The solar greenhouse, a green machine of hydroponic food production, has finally yielded a tasty first harvest

The greenhouse is a prototype, and this first season of growing was a learning experience

The Solar Greenhouse was the final thesis project of the MAEBB class of 2020-2021. After a long fall growing season, MAEBB 21’ alumni Philipp Wienkämper finally harvested the inaugural crop of lettuce, escarola and aubergine. After finishing construction in early September of 2021, the hydroponic trays were filled with sawdust harvested from the Valldaura Labs carpentry. This served as a natural and locally sourced planting medium for the Eggplants, Peppers, Broccoli, Escarola, Lettuce and Romanesco that were planted in the late fall. Since then, they have been receiving liquid compost nutrients and water via a pump and tubing system that recycles its own waste, and additional UV light at night thanks to a carefully calibrated light system.

Organic food grown with the help of digitally controlled metabolic systems

In addition to producing delicious vegetables to eat, the greenhouse provides a controlled environment to study and iterate on the process of intensive indoor agriculture. The first crop appears to be a success, however some plants clearly performed better than others, and tray location also visibly impacted the growth rates of the crops. This information will be used to plan the next cycle of crops to be planted in March. This year’s MAEBB  students will germinate seedlings in the lower level of the Solar Greenhouse this week as part of the AgroEcology gardening course. After carefully selecting which crops to use in the rotation of beds, a selection of species will be planted to ensure that when spring begins the seedlings will be ready to grow outdoors. 

The greenhouse is an engine for re-connecting to the food supply

As modern day living requires the reinterpretation of our collective societal needs, food production and its processing have become a main focus for self-sufficiency. For years, Valldaura Labs has been involved in revitalizing the agricultural potential of the historic mountain valley it is located within, combining tacit knowledge with advanced tools and agrology techniques. The Solar Greenhouse represents the next bold step towards transforming the lessons of this local condition into a more ecologically focused agricultural solution for the wider urban context. 

Collecting seeds and storing genetic material for future harvests

Thanks to the Solar Greenhouse, Valldaura Labs now has the chance to cultivate a sophisticated library of local genetic information in the form of seed collection and seedling incubation. By propagating a successive generation of crops in the garden rotation, we can begin to see how our soil and the seeds we plant are interacting in a dynamic way and begin