BILL WARREN'S "GIZA GREENHOUSE"
(Page 2 of 2)
September/October 1977
By Alden Stahr
Over the winter, Bill grows tomatoes, melons, herbs, sunflowers, and a few other items in his pyramid. He also starts garden plants for resale (and for his own garden) throughout late winter and early spring. (Warren starts his plants in pots on slatted shelves, then moves them to the greenhouse's earth floor.) Chemical plant foods are never used . . . Instead, Bill prefers to grow seedlings in soil fortified with composted manure. So far, insects haven't been a problem .: . nor have unpleasant odors.
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One surprising bit of information surfaced not long ago when Bill performed an experiment .in the greenhouse . . . an experiment in which six different kinds of seeds (sunflower, garbanzo, lima bean, corn, pea, and squash) were grown in trays at 12 heights from floor to apex. Plant: performance ranged from good at the very lowest level of the pyramid to poor at a height of 3' and very poor at 5' and 6' above ground. Thenunexpected. ly--performance went from poor at the 7' level to good at 8' and 9' and excellent at 10', 11', and 12'. So far, no one has been able to explain these results.
Even harder to explain is the pyramid's effect on its human occupants. Says Bill: "I personally had severe headaches such as I never had before when I began working in the greenhouse, and I was not able to get rid of them for a long time. Gail, on the other hand, noticed that every time she went !n there she felt very relaxed. I didn't notice this effect until I started to build the loft.
"Also, our nephew pointed out to us that he had vivid dreams when he slept in the pyramid ... and soon thereafter, we had them too! After we'd been sleeping there awhile, though, we became accustomed to it, and these unusual effects stopped."
And then there are the worms. "We've noticed that on nights when there's a light rain or drizzle, worms will crawl up the sides of the structure. Dozens of 'em crawl up, covering the whole thing. Then -in the morning, when it gets light-they start back down again."
What effect has the Giza Greenhouse had on neighbors and friends? According to Bill, the Plexiglas pyramid !s "notorious" ...local people don't quite under- stand it. In fa, they think it's downright peculiar.
That doesn't bother Bill Warren, though, as long as the natives keep coming to buy plants (which they do) . . . and as long as they're happy with the seedlings they buy (which-apparently-they are).
The pyramid greenhouse: For Bill Warren, it's the only kind worth having!
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