Last winter (2007) my power bills were really high trying to keep the lounge warm enough for Tulasi (Indian Holy Basil) to grow. She barely made it through the winter, and only with the help of a 2400W heater and a 400W grow-lamp.

Winter 2008 is rapidly approaching and I’m endeavoring to make a better arrangement for her. My aims are (1) create a smaller, less draughty space - easier to heat (2) more sun-facing windows - to make the most of whatever sun is available and (3) high thermal mass - stores heat during the day and releases it at night.

So far I’ve acquired a big pile of bricks and blocks and started digging the foundations. Here’s the pile of bricks:

And the foundations dug out:

And a picture of Tulasi herself: (Taken at Otaki in Dec 2007)