- Sometimes when people get the backhoe there to dig out the space for an Earthship, they just keep going and add a space for underground gardens. These can be roofed over with translucent material, just as a greenhouse is. Just as in the Earthship, the temperatures in this underground garden remain cool in summer, warm in winter, and provide a beautiful "front yard" for those living in the home.
But with a south-facing Earthship, it's possible to build the greenhouse right under the windows, using planter boxes. That's what Jan and Scott Derrick have done. The Derricks live in an Earthship on 400 acres near Grant, New Mexico. They have lived there for one and one-half years, and utilize three large planters in it. Jan Derrick spoke to us about the special type of gardening in their new home, which may be viewed at tnstaafl.net/Earthship/body_earthship.html.
Julia: What is it like to live in an underground garden?
Jan: It's really nice. There is this feeling of the earth all around you, a feeling of being deep in the earth, but also the plants are there, and all this light. There are almost no harsh angles in an Earthship, and everything is curved and smooth. We like it a lot. There's a real feeling of balance in this type of house.
For growing things, we have three large planters in the house. There is a very long, south-facing window that is eight feet high and sixty feet long. This provides the heat and light for the plants and the house. It's very warm inside. For example, today it's 45 degrees outside and 75 degrees indoors. And all of the plants thrive regardless of the temperature, because you can't actually even tell what the outside temperature is from in here. It can reach fifteen below zero outside, and sometimes it does, but inside there are plants growing and it's warm, regardless of what's happening outdoors.
Julia: Could you talk about your planters and what you grow?
Jan: We have a big planter in the kitchen, seven by fifteen feet, that's watered from the kitchen sink. Our tomatoes and strawberries are in the kitchen. And there are two planters in the bathroom, with a banana tree and gardenias.
We grow flowers, too — marigolds and poppies. We wanted a mix of flowers and vegetables.
Julia: Do you have a special type of soil and fertilizer that you use?
Jan: Special soil, no, not really. It's just commercial topsoil. But we do put two inches of lava rock in the bottom, covered with sand.
Part of what feeds the plants is nutrients in the graywater that we use to water them. The graywater comes from the shower, sink, and clothes washer, and the sand and lava rock at the bottom of the planters cleanse it, giving the effect of a slow-moving stream.
Overflow from the inside planters runs into our outside planters. But we have too much water coming from the washer, so right now that overflow runs into a ditch where there are trees. But we are going to add more outdoor planters to use this overflow.
Julia: Are you happy with your graywater recycling system?
Jan: Pretty much, but we're still having some problems with graywater from the kitchen sink. You have to be very careful not to put anything down the sink like drain cleaners. You can't use any harsh chemicals, but also grease from the sink is something you don't want on your plants. But now we are in the process of installing a different system for the sink, with a particle-grease filter that will trap grease as it floats through.
Julia: It seems pretty amazing that you are actually growing a banana plant in a place where the temperatures go to fifteen below zero.
Jan: It is! Scott did some research on it, and found out that they grow really well in Earthships — so well that they can grow 30 or 40 feet. So we bought a dwarf version — a Super Dwarf Cavendish. They are supposed to reach only two and a half feet — but ours is already three feet, and a friend of ours in an Earthship has one that is already six feet high.
Some of the plants we grow from seeds, some we buy from a local nursery. And what's interesting with the graywater system is that for the most part we don't need fertilizer. Sometimes we do fertilize the heavy feeders, like the tomatoes, but not often. The graywater and the good topsoil seem to provide what the plants need.
Julia: Did you have any preconceptions about gardening in an Earthship that have been replaced by experience? Any insights you would like to share?
Jan: Bugs! I didn't think bugs would be a problem, and they're not bad if you watch them. They can be controlled with organic sprays. But once they get started, they can be a problem. You have to be vigilant.
We had aphid and whitefly infestations once — possibly from plants that we brought in from outside. We ended up having to destroy the plants. It was the only way to solve the problem without using harmful pesticides, and we wanted to keep balance in the house.
So we'll probably use seeds in the future. If we grow our own plants from seeds, we won't have the pest problem. Companion planting with marigolds and other flowers helps, too.
Julia: How much of your family's food are you growing this way?
Jan: Most of it. We love having organic tomatoes in December! This is really one of the best parts of living in an Earthship, having your own fresh organic vegetables throughout the winter. The nearest organic market is eighty miles away, in Albuquerque. And the vegetables come all the way from California. They're not all that good. Having our own organic food is great!
Of course, sometimes we do run out. In that case, there's always Wal-Mart!
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