At Santa Fe Community College a 26’ Growing Dome greenhouse is an integral part of their course offerings. This state-of-the-art facility isn’t just a greenhouse; it’s a living laboratory powered by aquaponics, where students dive deep into the future of agriculture and environmental stewardship.
Aquaponics in a Growing Dome
The Growing Dome greenhouse creates a controlled ecosystem. At the core of this Growing Dome is an aquaponics system—a symbiotic environment where fish and plants thrive together. Fish waste provides essential nutrients for the plants, which in turn filter and purify the water for the fish. This closed-loop system demonstrates the potential for sustainable food production with minimal environmental impact. It’s a real-world application of what students learn in the classroom, bridging the gap between theory and practice.
The aquaponics system at SFCC is mostly powered by gravity. There is only one pump that moves water from the lowest part of the system, the cistern, up to the highest point of the system, the fish tanks. The pump not only moves the water but aerates it to add oxygen into the water before it enters the tanks. Then once the water leaves the fish tanks it passes through two filters and then into the deep water culture (DWC) beds. After passing through all three beds and being cleaned by the plants, the water returns to the cistern recirculates into the fish tanks, and the cycle repeats.
Environmental Benefits of Aquaponics
Santa Fe, NM is located at 7,000 ft above sea level in a semiarid climate which means that water is an extremely valuable resource. Aquaponics limits water usage. This system goes one step further by utilizing rainwater collected at the college. Additionally, aquaponics also helps to limit waste. Students clean the filters at the compost pile and use the solid fish waste to amend the soil in various garden beds.
Pests will be present in any garden regardless of the growing method. Still, aquaponics forces the use of mechanical, cultural, and biological controls because insecticides that may harm the fish cannot be used. At SFCC, the only chemical pest treatments used are OMRI-certified PyGanic and occasionally diluted neem oil, both applied sparingly.
Hands-on Learning in the Growing Dome
Beyond its environmental benefits, the Growing Dome serves as a dynamic educational tool. Students from various disciplines—controlled environment agriculture, culinary arts, and various trades—collaborate here to explore sustainable practices. The Growing Dome, purchased in 2013, has served students and faculty effectively for many years. However, as time went on they found themselves looking to improve upon their system.
Last year they decided to replace the upper vents with an attic fan to exhaust hot air from the dome. This has helped better control the temperature of the greenhouse. Students relocated the electrical outlets to a higher level to prevent water from splashing and tripping the system. Students rearranged the DWC beds to place a table in the center of the space for working or studying in the greenhouse. All of this work provided them with hands-on experience.
Plants and Fish
Faculty and students collaborate on projects that explore new aquaponic techniques, crop varieties, and sustainable practices. These research efforts are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in sustainable agriculture. Have you ever heard of a passion fruit grown in an aquaponics system? What about a blackberry? In addition to these unique fruits, they are cultivating pink celery, basil, chives, multiple lettuces, and Swiss chard.
They are also planning to remove the koi and goldfish from the system and replace them with tilapia. Koi, goldfish, and tilapia can all thrive in the warm water temperatures needed for plants in an aquaponics system. However, tilapia do not reproduce as quickly and are therefore easier to control. Goldfish can reproduce very quickly and if eggs make their way into the DWC beds and hatch the fish will eat plant roots and wreak havoc on the entire system.
From Greenhouse to Table
In addition to the Growing Dome, the college also has a large commercial greenhouse with various aquaponic and hydroponic systems. This allows students to learn on both a personal and commercial scale. The food produced in the campus greenhouses is distributed to students in various ways. The culinary arts program uses many of the fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs, even the tilapia, to hone their culinary skills. The college donates the excess to the school’s community cupboard, where students can access canned goods, pantry staples, and fresh produce grown by their peers. This practice ensures that nothing goes to waste and everyone has access to nutritious food.
The Future of Sustainable Agriculture
The Growing Dome greenhouse at SFCC is more than just a place to grow plants—it’s growing the next generation of environmental stewards and innovators. Here, education comes to life, and the future of sustainable agriculture takes root. If you are interested in learning more about the Controlled Environment Agriculture Program at SFCC, please visit their website or email richard.shultz@sfcc.edu. To learn more about how a Growing Dome can add to your school’s curriculum and how to get started, visit our school greenhouse page. Together, we can cultivate a greener, more sustainable future.
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Where can I get more information on domes and where to purchase?
You can visit the Shop on our website! https://shop.growingspaces.com/