My Top Idea Refined: A Greenhouse in a (Half)-Shipping Container
I’ve been continuing to think about how to implement the automated microfarm idea I first blogged about here. What has spurred me to think this idea is feasible is the Eat to Live diet that I have been following for five weeks now (to great results, with more to report soon.) According to the diet, an adult optimally needs 2lbs of vegetables daily, 1 lb of fruit, 0.3 lbs beans/legumes, and 0.1-0.2 lbs of nuts for a total of about 3.5 lbs of plant-based food daily. (Twelve ounces of animal or dairy products are also allowed weekly, but not required as long as certain conditions are met.)
I recently came up with the idea to take a standard shipping container, slice it in half, and use the two halves as greenhouses:
Here are some features I had in mind:
- The open side of the container would be covered in several layers of plastic, and made to face south.
- The whole container would be insulated to PassivHous standards to minimize/eliminate heating during the colder months.
- Plant waste could be burned to provide additional CO2 to the growing plants, and heat to the greenhouse.
- The greenhouse would be an aquaponics system to provide both plant-based food and fish.
Since beans and nuts can be stored for relatively long periods of time in room temperature, those can be grown conventionally (not in the greenhouse). That leaves 3 lbs/person/day to be grown in the greenhouse to supply 100% of the fruit and vegetable requirements. With a 20ft shipping container, this requirement is met if the greenhouse can annually produce 7 lbs/square foot to feed one person, or 14lbs/square foot to feed a couple. A permaculture greenhouse has reported yields of 12-16 lbs/square foot annually.
There are somewhat similar ideas out there (1, 2, 3), but none of them aim to provide 100% of a person’s or family’s food.
Please post any thoughts or ideas that you may have in the comments below.
