How big can a Walipini be?

The Walipini, in simplest terms, is a rectangular hole in the ground 6 ‛ to 8′ deep covered by plastic sheeting. The longest area of the rectangle faces the winter sun — to the north in the Southern Hemisphere and to the south in the Northern Hemisphere.

How deep should a Walipini be?

Your walipini should be sunken 6-8 feet in the ground. Basically, this is because if the submerged area is too shallow, it’ll be vulnerable to frost damage. A shallow walipini will also miss out on the soil’s natural warmth. Digging deeper will add insulation, warmth, and protection to your earthen greenhouse.

How does a Walipini work?

Walipini, also known as sunken greenhouse, underground greenhouse, pit greenhouse, or earth-sheltered greenhouse, is a structure with the growing area dug into the ground. Then install a greenhouse type roof angled toward the sun.

How deep should an underground greenhouse be?

6 to 8 feet
Most are 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 m.) deep, which allows the greenhouse to take advantage of the earth’s warmth. It’s possible to incorporate a walkway so the greenhouse can also be used as a root cellar.

What are the benefits of a sunken greenhouse?

Benefits of Going Underground The biggest benefit of a sunken greenhouse is its use of passive energy. Conventional greenhouses require energy to heat air and move that air around. A sunken greenhouse does that work without the need for mechanical intervention.

How do you stop an underground greenhouse from flooding?

Before adding fertile soil for plants, add at least 30 cm of gravel underneath it. This layer will drain the surplus of water from the underground greenhouse. Furthermore, above the roof make small holes and use some plastic tubes also for draining. By doing this you will protect your greenhouse against flooding.

How do you keep water out of an underground greenhouse?

Make trenches all around your greenhouse on the underground floor and don’t forget the drainer(!) and fill them with gravel. Your plastic roof should end on some sort of drainer too in such way to drive away all water.

What is Walipini greenhouse?

A walipini is essentially a pit greenhouse, or a hole dug in the ground with glazing laid over it. 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 pit greenhouses for local farmers to use year-round.

What is a cold sink in a greenhouse?

A cold sink – a small walk-way dug deeper on the South side — draws down colder air (as warmer air will rise). It also allows the roof of the greenhouse to have a higher pitch, which is important to maximize solar gain in the winter months at Northern latitudes.

How much does it cost to build a Walipini?

Geothermal greenhouses (also known sometimes as “pit greenhouses” or “Walipini”) run between $6 and $12 per square foot. They are dug into the ground which accesses the earth’s heat.

Do you need drainage in a greenhouse?

Greenhouse Guttering Systems. It is very important to plan the outside drainage as well as the inside one. Without any guttering system the rain water running from the roof of the greenhouse structure will drip off the ends onto the soil. This will affect the soil, for example, by forming holes in the ground.

Why are greenhouses sunken?

Benefits of Going Underground The biggest benefit of a sunken greenhouse is its use of passive energy. The sun can work much more effectively than it does in conventional, surface-built greenhouses because if has a lot less work to do to heat the greenhouse to ideal growing temperatures.

Is it possible to build a walipini in any climate?

However, the principles explained in the bulletin make it possible to build the Walipini in a wide variety of other geographic and climatic conditions. The word ‟Walipini” comes from the Aymara Indian language of this area of the world and means place of warmth”.

Where does the name walipini come from and why?

‘Walipini’ means ‘place of warmth’ in Aymara Indian, and it’s an apt name. Basically, the idea is that once you get below the frost line (3-5 feet below the surface, the Earth maintains a fairly constant temperature. In the US, that temperature is typically around 45-50 degrees in the northern states and 50-70 in the south.

Where does the name walipini greenhouse come from?

This type of greenhouse is called a geothermal, pit or, Walipini greenhouse, and is common in South America. ‘Walipini’ means ‘place of warmth’ in Aymara Indian, and it’s an apt name.

How does the water get out of the walipini?

When the water hits a certain level, a float valve then turns on the pump to lift the water out and away from the walipini. As another measure to reduce the amount of water that flows inside the walipini, the non-sun catching side (e.g. Northern side in the US), is bermed to cause water to flow away from the walipini.