Fruit Walls: Urban Farming in the 1600s

From the 16th to the 20th century, urban farmers grew Mediterranean fruits and vegetables as far north as England and the Netherlands, using only renewable energy. These crops were grown surrounded by massive "fruit walls", which stored the heat from the sun and released it at night, creating a microclimate that could increase the temperature by more than 10°C (18°F). It was only at the very end of the nineteenth century that the greenhouse turned into an artificially heated building.
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