The Big Horn Basin offers fertile ground for a variety of seasonal crops — from fields full of sugar beets to backyards brimming with tomatoes. But, asks Mike Poulsen, what about blood oranges and bananas?

Given the subzero winters, the idea of Wyomingites cultivating tropical fruits might sound far-fetched, but it’s not just a thought experiment.

Poulsen and his company, Alpine Botanica, specialize in designing and building geothermal greenhouses that use the stable temperatures found just below the earth’s surface for heating and cooling. He said the approach has allowed growers far north of the tropics to cultivate everything from avocados to passion fruit — including a large installation just outside Cody where lemons, limes and grapefruits steadily grow through Wyoming’s subzero winters.

“It’s something that’s completely fun and different,” Poulsen said, “to where we’re not just relegated to growing the stereotypical carrots, tomatoes and whatnot.”

Not all of his projects are as ambitious. He can help with any kind of greenhouse projects — whether a grower is looking for a commercial-scale geothermal installation, a basic season-extending greenhouse for a hobbyist or something in between.

“We want to be able to fit people’s budgets, make them cost-effective and allow them to reach their goals and their dreams,” Poulsen said.

Pursuing his passion

Poulsen bounced between a half-dozen majors in college, but the only one that really captured his interest was environmental science. It was while participating in a farm-to-table program at Utah Valley University he became engrossed in geothermal technology and greenhouses.

He didn’t immediately pursue his passion, however. After college, he worked a variety of construction jobs, along with stint in software and sales and as an EMT. He also assisted his father, the contemporary Western artist M. C. Poulsen, in his efforts to reach and paint dozens of Yellowstone National Park’s backcountry waterfalls.

But Poulsen ultimately was drawn back to greenhouses and, after a couple years of preparation, he started up Alpine Botanica. 

The company combines Poulsen’s construction expertise with his passion for green building, food security and community self-sufficiency. He started up a related nonprofit called ROOTs that works to create community gardens and compost initiatives and help spread the word about sustainable agriculture and recycling.

As part of his efforts, Poulsen also offers help with “edible estates,” figuring out how landowners can work more gardening into small in-town lots. Eventually he hopes to add a kind of garden-specific lawn care service, where a traveling team can take care of garden maintenance and offer expertise.

Part of his motivation is a concern that “serious” economic corrections are coming and a belief that growing your own food is one way to limit the impact of governmental or other external forces.

“I guess gardening and composting is my version of the revolution. A softer approach,” Poulsen laughed.

Geothermal savings

Part of that approach includes designing greenhouses to need as little energy as possible, potentially even working off the grid.

Compared to a typical HVAC set-up, Poulsen said geothermal systems can be as much as 70% more efficient.

“Geothermal’s amazing,” he said, “because it’s free, and it’s everywhere.”

Below the frost line, the earth’s ground temperature hangs around 50 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the year. Geothermal systems use that constant temperature to heat up a greenhouse in the winter and cool it in the summer (which can actually be the bigger challenge, Poulsen said).

“What’s cool is it’s not just one season, but [geothermal] makes it viable for the entire range that’s necessary for greenhouse production and food production,” he said.

The energy is typically transferred air-to-air or air-to-liquid, in which a watery liquid is sent down into the earth to be heated or cooled. The exact design depends on what the owners are looking to do and “adapting to what the site is giving us,” he said.

Between the dirt work and infrastructure, geothermal systems do require more of an upfront investment than a traditional greenhouse. However, Poulsen said the systems should pay for themselves in energy savings within two to 10 years, depending on the set-up.

Despite its size, a large greenhouse he built just east of Cody costs only 50 cents to $1 a day to operate. It survived a tough test last winter, when the mercury dropped to 30 below zero, as the inside temperature never fell below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Cody greenhouse features the most expensive design Poulsen has created to date, but it was intended to be something of a research and development project; one of his overarching aims is to find the most cost-effective ways to grow more high value produce locally.

Rather than relying on imports from Florida or South America, “I would love to see people growing their own citrus and bananas in Wyoming,” he said.

A growing business

Of course, Alpine Botanica customers don’t have to grow exotic tropical fruits. Flowers and heirloom tomatoes are among the most popular choices, he said.

Poulsen is also working on several simpler and cheaper designs that he intends for hobby gardeners who are just looking to extend their growing seasons.

The company typically builds in the summer months and hosts workshops in the winter. Poulsen said he has a stable crew of five people, plus other subs that put the group around 20. He draws on master gardeners and horticulturists for expertise and often looks for reputable contractors to help with jobs far from Cody, with Poulsen and his crew providing oversight.

In its first two years of operations, Alpine Botanica’s business has been brisk: Poulsen said his calendar’s already booked up for the next two years.

He’s done consultations on projects across the country — in New York, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nebraska and North and South Dakota. Even an outfit in Florida inquired, he said, wondering if a geothermal system could prove more effective than their fans and evaporative cooling.

Poulsen has also fielded calls from marijuana growers in Colorado, but he’s not interested.

“I’m sure the money is fantastic, but I’m not in this for money,” he said. “I want to be able to inspire communities to be more self-sufficient, to work together.”