Growing Domes
Most of us know how special it is to eat tasty fresh, organic food. The choice to eat in this way is causing many to shift their priorities to include local food as a quality of life choice. Even though our grandparents knew how to garden, most modern people are re-learning the basics. Growing Spaces has talked the walk of living this lifestyle for many decades. Having grown up in the rationing years after World War II in England, our founder Michael Udgar Parsons makes fresh tasty food his primary form of wealth and abundance. As a Rocky Mountain active outdoor guy, he had to find an affordable way to grow it all twelve months of the year, even in snows and harsh climates. Udgar lives the legacy of Buckminster Fuller s vision that we can do more with less and still have an abundant lifestyle at the same time. Here is his live offering in a simple E Book. I am privileged to have lived it with him. Puja Dhyan Parsons, CEO of Growing Spaces 1-800-753-9333 info@growingspaces.com www.geodesic-greenhouse-kits.com Growing Domes
A few words from Udgar Parsons, designer of the Growing Dome I will never forget the first time I went into a Growing Dome. It was late November in Aspen Colorado, and there was already 3 ft of snow on the ground and the nights were bitter cold. It was midday, but still below freezing outside. I opened the door and was instantly met with the rush of warm moist air, immediately fogging up my glasses. It was like going from Alaska to Florida in one step. When I asked what kind of heater they used, I was informed there isn t one. I was hooked; growing fruit, vegetables and flowers year-round in the Rocky Mountains with no heater: awesome. The normal design of a greenhouse was imported from Europe, more specifically the UK, which has a completely different climate to that of the USA. The winters are mild, the summer cool, there is a lot of cloud cover and little sunlight. When you bring that design to America it simply does not work. A traditional rectangular, glass greenhouse will cook your plants in the summer and freeze them solid in winter. I decided there and then I had to make the Growing Domes available to people at an affordable price. We tried and tested our design throughout the USA for the last 25 years and are proud and happy to say it really works. If you compare the Growing Dome to regular greenhouses, you will notice that most greenhouses are very similar to each other, but that the Growing Dome is totally unique. That s why we call it a Growing Dome, not a greenhouse. There is nothing available remotely like it; it s in a class of its own, and here s why:
Creates an enclosed indoor Garden Ecosystem Most greenhouses are simply enclosures for potting benches or shelves. The Growing Dome, however creates a whole different experience of gardening. When you step inside one it s like entering an enchanted garden. The fact that it comes with a foundation wall means that you can easily create raised beds and pathways. This creates a much more wholesome environment for plants, as they love to put their roots deep down into the soil, not to grow constrained by pots. The fact that the geodesic dome shape creates extra height inside, means that you can ultimately create a forest garden, growing at 3 levels. You can have trees in the upper canopy, bushes in the middle space, as well as low growing root crops and small plants closer the ground. Here are some pictures and a short video to show what we mean:
Strong The geodesic shape is one of the strongest shapes created by man. The fact that it is made of triangles: nature s most rigid form, and that it is spherical, creates immense strength. Look at the thinness of an egg shell and yet how strong it is, because of its spherical shape. Even if you live in the area of heavy snow loads, you can rest assured that in the most severe storms the Growing Dome will withstand the snow loads required. The Inuit knew what they were doing when they created an igloo to be spherical to withstand the snows and winds of an Arctic winter. As the snow continues to fall and builds up on the Growing Dome structure, it creates a self-supporting shape of snow, much like an igloo. Even after a heavy snow fall, the snow slides off very readily enabling the plants to keep on growing regardless of weather. The Growing Domes have been engineered to withstand up to 250 pounds per square foot of snow load. The standard snow load meets the vast majority of building code requirements at 60 pounds per square foot. No other greenhouse kits that we re aware of can withstand such extreme loading.
Little or no heating or cooling costs Due to this amazing combination of features, the Growing Dome stays warm in the winter and cooler in the summer than normal greenhouse. In the winter in Colorado at 7500 feet we have little or no heating costs in order for our Growing Domes to create fresh food all winter long. People who have citrus or other Mediterranean type of crops do choose to provide some heat during the coldest of winter nights (temperatures below 0 degrees Fahrenheit). We have analyzed and found that the Growing Dome requires two-thirds less of the amount of heat than other greenhouses would use. In the summer, people with normal greenhouses often do not use them, as it gets far too hot, or if they need to, they have to use large fans, swamp coolers, or air conditioners. The Growing Dome has a combination of features that enable it to stay naturally cool in the summer months. Wind friendly Unlike a rectangular shape which has a large flat area for the wind to push against, the Growing Dome has a circular profile. This allows the wind to effortlessly flow around and over the top of the Growing Dome. The Growing Dome has been reported to withstand winds of up to 130 mph when other nearby greenhouses were severely damaged. The anchoring systems for the Growing Dome are very simple and low cost. The raised beds and the water tank anchored to the wall ensure that no wind will move the structure in any way. This fun animation shows you exactly what we mean.
The shape Tracks the sun Rectangular greenhouses that face to the south get extremely hot as the sun approaches noon and shines directly into the greenhouse, but in the more early morning and late later in the afternoon the heat input diminishes rapidly because the sun reflects off the flat surface. The Growing Dome, however is always facing the sun making for a much more even heat input throughout the day, giving a less stressful environment for the plants. This animation shows what we mean.
Affordable and Long Lasting We did a cost comparison with other greenhouses and were pleasantly surprised that even though a Growing Dome was packed with extra features, it costs marginally more and in most cases was less expensive than other normal greenhouses of the same footprint. We re able to complete effectively because we are lean manufacturer. We streamline all the processes throughout our operation to make the Growing Domes as affordable as we can. We are dedicated to keeping the price low as we can, so as many people as possible can benefit from the amazing product we offer. We have Growing Domes out there that are more than 20 years old. Even then we can refurbish the polycarbonate and structural elements as needed to give another 20 years of life to this amazing product. To study our price comparison click here. Built-in Water Feature creates a special Ambience The Growing Dome comes with an above ground pond as part of the design. This is one of the most powerful features of the system that helps the Growing Dome stay cool in summer and warm in winter. Not only is this highly functional, it is beautiful, too. A lot of Growing Dome owners have a solar powered waterfall to create a special atmosphere within the Growing Dome. Also the pond can contain floating aquatic plants of many kinds as well as being a home for decorative fish. A picture speaks 1000 words; check out this video of our above ground pond and how it looks and sounds.
So, that s my story; I hope you enjoyed reading it. Truly, most people when they discover us, ask the question: why a dome greenhouse? I hope we ve answered that question thoroughly and if you have any more questions, feel free to give us a call at 1-800-753-9333 or email us at info@growingspaces.com You can learn more on our website at www.geodesic-greenhouse-kits.com We hope we can help you to have a Growing Dome in your life soon and be growing fresh vegetables, fruit and flowers all year round. Udgar Parsons, Founder of Growing Spaces Growing Domes