Nebraska retiree uses earths's heat to grow oranges in snow

Kirsten Dirksen
Kirsten Dirksen
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Published 2018-05-27
Winter temperatures in Alliance, Nebraska can drop to 20°F (the record low is -40°F/C), but retired mailman Russ Finch grows oranges in his backyard greenhouse without paying for heat. Instead, he draws on the earth's stable temperature (around 52 degrees in his region) to grow warm weather and produce citrus, figs, and pomegranates - in the snow.

Finch first discovered geothermal heating in 1979 when he and his wife built it into their 4400-square-foot dream home to cut energy costs. Eighteen years later, they decided to add a 16'x80' greenhouse in the backyard. The greenhouse resembles a pit greenhouse (walipini) in that the floor is dug down 4 feet below the surface, and the roof is slanted to catch the southern sun.

Finch relies on the warm underground air fed into the greenhouse via plastic tubing under the yard and one fan to avoid using heaters for the cold Nebraska winter nights.

Finch sells a "Citrus in the Snow" report detailing his work with his "geo-air" greenhouses and says anyone can build a market-producing greenhouse for about $25,000 or "less than the cost of a heating system on a traditional greenhouse."

greenhouseinthesnow.com/

Original story on *faircompanies: faircompanies.com/videos/nebraska-retiree-uses-ear…
All Comments (21)
  • @greenhouseinsnow
    Russ Finch: Thank you Kirsten for the great video it raised so many questions I thought I needed to answer some. Pollination: There area lot of misconnects about pollination while most plants can benefit not many require pollination to produce. While citrus might benefit they set so much fruit that they abort until they can support what remains. The only plant we need to hand pollinate is the pomegranate. Bees: If there are bees in the area they will find their way into the unit through the open ventilation windows. Co2: Is overblown there seems to be no shortage in our system we have trouble keeping growth under control. Latitude: We have learned so much about latitude with this project mostly it isn't reliable for gaging heat and cold. The important thing is local climates. South of Oslo Norway is around 57° latitude where we are 42° but their winter average is 10° warmer than ours. The ocean and lake effects influence also. 52°: Lots of confusion about the temperature of the earth in relation to the greenhouse temp. The blower for the earth geo only turns on at 50° or below until then the warmth from the pit radiates heat and during the day in the middle of a February day, outside temp. 20° if the sun is out the temp at 6' will be around 80° and the peak of the unit will get to over 124°. Radon: WE have never heard of radon problems probably because the solution for radon is ventilation and that is our whole system. Break even point; We have 41 units all over the U.S. and Canada now and the oldest units growing commercially are less than 3 years old so we have little information. The typical 96' greenhouse for local growing will cost about $24,000 if you have access to a backhoe and can do the labor. That size unit can support around 18 citrus trees that will take up 20% of the growing area. The citrus will produce fruit from the first year and be what we would call mature ( about 100# per tree) in from 6 to 12 years. The rest of the growing area can be used for any crop and should produce income to pay for the unit before the citrus is mature. Grants: We have shied away from outside money after being approved for a $70,000 grant from the University of Nebraska only to have them decide to "not release the funds" after we had started to build. At that time we scaled back on the size and financed it our self. Insects; Very little problem with insects after the first 3 years when we stopped using toxic chemicals and started using Horticulture oil (ultra refined mineral oil) it is safe and effective we just tree the problem area not the entire unit. Agriculture needs to grow this way; This type growing can produce some of our table vegetables and fruit but there is no way we can produce enough to replace conventional farming. We have skeptics that say this won't work when I'm told that I pick an orange and try to figure where I went wrong while I eat it.
  • @SuperBlobsterMan
    This guy is one of the oldtimers you will meet in your life that you wish it was possible to give them a young body again. Simply because they are that important to humanity
  • @carlyw60
    He's more than a Retiree...he's now 89 years old, still going strong, and a walking encyclopedia on growing food no matter how cold your climate. What an amazing human being!
  • @reebertJunkman
    favorite line... " We have skeptics that say this won't work when I'm told that I pick an orange and try to figure where I went wrong while I eat it." that is the best response to people that are nay Sayers...
  • @cybco
    "I was a straight D student, my favorite class was physics", this guy is not only a genius but has a great sense of humor. What an All Star.
  • @1111atreides
    This reminds me of how proud I was when I visited my older aunt in Arkansas explaining to her that I was a "prepper". I explained what it meant and what I did. She just giggled and said, "Why darlin', that's just livin' country."
  • @ritamariekelley4077
    Your retirement was your most productive period of your life! Beautiful to see. Our educational system is designed to miss brilliant minds like Russ'. Here's to D students!
  • @hailey_holmez
    I live in Nebraska! And we get a lot of produce from him at our local Co-Op, I’m actually growing a mango tree from one of his fruits!
  • @AlexMW-1
    He's broken everything down to brilliantly simple methods and even knows his numbers down to the basic dollars and logic behind them. He makes a hell of a lot of sense
  • @ninjamom1602
    I came back to say THANK YOU! Because of THIS VIDEO - I am now growing a massive list of produce in SOUTH DAKOTA🩶🥶❄️ In my basement - it has a 103 year old well that acts as a geothermal heat source. Our high today was -1°F, my basement never drops below 50°F. I am running LEDs from the solar on my RV. FREE FOOD!💚🙌🙌🙌 You changed my life!
  • @urbancitrus6869
    85 and still building. Never stop working on passion projects!
  • @nanophobia1941
    I always say old people are cool, they are so full of knowledge but very few people ever listen to them. I am very impressed. Writing from Utah.
  • @plantabundance
    Re-watching in 2020. An amazing example of what can be accomplished in colder climates. Thank you for sharing this. Cheers!
  • @TattiePeeler
    Thank you for not having music in your clips. Your videos are so, 'zen'. They definitely put the viewer into a certain frame of mind, for the better. Thank you.
  • @BikesDrones
    What an inspiration, with his no nonsense, can do and share with others attitude to life. Hope he can continue another 25 years.
  • @gabrielschroll3824
    This is my all-time favorite Youtube video. It's more inspiring than anything I've ever seen. The only thing I'd like to see is a clear look at the inside of the greenhouse during a snowy winter day. Is it still lush and green inside? I would imagine so, since orange trees don't lose their leaves in winter. This would be an amazing form of therapy in the cold, winter days, if nothing else. While it's snowing and grey out, you could walk into a green, fragrant, beautiful tropical paradise and be recharged and energized. It's simply amazing. Thank you Russ. Thank you Kirsten.
  • @siddasgupta679
    Moral of the show: don’t discount old people, they still have much good to offer
  • @cawfeedawg
    See the magic that can happen when you remove big agribusiness? This guy is a national treasure.
  • @rinskegemen3678
    I wish all farmers in Nebraska and beyond would see, and get inspired by, this man's work. 💕