Walipini: A Place of Warmth
Here is a dead simple method for growing your own food, especially in places with short growing seasons. When the weather heads towards freezing a Walipini could create a space 50 ºF and above. How? Utilizing the baseline temperature of the earth and collecting solar energy . These underground greenhouses are dug 6 to 8 feet into the earth. Glazing is placed perpendicular to the winter solstice sun for maximum winter growing goodness.
The word “Walipini” comes from the Aymara Indian language and means “place of warmth”. They’ve been able to grow bananas at 14,000 feet elevation in the Andes.