessities for every successful greenhouse as well as some cool things we can incorporate into our design such as wiggle wire, which is a solution in holding 2 or more pieces of plastic sheeting together.

Ross, David S.. N.p.. Web. 30 Jan 2014. <http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/hortcult/greenhou/building.htm>.

Information on planning and designing the greenhouse. It gives advice on location, foundation/floors, ventilation, heating, cooling, watering systems, and much more. We will need this source to plan our designs effectively and create a well-functioning greenhouse.

"Greenhouse Types and Structures." Yavapai College. N.p.. Web. 30 Jan 2014. <http://faculty.yc.edu/ycfaculty/ags250/week04/greenhouse_types_and_structures/Greenhouse_types_and_structures_print.html>.

Focused towards the structure of greenhouses. They explain what should be taken into consideration when designing through an engineer’s standpoint. It includes weighing light transmission and heat insulation to be costly effective all around.

"Talking rubbish – Turning trash into treasure." Making Sense of Things. WordPress, 14 11 2011. Web. 30 Jan 2014. <http://makingsenseofthings.info/2011/11/talking-rubbish/>.

An article about sustainable living in a Palestine. They reused recyclable materials in order to create a self-sustainable greenhouse, and how they reused other types of waste which basically emphasizes the title “turning trash into treasure”.

"Greenhouse Elements." Just Greenhouses: a hay needle store. N.p.. Web. 30 Jan 2014. <http://www.justgreenhouses.com/greenhouse-supplies/greenhouseelementsarticle.cfm>.

Information about maintaining the soil in order to maximize plant growth. In the source includes solutions if the pH of the soil is more basic or more acidic, so it can be neutral again. Tells why plants in greenhouses require less water than plants grown outside. It also emphasizes the importance of circulation and control for humidity.

The Greenhouse Catalog: Your Year-Round Gardening Source. N.p.. Web. 30 Jan 2014. <http://www.greenhousecatalog.com/>.

An online store where materials for greenhouses are sold. This gives a greater insight on what materials are out there and what we can and should use.

Solar Heater. YouTube, 2008. Web. 30 Jan 2014. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqObr-M39Ug>.

One way to reduce costs and save $300 for a heater, we can reuse metal cans, spray paint them black and then put them in an enclosed box with a glass on top. Black absorbs all all the colors and generates heat. That heat can then be transferred into the greenhouse and contribute to raising the temperature in order to make the greenhouse sustainable during colder temperatures.

Whitman, Ann , The National Gardening Association, and Suzanne DeJohn. Organic Gardening For Dummies. 2nd Ed. For Dummies, 2009. print.

Organic gardening book for beginners. Provides basic gardening skills, explains the dynamic of soil and how to keep it healthy, teaches how to compost, how to manage pests, and etc. Basically, this book provides everything we would need to know in order to have a successful garden.

"Greenhouse For Less Than $100?!?" Fabulessly Frugal A Coupon Blog Sharing Amazon Deals Printable Coupons DIY How to Extreme Coupon and Make Ahead Meals. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.

One of the biggest challenges with building the greenhouse is the cost of materials so we need to find a more cost efficient way to build it. This source is very helpful in choosing cheaper ways to construct a greenhouse that will perform the same as one that someone would pay close to a thousand dollars for around one hundred dollars.

http://www.hgtv.com/topics/greenhouses/index.html?layout=desktop

"Greenhouses." How To Build a Greenhouse | Tips for Creating Your Own Greenhouse. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.

This source provides multiple designs that focus on personal preference of the plants we want to grow in the greenhouse since every greenhouse is not built for the same reason it will help us in deciding on our final design.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZooEVu4JhI

"Heating Your Greenhouse." YouTube. YouTube, 05 Jan. 2012. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.

This video is explaining something that will be very important in our design. Heating the greenhouse so that plants will be able to grow in the colder weather. This is important so that we expand our growing ability to the whole year instead of a few months a year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REFdF6z9aYk

"Insulating Your Greenhouse." YouTube. YouTube, 26 Dec. 2012. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.

This video focuses on the insulation of greenhouses and since we are working on a tight budget we have to cheap ways that will work in making the greenhouse successful. This means we will have to use a good material that traps heat inside the greenhouse since it will be in the sun all day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlEczaE0-eg

"Insulating Your Greenhouse." YouTube. YouTube, 26 Dec. 2012. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.

This video explains how to construct double walled insulation which is 2 thin pieces of plastic that will cover the greenhouse. The plastic will be about an inch apart an air pump will constantly pump air into the space between the plastic pieces causing it to stay about 3 times warmer in the greenhouse during the colder seasons.

"Irrigation & Watering." Greenhouse Megastore. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2014. <http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/category/irrigation-watering>.

This site sells a bunch of different products that we can use to water our plants automatically so that it will be considered self sustaining so that it wont require constant attention but will still give us great growth results.

"Rainwater Capture on a Greenhouse." YouTube. YouTube, 31 May 2011. Web. 30 May 2014. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kN_hyHoKhg>.

This video is explaining the use of a rain capture for a greenhouse which collects rainwater and uses it to water the plants. This is very helpful for us since we want it to be self sustaining we wont have to worry about making sure the pumps always have water during the seasons that have a lot of rain.

"Greenhouse Growing: Tips for Basic Greenhouse Cultivation." Mother Earth News. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2014. <http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/greenhouse-growing-cultivation-zmaz11zsto.aspx>.

This site provides tips for for growing in an indoor environment like a greenhouse. It is helpful because we need to know how to treat the plants since we are new to gardening it also explains what plants grow the best during certain seasons.

"Tending a Greenhouse." How to Grow in a Greenhouse: Organic Gardening. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2014. <http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/tending-greenhouse>.

This site breaks down the process into steps that explains how we should construct the greenhouse and how temperature regulation is very important to the health of the plants since we want to make the greenhouse be functioning all year round the temperature inside will be one of our biggest challenges.

"How to Maintain a Greenhouse." WikiHow. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2014. <http://www.wikihow.com/Maintain-a-Greenhouse>.

This site explains the steps that are nessecary to keep the plants alive on their own and since we wont be able to tend to them everyday we need a good way to be sure they stay healthy.It also exlains how we will have to choose smart plants that can grow in the same cimate since the greenhouse will all be the same temperature.

In this website is helpful because it tells you all the important things that need to be put into a greenhouse in order for it to work and grow all the plants properly. It speaks on the heating, watering, ventilation and everything that has to be set in order for it to work and grow. The amount you give it and how long it is given to the plants.

This website lets you know of the different types of greenhouses and which ones work the best compared to the others. Also speaks about the benefits and the reasons that they are used the way they are used. It also speaks on the different types of kits and materials that are used in order to make it all run and work.

This blog has a post on anything and everything you might need to know when making the greenhouse.

http://ohiofloriculture.osu.edu/sites/drupal-ohioflori.web/files/file/greenhouse-energy-savings-part-II.pdf

This website provides many energy saving tips in order to maximize the greenhouse’s efficiency.

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