A walipini is an underground greenhouse. It was first conceived and constructed by the good folks at the Benson Institute of Brigham Young University who were looking for a way for people living high in the Andes Mountains to be able to grow fresh produce year-round. And one of the requirements was that the solution had to be relatively inexpensive. The walipini as built in the guide provided by the Benson Institute costs about $250-300. (Not sure how much that works out to now with inflation.) Using the dimensions provided in the guide, the walipini can grow vegetables to feed seven adults.
What the walipini lacks in expense it makes up for in labor. Yes, it takes work, mainly in excavating the pit, but once that part is accomplished it’s pretty smooth sailing. Whether I ever get one of these remains to be seen. Aaron and KOTPE started excavation on one at our last place. Our mountain was mainly sand and with a bobcat it didn’t take much time at all. And then dating and school took up KOTPE’s time and Aaron found his job was coming to an end. So that walipini was never finished. And now our mountain is nothing but solid rock. They say it isn’t quite so easy to excavate.
Anyway, one of the most significant advantages of the walipini is that, in contrast to regular greenhouses, it does not require any electricity to heat it. The earth several feet below the soil surface remains at a constant 50°F so that the sun’s rays only need to raise the air temperature about 30°F. The sun’s rays penetrate and warm the soil during the day and then the soil releases the heat at night to keep the ambient temperature inside above 45°F.
Aaron, KOTPE, and I got to tour a walipini about 45 minutes from here. It worked very well to grow all the vegetables for a couple of large families. I have wanted a walipini for years. Unfortunately, just because I want something doesn’t necessarily mean that I get it. And instead of waiting any longer to get it before telling you about it, I figure I just better share the info now so that those of you who want one can start working on it.
The address below is to a 29-page instruction manual put out by the Benson Institute for building a walipini. As noted in the comments below, the address I provided several years back is no longer good. And when I went looking for another address, I found a plethora of options, some of which I considered pasting in here. And then I quickly realized that at least one of them as AI-generated. I've read horror stories about the AI-generated knitting patterns. An AI-generated walipini plan could be a whole lot worse. So keep that in mind as you peruse walipini plans.
References:
https://archive.org/details/WalipiniConstructionTheUndergroundGreenhouse/page/n1/mode/2up
Thank you, Jennifer, a well worth saving Pdf.
ReplyDeleteBTW the same concept CAN be built above ground with the same attention to solar angles and earth berming using logs, and heavy-duty plastic sheeting. See Mike Ohler's 50.00 and up underground home and his greenhouse book. I've helped build and lived in one of his underground homes. Very nice, easy to heat with a small box stove and naturally cool in the oddly hot Idaho summers.
I believe the large walipini we toured last summer would be a very comfortable place to live temperature-wise if I had to abandon my house. The underground house book looks interesting. I put it in my Amazon cart. I think Luke, the son who built a tiny house, would be interested in it. Thanks so much for mentioning it.
DeleteJennifer, I can't get the link to work.
ReplyDeleteI apologize for that. I found a new address for the same plans. Details are in the last paragraph above. Thanks for pointing out the problem.
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