It’s the middle of February, about 7:00pm and it is only in the teens. You walk down the path towards the Healthy Home Harvest MOTHER SHIP greenhouse. You see several conventional looking hoop greenhouses appear out of the darkness. Then you see another structure appear. Is it the saltbox home of James and his father? And something is wrong – you can’t quite put your finger on it but it is there. Then it hits you – the silence! How can you be in the midst of several greenhouses, in February, in the evening, in the cold and have it silent? Where is the sound of the roaring Modine heaters belching out btu’s on this cold February night? Has there been a power failure and Healthy Home Harvest is looking at a massive crop loss? Then you open the door to the MOTHER SHIP and step inside another world. There is a small woodstove in the corner just to keep the seedling transplanters cozy but no other heaters! And there, virtually filling the greenhouse, are beautiful, green, happy looking plants! Welcome to the world of SOLARGANIC growing!
Back in the 60’s and 70’s, driven by both global consciousness and the “first” oil crisis, there was a flurry of development in the fields of solar design and engineering, energy efficiency and “earth friendly” growing techniques. Universities had courses in all these areas and actually did such cutting edge things as build experimental houses and design high efficiency greenhouses. But then oil got cheap again! The solar panels at the White House were taken down and the accumulated information from all the research was stuck back in the drawers of history.
When David and James decided to form Healthy Home Harvest LLC they made the commitment to resurrect as much of this forgotten data as possible and incorporate it into their business model. Months of pouring over this lost data and marrying it to more recent developments in construction techniques and solar engineering resulted in the plans for the MOTHER SHIP. Every angle, every height to width ratio, every volume to surface area ratio, every material choice was precisely calculated and evaluated. The goal in the MOTHER SHIP is to capture and store as much of the sun’s incoming energy (heat!) as possible when the sun is out. Then, release that stored energy (heat!) back into the plant growing environment at the right rate and time when the sun is not shining. That energy is stored in a combination of mediums including water and masonry – each of which has a different specific heat rating thus a different capture and release characteristic. The design and function have allowed us to grow all year round without ANY petroleum or bio-fuel input.
Walking out of the MOTHER SHIP into one of the “conventional” hoop houses is another truly unique experience. These houses have also been “SOLARIZED” by David and James to provide close to fuel free operation. Internal systems of thermal mass storage combined with insulated chambers allows these houses to also operate all year without the btu belching behemoth gas or oil furnace hung on the end wall.
The design process for the MOTHER SHIP was complex. The building process was the proverbial nightmare since we ended up building straight through the frigid and snowy winter of 2008. But the result is VERY satisfying both from the standpoint of commercial operation and philosophical commitment. What does it mean for you the customer? First, by us committing to take the fuel cost component out of the picture we can sell to you for less! Second, we grow organically, use no fossil or bio-fuels, have a VERY low carbon foot print and offer you the freshest foods and plants available. You can ACT on your philosophical commitment to the environment, to supporting your LOCAL business community and to providing fresh, healthy choices for your family.
The MOTHER SHIP, the core of our operation, is more than a greenhouse. It is the physical expression of our deep commitment to clean, earth friendly, responsible growing techniques. It is the expression of our commitment to providing YOU with the highest quality product at the lowest price possible. It is our commitment to those who will follow us and inherit either our excesses or sense of responsibility.
Welcome to the clean, quiet, responsible, verdant MOTHER SHIP. Welcome to Healthy Home Harvest LLC.
Contact us for information on touring the MOTHER SHIP.
