Northeast SARE Ag Innovations
Developing an Energy Efficient, Solar-Heated Greenhouse in Maryland
Farmer and Rancher Innovations
The lack of year-round availability of locally grown food and food processing infrastructure are the greatest barriers to increasing the consumption of local food in western Maryland. If an economical, year-round or extended food production system could be developed, it would lead to increased demand for locally produced food, which in turn would foster the growth of needed processing infrastructure.
This project sought to encourage season extension by investigating 1) the effectiveness of energy efficient greenhouse design, and 2) the ability of water-heating solar panels to heat a greenhouse as a propane alternative.
The greenhouse was built on a farm in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 5b.
About this series: Farmer and Rancher Innovations, part of the Ag Innovations series, capture the lessons learned from SARE-funded trials and demonstrations conducted primarily by farmers and ranchers.
Want more information? See the related SARE grant(s) ONE09-104, Developing a Cost Effective, Energy Efficient Greenhouse Using Solar Heating to Extend the Growing Season.
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Project products are developed as part of SARE grants. They are made available with support from the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA). Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed within project products do not necessarily reflect the view of the SARE program or the U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
