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Tour Minnesota’s First Farm-Scale Deep Winter Greenhouse

22:25 PM, May 28 2025

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) and Owl Bluff Farm will co-host an open house from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, June 21 to celebrate the completion of the state’s first farm-scale deep winter greenhouse.

Media and photographers are invited to the event, including opening remarks (1 p.m.), a ribbon cutting and announcements (1:30 p.m.), a winter crop production demonstration (2:30 p.m.), and tours of the farm-scale deep winter greenhouse and a question-and-answer period to follow.

The event, held on the farm about 45 minutes east of Rochester, is free and open to the public. RSVPs are required at z.umn.edu/OwlBluffOpenHouse.

This project, supported by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, brings together small- and medium-scale fruit and vegetable growers with University of Minnesota researchers from Extension, the College of Design and CFANS (College of Food Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences) to develop the next generation of innovative, sustainable winter food production technology. Other farms selected through a competitive process include:

Tintah Beach Farm in Thief River Falls, Minnesota

Chelsea Morning Farm in Two Harbors, Minnesota

New Story Farm in Hutchinson, Minnesota

The Owl Bluff Farm’s greenhouse was designed by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Sustainable Building Research at the College of Design. This greenhouse is heavily insulated and designed with a steeply sloped south-facing glazing wall to capture solar heat in the daytime.

This heat is drawn underground and stored in soil for use at night. This structure is optimized for growing cold-hardy crops throughout the winter such as brassicas, Asian greens and lettuces, though some growers may experiment with more exotic crops such as ginger, turmeric and tropical perennial fruits.

“The new farm-scale deep winter greenhouse builds on previous versions, but reduces construction costs by utilizing a simpler underground thermal mass system to store heat,” said Greg Schweser, RSDP statewide director for sustainable agriculture and food systems. “The new greenhouse is also scaled more appropriately for farmers who grow crops for sale at local markets. With low-energy input winter food production, growers will increase their revenues and Minnesotans will have year-round access to fresh, locally grown, healthy foods.”

Support for the RSDP’s Farm-Scale Deep Winter Greenhouse Initiative has been provided by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Tech Transfer (AGREETT) program.

For more information on deep winter greenhouses and to download the farm-scale deep winter greenhouse construction documents, visit z.umn.edu/deepwintergreenhouse. For more news from U of M Extension, visit extension.umn.edu/news. To set up interviews, reach out to Sarah Jackson, News Media Manager, University of Minnesota Extension, sjacks@umn.edu, or 612-875-7814.