Cody Innovative Greenhouse is Breaking Ground

Cody residents Karl and Lynn Lampe have designed their own geothermal greenhouse with Alpine Botanica owner Michael Poulsen. The greenhouse will use the earth’s internal thermostat to allow them to grow tropical fruits year-round in Wyoming. The couple believe their greenhouse features a revolutionary design. A geothermal greenhouse is a partially subterranean structure that relies on the natural heat of the earth to heat and cool what’s growing inside. Geothermal energy that radiates from the ground cools the greenhouse in the summer and keeps it warm in the winter. Although the top layer of soil freezes up during Wyoming winters, the ground temperature 10-12 feet below the surface is typically closer to around 50 degrees.

At that depth, Lampe’s greenhouse will have energy transfer tubes placed to allow warmer air to rise into the greenhouse.

Writer: Leo Wolfson for Cowboy State Daily, October 29, 2023