Earth Battery Greenhouse Build
Site preparation has begun on Earth Battery Greenhouse at 1705 Corzine Street. It is called an Earth Battery because it uses the steady temperature 8 feet under the surface as a source of heat during the winter months. Other tubes are used for cooling during the warmer months. One 250-foot 4-inch drainage pipe is used for every 6 linear feet of the greenhouse. The 78-foot greenhouse requires 13 tubes and two high-speed fans.
A Volunteer positioned a rented backhoe from Warm Springs to dig exploratory 6 ft. test holes to determine the makeup of the soil, which turned out to be loose sediment. He also moved brush into the 30 ft. trench below the cliffs to make soil for gardening, using the Huegel method of burying limbs, leaves, grass, vegetable matter, and topsoil.
250 ft. coils of drainage pipe will be buried at a depth of eight to ten feet.
PGT has set up six raised beds and a deer fence around those beds. We have started building a shed next to the raised beds and we are expecting the greenhouse to be delivered soon.
Along with the Earth Battery Greenhouse, raised-bed gardens will provide a seasonal space for cool-weather crops. Exploration Academy high school students
from Washington state assembled the raised beds. It was their service project for their trip with the theme of borders. They also exhibited visual works at the PGT HQ on Broadway.
PGT Youth Growing Together
Principal Leslie Clark, and Plant Sciences teacher Kristy Cummings, are initiating a garden to cafeteria program at Hot Springs High School in T or C. The plan is to utilize the new greenhouse and the framework of an older one to grow food for the high school lunch program. The program is based on the successful ones in over 4,000 high schools across America.
The materials for 12 raised bed structures have been ordered and approved by the state education department and we are awaiting funds. The frames are set to be built by students in the woodshop. The plan is to grow tomatoes and vegetables starts in the greenhouse, as well as cool weather crops like lettuce and spinach. The raised beds will be used for August through October for the same crops. Hundreds of lunches are served every school day.
Community Growing Together Farmer’s Market Food Production Report
Our plant starts are grown in our storefront at 417 Broadway Street. We are using the Community Gardens of T or C to grow the pro-duce we have sold at the Farmer’s Market.
Since we began the project we have started over 1000 thousand seeds.
We have sold so far in the 2022 season over 100 pounds of pro-duce, including close to seventy pounds of Squash.
$50 has been received in SNAP tokens so far this year. This and any future SNAP proceeds will be donated to Matthew 25.
We will continue to have plant starts available now thru October at our store-front and at the T or C, Farmer’s Market.
Fundraising Corner Thank You!
Without your support, none of what we are doing would be possible. A healthy county begins with healthy children. We are now in the final phase of erecting the sustainable greenhouse at 1705 Corzine St (off Morgan) in T or C. We are working with Hot Springs High School students to build raised beds for a garden to cafeteria program. Please make a tax-deductible donation to support our efforts. If you have any questions, please call us at 575-223-0989. Thank you, David Dawdy, Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
People Growing Together is an activity of the Sophia Unity Foundation. Please make your checks payable to So-phia Unity Foundation Federal E.I.N. 47-1998289.
We’re getting excited! A Thank you to our local supporters, we have raised over $25,000!
Around Labor Day 2020 People Growing Together began as an inspiration by a small group to lead the way for T or C and Sierra County to become a healthy model for small rural communities across America. This is year two of a five-year plan. Our first greenhouse location is at 1705 Corzine Street off of Morgan St. in T or C.
The cornerstone for PGT is to build a half-dozen earth battery sustainable greenhouses spread around T or C that will employ Hot Springs High School earth science students who are learning about greenhouse growing in their new greenhouse.
Our Youth Growing Together program is spearheading a Gar-den to Cafeteria program at Hot Springs High School utilizing their new greenhouse and building 12 raised-bed garden plots.
Like all non-profits, we need seed money to support our overhead and building program. Currently, we need $8,000 to complete the purchase of the unique materials for the greenhouse build. We have raised over $25,000 locally and applied for a $25,000 grant as part of last month’s fundraising appeal. We hope you will open your checkbooks again to finish the build.
David Amin Dawdy