I'm Jealous! I want one......

[Paul Wagland]

I can't imagine the produce will taste great, or be as nutritious as home-grown veg.

That said, the developers seem to have some good intentions - combined heat & power, biological pest control, they even funded an archaeological survey. Food security is a big issue for us in the UK - I can't remember the figures but I think we're a long way short of being self sufficient.

BTW - I think all seven greenhouses will increase UK salad production by 15%. That's not quite as awesome as each one producing 15% of the salad we eat!

[BrideXIII]

These greenhouses don't reduce the carbon footprint of the produce . The energy required to heat and light them is way more than what it takes to bring a load of tomatoes from Spain that have been grown outside.

a point made, i would however point out that there are other concerns too, as in buying British? British Jobs etc?

each country should, if they can support themselves food wise, and export to those countries which cannot produce enough.

we are well able to feed ourselves, we do not need to be importing salad stuffs.......or a lot of other things.

[Paul Wagland]

These greenhouses don't reduce the carbon footprint of the produce . The energy required to heat and light them is way more than what it takes to bring a load of tomatoes from Spain that have been grown outside.

I thought the same until I read the bit about CHP. Basically they have their own mini power stations, which burn gas to create electricity (much cleaner than burning petrol during transport). Heat from the burning gas, essentially a by-product of the power generation, is pumped around the greenhouses. As is some of the CO2, which the plants use.

[jacob marley]

Just a thought how much would 6 inche's of snow weigh on top of that monster....it might collapse..jacob

[BrideXIII]

Just a thought how much would 6 inche's of snow weigh on top of that monster....it might collapse..jacob

or act as super-insulation

[sharonr]

They have there own bee-hives inside for pollenation.

[beefy]

as in buying British? British Jobs etc?

It's on British soil -owned buy the dutch , staffed by eastern europeans .Owners and staff will take all the money(profit) out of the country .How does that help the british economy?

I thought the same until I read the bit about CHP. Basically they have their own mini power stations, which burn gas to create electricity (much cleaner than burning petrol during transport). Heat from the burning gas, essentially a by-product of the power generation, is pumped around the greenhouses. As is some of the CO2, which the plants use.

Would this be the gas that Russia has turned off ?More exploitation by non nationals with no benifit to the country.

[BrideXIII]

It's on British soil -owned buy the dutch , staffed by eastern europeans .Owners and staff will take all the money(profit) out of the country .How does that help the british economy?


Would this be the gas that Russia has turned off ?More exploitation by non nationals with no benifit to the country.

Partnership is not ownership, 550 local jobs does not an army of eastern europeans make, and as for russian gas? we don't get our gas from russia, in fact we only import 2% from europe, and the part of europe we get that from has not had their supply cut off.

it's fine to worry about these things, but a little perspective please.

[Mcbee]

It's on British soil -owned buy the dutch , staffed by eastern europeans .Owners and staff will take all the money(profit) out of the country .How does that help the british economy?


Would this be the gas that Russia has turned off ?More exploitation by non nationals with no benifit to the country.

Bad day Beefy - or axe to grind?

[beefy]

Bad day Beefy - or axe to grind?

Neither - I say it how I see it.
Its well docuemented that the fruit growers in Southern England can't get labour to pick their crops so have to bring in the europeans - it's been going on for years .So it's highly unlikely that the native population of Kent will be working in the glasshouses is it?
And I've been in most of the fruit and veg warehouses from Tilbury ,Sheerness, Faversham to Canterbury and even 5 years ago you were hard pushed to find anyone whose first language was English.
Cheap food = cheap labour = eastern europeans.
Thats not a racist statment - thats the way it is,anywhere that there is mass production of food the less likely you are to find someone who speaks English .

[BrideXIII]

Neither - I say it how I see it.
Its well docuemented that the fruit growers in Southern England can't get labour to pick their crops so have to bring in the europeans - it's been going on for years .So it's highly unlikely that the native population of Kent will be working in the glasshouses is it?
And I've been in most of the fruit and veg warehouses from Tilbury ,Sheerness, Faversham to Canterbury and even 5 years ago you were hard pushed to find anyone whose first language was English.
Cheap food = cheap labour = eastern europeans.
Thats not a racist statment - thats the way it is,anywhere that there is mass production of food the less likely you are to find someone who speaks English .

well the garden of england has always employed 'immigrants' , for centuries not years in my great grandfathers day they came down from londons east end

maybe all those unemployed , under qualified , jobseekers, should be a little less precious about the work they will accept, and the employers start paying above minimum wage?

[kirsty b]

Did anyone watch that Jimmy Doherty thing on a while back when he was looking into intensive and organic methods of farming?

I remember one episode when he visited a huge ugly power station, but instead of sending the CO2 it created into the atmosphere it was piped into huge greenhouses next door where tomatoes were grown. The heat of the pipes heated the glasshouse, the Co2 was converted via photosynthesis into Oxygen and the toms were really red and nice looking, and according to Jim, tasted good too.
Harvested, pruned and cared for by hand, used biological controls for pests and I think they had bees too for pollination. Was a one-man show though I think, not owned by a huge company.
Gonna have to google it now and see if I can find a link. Just hope I didn't dream it!!

[Nicos]

Did you see the height/size of those tomato plants they were tending????

* note to self.....check up on when you should start planting tomato seeds*

[Digger Don]

Originally posted (inefficiently) as Efficient Greenhouse Heating in "Undercover Operations"
Most may have missed it so with apologies I'm putting it in here hoping to get an answer to the "Wick" greenhouse project.

Just heard , on Radio4, about an enormous green/glass house built in Kent. It reminded me that I believe I read, some time long ago, about an experimental greenhouse up in somewhere like Wick. It was built very tall such that the rising heat effectively caused different temperature climates throughout the hight of the building thereby being very " green" in its use of energy, even growing tropical fruits that far north.
Does anyone know if it is still there ?
On the subject of heating greenhouses how do the contributors to the "early tomato" thread afford to plant and grow tomatoes at this time of year?
Even being much later I reckoned that my toms must have cost several pounds each last year by the time energy was taken into account

[Paul Wagland]

Its well docuemented that the fruit growers in Southern England can't get labour to pick their crops so have to bring in the europeans - it's been going on for years .So it's highly unlikely that the native population of Kent will be working in the glasshouses is it?

The farmers can get British labour, they just don't want to pay British wages. And who can blame them in a competitive market?

But your implication Beefy seems to be that a foreign workforce is a drain on the economy - and this clearly isn't the case. Immigrant workers pay rent, buy food, pay tax and generally contribute to their adopted economy. In my experience (living near Tiptree, where immigrant labour picks fruit for all that lovely jam), they are polite, friendly and in much better physical shape than their UK counterparts (ie less of a drain on the NHS). Some of their wages get sent home, sure, but plenty of British companies operate overseas and bring the profits home. What's the difference?