A One of a Kind Dome in Nunn, Colorado

Janet and Chris Probst’s 26’ Dome

Chris and Janet Probst live in Nunn, Colorado, where the town slogan is “Watch Nunn Grow,” and that is appropriate for an avid gardener!

In 2022, Chris and Janet went to the Colorado Home and Garden Show in Denver. They were in search of a greenhouse or possibly a sunroom addition to their home. After talking with other vendors, they went down the last aisle and found Growing Spaces and knew they had found their “people”! They purchased their 26’ dome that day.

What sold them was a combination of the friendliness of our team, the team’s knowledge, and the ability to answer all of their questions. The Growing Spaces dome was everything they wanted, and they were fascinated by the engineering. Originally they had a pretty good idea of what they wanted, but when they learned about the dome they realized they wanted more than a greenhouse and the Growing Dome fit the bill.

The Construction Plan

The initial installation plan was for Chris to be the chief builder. Unfortunately, Chris broke his kneecap the week before the dome arrived in May. That limited his ability, as he could not kneel or climb a ladder, which is essential in construction. However, with help from family, a neighbor, and their motorcycle club, Wind & Fire MC - Firefighters who ride Harleys- the dome was built, and planting began in August 2022. Firefighters and friends to the rescue!

How the Growing Dome Affected Their Life

The dome continues to be Janet’s happy space where she spends time in the dome almost every day. Whether she is working in the garden or planning what is next, just being in the dome and inhaling is a truly calming therapy from the real world.

Chris spends less time in the dome, but helps Janet when she needs a hand. This is a dream for Janet, and she is so thankful they could make that dream come true. It’s hard to imagine having a life without a dome.

The Uniqueness of Their Dome

Every dome is different, and Janet’s dome is humid and may be considered overgrown by some, but it is perfect for her and she can’t imagine it any differently.

For the short winter days, they installed little white Christmas lights at the top of the first row of panels. For them, the lighting effects combined with the silence and earthy garden smell are breathtaking.

Jameson with Backyard Boxes out of Denver (now located in Idaho) built their exterior beds, and it was the first dome he built outside boxes for! The next year they went back to the Home and Garden Show again and saw their dome with his boxes in the Growing Spaces video. It made them feel kind of famous!

Janet is still working on ideas for the waterfall, but the little $0.25 goldfish in the pond are now 6-7 inches long. They installed two bubblers for the fish, and they seem pretty happy.

Another unique feature is the 10,000-watt garage heater to keep the dome at 55 degrees for the tropical plants. To avoid power outages they added a generator as a backup to the whole house.

The Interior Design and Garden

The options on building the interior of a dome are endless. Janet and Chris have raised beds that are wood-framed and lined with sheet metal. The faces of the beds are redwood, and the floor is pea gravel.

Once the beds were completed, they laid straw down first, then regular dirt, and filled the top 12-15 inches with topsoil. At the end of each season, they top the beds off with dairy compost and more topsoil.

Some gardeners choose to use the dome as a three-season greenhouse, and others want to grow tropical plants. If you’re in Colorado, tropical plants aren’t an option in a greenhouse without heat. Since they have a heater, they are growing amazing fruits: bananas, lemons, limes, oranges, avocados and pineapple. They also have blue agave, luffa, ginger, turmeric, and bougainvillea; all things that cannot survive outside in Colorado!

Then there are all the regular veggies: Roma tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, red onions, green onions, radishes, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, potatoes and strawberries. They like peppers and grow jalapeños, habaneros, poblanos, and banana peppers.

As for flowers and herbs, they are growing rosemary, lemongrass, borage, marigolds, pansies, nasturtiums, bee balm, holy basil, Greek oregano, lantana, and baby sunrose.

Advice From a Seasoned Dome Gardener

Like many owners, their first bit of advice is to get one size bigger than you think you should have. The exception to that is if you have a full-time job, then you should go with your first choice. Janet is amazed at the time she can (and wants) to spend in the dome. That can be in conflict with a 40-hour job! “Sorry I’m late, but my tomatoes needed harvesting, and I had to prune my lemon tree!”

And if you're building it yourself, Janet recommends that you FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS. You might think you have a better way, but in their case, they made a wrong decision and ended up having to go back and follow the directions (the right way).

Like all gardens and greenhouses, there are always challenges. Between critters and weather, gardeners have to stay one step ahead. Sometimes even that isn’t enough! The only critters Janet hasn’t been able to overcome are cabbage loopers. As far as the dome, it has handled weather fabulously. The dome has withstood 100 mph winds, hail, and some heavy snow loads, and those are forces that can decimate any outdoor garden.

Their dome is still their Dome of Happiness, and Janet says, “I'm sure I have more things growing in there than I probably should, but my gardening heart is bigger than the reality of my dome. I'm sure if I ever get a 42' dome, it won't change.”

Happy gardening and keep growing your dreams!