The Chinese Greenhouse - (Mother Earth News Wiser Living) by Dan Chiras (Paperback)

About the Book

The Chinese Greenhouse is the only complete guide to designing, building, and operating high-performance, earth-sheltered, solar-heated, intelligently glazed, and insulated passive greenhouses, allowing you to grow a variety of vegetables year-round--even in cold climates--in soil or aquaponics grow beds.

Book Synopsis

Grow Fresh Vegetables Year-Round Using Only the Sun

Produce abundant fruits and vegetables through fall, winter, and early spring without paying for heat. Chinese solar greenhouses--earth-sheltered, east-west oriented, well-insulated, and intelligently glazed--allow you to grow warm-weather crops in cold climates using passive solar energy alone.

What You'll Gain and Learn

• Design and Build your Greenhouse: Step-by-step guidance for creating a self-sufficient, solar-powered structure.


• Maximize Heat Efficiency: Techniques to store solar energy and keep crops warm on cold nights.


• Extend your Growing Season: Grow tomatoes, peppers, and other warm-weather vegetables, even in freezing temperatures.


• Summer Cooling Solutions: Maintain optimal growing conditions without losing energy.


• Flexible Growing Methods: Harvest year-round using soil beds or aquaponic systems.

Written by Dan Chiras, PhD, author of 38 books on solar energy, sustainability, and self-sufficiency, this guide blends practical instruction with proven strategies. His methods have been featured in Mother Earth News, Solar Today, and Home Power, and he has taught workshops for the American Solar Energy Society and University of Colorado.

Transform your backyard into a productive, solar-powered garden and enjoy fresh produce year-round. With clear illustrations, actionable tips, and step-by-step guidance, building and operating your own Chinese greenhouse has never been easier.

From the Back Cover

Grow vegetables year-round in a greenhouse powered only by solar energy

"Wonderfully researched. I thank Dan Chiras for having gifted us such brilliant work. "
-- Jean-Martin Fortier, farmer, author, The Market Gardener, editor, Growers Magazine

"Thankfully, Dan Chiras has written a prescription for survival in this gorgeously illustrated and accessible guide to the future of farming".
-- Albert Bates, author, The Biochar Solution

ORIGINALLY DEVELOPED in China to feed millions, Chinese greenhouses are earth-sheltered, solar-heated, east-west oriented, intelligently-glazed, and well-insulated. They have proven highly-effective in growing warm-weather vegetables and fruits like green peppers and tomatoes in cold climates through fall, winter, and early spring using passive solar energy as the sole heat source.

The Chinese Greenhouse is a full-color, comprehensive guide to these passive solar greenhouses for self-sufficiency and year-round growing in soil or aquaponic grow beds.
Coverage includes:

• How to design and build a Chinese greenhouse
• Improving performance via short-term and long-term heat banking
• Additional heating options to make your greenhouse operate even more effectively
• Cooling your greenhouse during the summer
• Operating and optimizing your Chinese greenhouse for maximum productivity.

Become a more self-sufficient gardener, growing and harvesting a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables year-round, with your own Chinese greenhouse.

"Essential reading for pioneers of Chinese greenhouses."
-- Pam Dawling, author, The Year-Round Hoophouse and Sustainable Market Farming

"If you are looking to increase your antifragility by building a truly passive solar greenhouse you will get a ton of value from this book."
-- Rob Avis, P. Eng, co-author, Essential Rainwater Harvesting

DAN CHIRAS, Ph.D, is the author of numerous books on renewable energy, including Power from the Sun and The Homeowner's Guide to Renewable Energy. He has been growing in green- houses for nearly two decades and in his own passive solar Chinese greenhouse since 2017. Dan lives in Gerald, MO.

About the Author

Dan Chiras, PhD, is the author of 38 books, including Solar Electricity Basics, Power from the Wind, Power from the Sun, and The Homeowners Guide to Renewable Energy. He has taught workshops on solar electricity and passive solar heating for the Evergreen Institute, the American Solar Energy Society, the Colorado Renewable Energy Society, the Missouri Solar Energy Industries Association, and the University of Colorado. Over the past 45 years, Dan has published articles on natural building, green building, solar electricity, passive solar design, self-sufficiency, and sustainability in publications such as Solar Today, Home Power, and Mother Earth News. He has installed numerous solar electric and wind systems in Missouri and has lived on solar electricity since 1996. He lives on a solar- and wind-powered farm in Gerald, MO.