Alternative energy? How much do you throw away?

[Willia...@aol.com]

Straw can be burned to produce heat, why not use straw to heat greenhouses to grow vegetables in winter? Another way of providing heat to grow vegetables in winter is a thick layer of manure mixed with straw and topped by soil (soil is what you call dirt in America I believe). The Victorians used rotting manure to heat cold-frames (low structures covered by glass) and, with a bit of help from the winter sun, successfully grew cucumbers, strawberries, root vegetables, anything that doesn't grow too high.

 

If you want more information I have some books on the subject somewhere.

 

Bill Snape.