Building a Passive Solar Cloche

$79.99

Imagine an extra four weeks of production from your garden at the beginning of each season, having a save place to grow your own seedlings, and the opportunity to grow greens throughout the entire year.

These are all unlocked with a passive solar cloche.

It’s an affordable alternative to a greenhouse that uses a minimal amount of space (making it optimal for urban gardeners), and predominantly local, sustainable materials. Constructing one is simple and physically doable by anyone (including women in their 60s like me!).

Passive solar cloches use sunlight and thermal storage to create an environment for plants to thrive in, all year round.

With a cloche, your seedlings will get off to a faster start in spring, and you can continue your garden production further into autumn.

The workshop will teach you all you need to know, as you watch Bob, a co-founder of Koanga, go through a step-by-step process for building one. To make it as simple and easy as possible for you to put into action, we’ve also included written instructions and design plans alongside the video footage.

Do you feel this course is perfect for a friend or a loved one? You can buy a gift card for this item!

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Who is this course for?

This course is particularly good for people who want to have an extended growing season. 

Once you’ve built this cloche you will be able to get your seedlings off to a very early start in spring, it will also extend your growing season in autumn. 

This course is also great for people who want to create a small scale seedling production business, or are currently running one and would like to extend their season. 

 This course is for people who want to grow micro greens in a cold climate or during the winter months in a temperate climate. 

This course is also for people who can’t afford a big green house. You can build this cloche for next to nothing. 

If you’re having trouble keeping your seedlings safe from young children, birds, slugs and snails, this course is for you! 

This cloche is useful for both country and urban gardeners. 

 

Episodes and Learning Outcomes

 

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Who’s this course for?

  • Gardeners wanting to maximize garden production by extending the growing season
  • Urban gardeners lacking the space for a traditional greenhouse
  • Gardeners wanting to grow their own seedlings in order to achieve higher nutrient density in their produce, and build reconnection.
  • Gardeners having trouble keeping their seedlings safe from birds, slugs, snails, (and children!)
  • Anyone wanting to grow microgreens in either a cool climate or during the winter months of a temperate climate
  • Gardeners lacking the resources to build or buy a greenhouse (you’ll be able to build this cloche for next to nothing)
  • Small-scale seedling production businesses

 

Here’s the lesson plan

Episode 1

  • Bob introduces the main features of this passive solar cloche and Kay connects these with their benefits

Episode 2 – Foundations Pt. 1

  • Understand the reasons behind our cloche’s dimensions
  • Learn the best position to place your cloche for sunlight
  • Learn how to use ground-durable posts to build sustainable foundations.
  • Learn how to ram the foundation poles into the soil for quality compaction that lasts indefinitely

Episode 3 – Foundations Pt. 2

  • Learn how to create the right level between your front and back rows of foundations
  • Learn how to make concrete foundations in the case that you don’t have access to ground-durable wood

 

Episode 4 – Putting things together Pt. 1

 

  • Learn how to create a double-skin plastic layer for insulating your frames
  • Watch Bob fix the frames to the foundation poles.
  • Learn how to make a rat skirt to prevent rats and mice from getting into the cloche’s interior

 

Episode 5 – Putting things together Pt. 2

 

  • Learn what a waterproof membrane will do for the cloche’s foundations
  • Learn about adding an extra soil layer for insulation and heat storage

 

Episode 6 – Earth building Pt. 1

 

  • Learn a simple earth-building technique for providing your cloche with an efficient insulation layer
  • Learn to use netting and staples to make a simple structure that supports the light earth infil (insulation layer)

 

Episode 7 – Earth building Pt. 2

  • Learn how to make an earth-based plaster and paint to give your cloche a finishing touch

 

You’re also invited to join our community

All online students are welcome to join our exclusive regenerative gardening group. It’s a place to share questions, enthusiasm, (mistakes!), and successes with like-minded students.

We’ll be standing by

If any questions pop up along your journey, we’re ready to answer in the Koanga Institute Facebook group.

And if you don’t like it

We’ll give you a 100% refund. No questions asked.

Buy it here for $79.99

 

To your family’s health,

Kay