The Freeville Earthship: October 2014

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Summer Update

Solara loves to bounce now - 4 months old!

The indoor garden is much more lucrative than the outdoor.

The lemons are just starting to turn! (Pretty stoked about this.)

The greenhouse has turned into a huge project. I am scrambling to get the thing enclosed by sub-freezing temps.

The main holdup is acquiring bottles. I'll go through close to 3,000 by the end.

This year, I will only be overwintering a navel orange and a mandarin - my 2 cold-hardiest. If they survive I'll plant lemon and lime cultivars as well. Since there will be no additional heat source, I have no idea how this will work.

My favorite flower so far.

FAQs:

How many tires, cans, and bottles did you use?

We have estimated about 800 tires; 15,000 cans; and 3,000 glass bottles.
Did you have any issues with the town or your community?

Luckily, no! Our town was wonderful with this process. We really didn't face any roadblocks with our build, besides the state law of having this giant conventional septic system. Since most of the water is used and contained in the house the 330-gallon-a-day tank we had to install is overkill. Our neighbors and community members appear to like us and our earthship!

Why did you do this?

Because it's a neat concept, very rewarding, and just makes a lot of sense. It is self-sustaining and we want to feel safe and independent. We are young, don't have a family yet, have summers off both being teachers, and just decided to go for it!