Growing Dome Gardening Advice
Practical Growing Dome gardening advice covers everything that doesn't fit neatly into a single topic: tips, lessons learned, troubleshooting, things owners wish they'd known sooner, and the kind of accumulated wisdom that turns a new dome into a thriving one. This category brings together writing from owners and from our team on the gardening side of dome ownership, covering first-year decisions through long-term care. Explore broad practical content for dome owners at every stage, from first-time gardeners to longtime dome veterans refining their craft.
Tried, True, and New: What Our Garden Team Is Growing This Summer
June 3, 2026
Our garden team is sharing what they are most excited to grow this summer, from favorite tomatoes, peppers, and strawberries to new herbs, flowers, and greenhouse experiments.
Passion Flower Power: Growing Maypop Vines for Flowers, Fruit & Pollinators
May 22, 2026
Passion flower is one of those plants that stops gardeners in their tracks. With tropical-looking blooms, vigorous vines, pollinator appeal, and edible maypop fruit, this hardy passion fruit vine can bring beauty, shade, and a little garden drama to a backyard garden or Growing Dome greenhouse.
Growing Edamame in Your Greenhouse or Garden
April 21, 2026
If you’re looking for a nutritious, easy-to-grow crop that delivers both flavor and function, edamame is a fantastic choice. These young soybeans are not only packed with protein and essential nutrients, but they’re also surprisingly simple to grow in a garden or greenhouse setting.
Do you Need Fertilizer in a Greenhouse?
April 20, 2026
Fertilizing in a greenhouse isn’t the same as outdoors. Discover how nutrients behave differently and when plants actually need support.
Chickpea Plant Care: From Seed to Harvest
March 19, 2026
Do you want to add color, texture, and height to your garden? Growing chickpeas is fun and easy plus you will be adding a wonderful legume for meal planning.
Quinoa: The Ancient “Inca Wheat” That Thrives in a Growing Dome
March 3, 2026
Interested in growing quinoa? Quinoa is an easy-to-grow crop that offers beautiful flowers, adds height, color, and texture to your garden or greenhouse.
Vertical Gardening and Forest Garden Design for a Thriving Food Forest
February 19, 2026
Understand how vertical gardening and the idea of a forest garden transform a Growing Dome into a layered, year-round food forest.
Grow Better: Easy Seed Starting Tips for a Bountiful Garden
January 23, 2026
Starting your seeds indoors, whether in a traditional setting or within the protected environment of a Growing Dome greenhouse, is a rewarding step toward a bountiful harvest. By carefully managing the key elements of moisture and humidity, light, and heat, you provide your young plants with the optimal conditions to break dormancy and thrive. Whether you choose to transplant your healthy starts or direct sow certain varieties, these foundational seed-starting principles will help you extend your growing season, practice effective succession planting, and keep your garden vibrant and productive year after year.
The Best Plants for Hanging Baskets
January 23, 2026
Hanging baskets are one way to offer shade to your raised greenhouse beds and add splashes of color to your greenhouse.
The 7 Best Winter Crops to Grow in a Greenhouse (or Your Backyard Garden)
November 25, 2025
Grow fresh food all winter with these seven hardy crops. From beets to lettuce, this list has everything you need. Except kale. We left it out. You’re welcome.
Kohlrabi Cultivation: Your Guide to Growing This Above Ground Turnip
October 30, 2025
Kohlrabi is a fast growing plant that tastes like a cross between a turnip and a broccoli stem, crisp like an apple plus it is packed with nutrients.
Mastering Winter Squash: From Seed to Storage
September 29, 2025
Learn how to grow Winter squash in a dome greenhouse. Winter squash grows on a vine, has a longer, frost-free growing season (75-100 days or longer) and is harvested after it matures. These types of squash have a hard, thick skin that will store for a longer period, hence the name winter squash.
Growing Eggplant: From the Greenhouse to the Grill
August 18, 2025
Learn all about growing eggplant and ornamental eggplant in this comprehensive guide.
The Art of Seed Saving
August 12, 2025
Discover seed saving techniques to preserve greenhouse-grown heirlooms and open-pollinated plants, ensuring stronger harvests season after season.
Crunch Time! Growing Cucumbers in Your Dome
July 21, 2025
Growing cucumbers in a greenhouse will extend your growing season and provide you with this delicous crop! Learn all about how to grow cucumbers in your dome.
Sustainable Gardening: Why Crop Rotation Matters
July 15, 2025
By thoughtfully implementing crop rotation, you can significantly enhance the health and productivity of your Growing Dome garden. This essential permaculture practice not only minimizes soil depletion and deters pests and diseases but also contributes to a thriving, balanced ecosystem within your greenhouse.
How to Grow Lemongrass and Citronella in a Dome Greenhouse
July 1, 2025
Growing lemongrass and citronella in your dome will provide you with beauty, culinary uses for lemongrass and medicinal uses from both plants.
Growing Fava Beans in a Greenhouse – Bean There, Dome That
May 22, 2025
Growing fava beans in your dome greenhouse is fun and easy. Fava plants fix the nitrogen in the soil, have many health benefits and are delicious!
Composting 101: How to Compost for a Thriving Garden
May 16, 2025
Composting is a valuable permaculture practice that transforms organic waste into a nutrient-rich resource for regenerating soil. While composting has challenges such as odor and pests, its benefits, including waste reduction, carbon sequestration, and soil improvement, are significant.
How to Succeed with Companion Planting
April 29, 2025
Companion planting is a great tool to utilize in your dome greenhouse and your garden. Learn about the benefits of companion planting and how to choose the best plant companions.
What’s Blooming in Your Greenhouse?
April 25, 2025
So what’s blooming in your greenhouse? Growing ornamentals in your greenhouse is a wonderful addition to food crops. Some are edible and they add beauty!
Growing Grapes in a Dome – You Heard It Through the Grapevine
March 24, 2025
Growing grapes in a dome greenhouse will provide you with delicious fruit and shade for other plants. Learn gardening tips and how to care for grapevines in a greenhouse.
Propagation Techniques for Prolific Plants
March 20, 2025
Propagation is a great way to save money, preserve heirloom varieties, and keep a succession of plants growing throughout the year. Learn more about different methods of plant propagation.
A Guide to Greenhouse Pond Gardening
February 24, 2025
Greenhouse pond gardening will enhance the beauty of your dome, improve water quality, provide water coverage, provide food and shade for fish and help prevent algae.
Managing Winter Humidity in a Greenhouse
December 17, 2024
Manage winter humidity in your greenhouse with tips on ventilation, water usage, heating, and disease prevention for healthy, year-round plant growth.
Feel the Beat on Growing Beets in Your Dome
November 23, 2024
Do you want to grow beets in your dome? Follow along as we drop the beat on growing beets! Learn tips for growing beautiful beets in a dome greenhouse. Along with gardening tips, we'll share the history of beets, fun trivia and health information.
What Is The Best Automated Greenhouse Irrigation System?
October 30, 2024
In this guide, we’ll explore both ancient and modern irrigation techniques to help you find the best automated greenhouse irrigation system for your needs.
A Beginners Guide to Greenhouse Aquaponics
August 21, 2024
Aquaponics is a growing method that combines aquaculture and hydroponics. Aquaculture is the process of raising fish and hydroponics is a soilless growing method. In short, aquaponics uses the wastewater created by fish in an aquaculture system as fertilizer for hydroponically grown produce in a recirculating system. This type of system allows you to reduce…
Ultimate Guide to Organic Integrated Pest Management: Strategies for a Healthier Garden
August 2, 2024
“Pests” are part of the natural ecosystem. Getting rid of them is an impossible feat, but managing them will help keep populations at tolerable levels for both the plants and the people who enjoy the plants. There are a few basic ways to tackle pest management, but an integrated approach will be the most effective….
Is Straw Bale Gardening the Best Gardening Method?
May 29, 2024
Creating a backyard garden is an exciting and fulfilling adventure, but filling raised garden beds can become expensive. Luckily there are a few types of gardening that will not only help to reduce costs but improve the quality of the soil over time!
How to Grow Fresh, Juicy, Dome Grown Tomatoes!
May 3, 2024
Learn how to successfully grow tomatoes in your dome greenhouse. Determinate or indeterminate? You decide! Enjoy growing fresh, dome grown tomatoes with our guide.
Floating Gardens: The Sustainable Food Production Secret of the Ancients
May 1, 2024
This innovative farming technique, the floating gardens of Xochimilco, has supported thriving civilizations for centuries.
Holy Guacamole! How To Grow an Avocado Tree in a Greenhouse
April 5, 2024
Learn how to successfully grow an avocado tree, or two, in your dome greenhouse. Enjoy fresh, dome grown avocados!
Top 10 Gardening Books for Beginners, Experts, and Everyone in Between
March 16, 2024
Gardening books are a great resource for beginners and an amazing way to expand your knowledge even if you are a seasoned pro. We have put together a list of some of our favorite gardening books just for you.
Keeping Chickens in a Greenhouse: A Balanced Look at This Unique Combination
March 5, 2024
Calling all modern homesteaders, backyard gardeners, and chicken lovers! Can these fluffy dinosaurs help us in the garden or should we leave them in the coop?
It is Growing Thyme! Secrets to Growing Thyme in a Greenhouse
November 6, 2023
Time to get growing thyme! Do you want to start growing thyme in your greenhouse? Thyme is a great herb to have right at your fingertips, year-round! Read more for tips on growing this herb in your greenhouse. Jump to: The History of Thyme, Health Benefits of Thyme, How to Grow Thyme, Thyme Fun Facts,…
Crafting a Survival Garden In Your Backyard
October 30, 2023
In uncertain times, self-sufficiency becomes paramount. At the forefront of this self-reliance is the concept of the survival garden—a means to ensure a steady supply of nutritious food regardless of external challenges.
Growing Pumpkins In a Greenhouse: As Easy as Pumpkin Pie
October 4, 2023
Pumpkins take between 80-120 days to mature and should only be picked once fully mature. Do not rely on their size to determine maturity though. When they mature the leaves of the plant will die back and the skin will be hard. The skin will also turn a deeper, solid color and the stem will harden.
Growing Thriving Beans in a Greenhouse (Bush/Pole)
August 4, 2023
Jump to: Growing Beans – Cultivation Tips, Bean Companion Plants, How to Harvest Beans. Bean History – Know Before You Grow Common (green) beans, scientifically known as Phaseolus vulgaris, originate from South America and Central America. Historical evidence suggests beans were cultivated in Mexico and Peru for millennia. They were later introduced to the Mediterranean…
Greenhouse Gardening: Watering Best Practices For Optimal Growth
June 5, 2023
Enhance your gardening skills by improving plant health and productivity with these watering best practices.
How to Protect Your Harvest From Garden Rodents and Animals
May 9, 2023
Attention greenhouse gardeners! Discover how to protect your harvest from rodents and other animals with our latest blog post. Learn how to create barriers, use natural repellents, and traps to keep your garden thriving. Read now and enjoy a pest-free greenhouse garden!
Growing Cilantro in a Greenhouse
April 5, 2023
Cilantro, also known as coriander, is a versatile herb that belongs to the Apiaceae family and is native to Asia, Europe, and Africa. The plant has an air of mystery around it, as cilantro refers to the leaves, while coriander refers to the seeds. With its fresh and citrusy flavor, cilantro is a popular ingredient in many dishes, from salsa to curry. And the good news is, growing cilantro is easy, especially when grown in a greenhouse.
Growing Cabbage in a Greenhouse
March 5, 2023
Did you know that growing cabbage in a greenhouse can provide you with fresh produce all year round? This humble vegetable has a rich history dating back to the Roman Empire and played a vital role in sustaining the Irish during times of food insecurity. Growing cabbage from seed is easy, and it prefers loamy soil with lots of compost mixed in. Companion plants like broccoli, kale, and swiss chard are great friends to cabbage, and they thrive in the same conditions and climate. Learn more about the benefits of companion planting and how to harvest your cabbage for a second, smaller harvest, or hang it in a root cellar for up to three months. Discover why cabbage is a superhero packed with vitamins, minerals, and cancer-fighting properties.
Growing Lettuce in a Greenhouse
January 6, 2023
These days it is even more important to be able to grow your own lettuce as crops in California’s Salinas Valley are currently fighting Impatiens necrotic spot virus, or INSV, which is mainly spread by thrips. Pythium wilt is another crop disease that attacks lettuce, generally along with INSV causing lettuce to wilt or completely collapse. We recommend planting lettuce as this disease may affect its availability since California grows approximately 70% of the lettuce consumed in the US. There has never been a better time to grow lettuce in your backyard!
Growing Rosemary in a Greenhouse
December 14, 2022
Growing rosemary from seed in a greenhouse can take a few weeks for germination. Propagating plants from an established rosemary bush is a quicker method and you can be ready to plant in two weeks. Let us teach you how to grow rosemary successfully in your greenhouse. With our expert advice, you will tip the scales in your favor.
Growing Basil in a Greenhouse
November 16, 2022
Growing basil in a greenhouse is a tricky balance. They don't like things too hot or too cold, and while they repel some common pests, such as hornworms and flies, they are susceptible to problems like aphids and Japanese beetles. Let us teach you how to grow basil successfully in your greenhouse. With our expert advice, you will tip the scales in your favor.
Growing Celery in a Greenhouse
October 13, 2022
Celery seeds are tiny and can take up to 21 days to germinate. However, soaking celery seeds in warm water overnight will speed germination. Growing your celery inside a Growing Dome or starting seeds indoors will give you a significant head start to celery season.
September Plant of the Month the Incredible, Edible, Fig
September 19, 2022
What The Fig? Check out our article: How to Grow Figs in a Greenhouse! If you are like the majority of people, you may not be acquainted with the fig except for maybe a fig newton or perhaps used as a prehistoric fig leaf loin cloth in the days before underwear. All joking aside figs…
How to Grow Carrots in a Greenhouse
August 11, 2022
Carrot Daucus carota is an edible plant from the Apiaceae family. Carrot seeds should be direct sown in your Dome in spring or fall. They grow best in the center zone of your Dome in sandy loam soils that are well drained and prefer a lot of sun in the cooler seasons. The seeds are tiny, and seedlings should be thinned to 3" apart and can be harvested 50-75 days from seed.
Attracting Bees to your Greenhouse
October 13, 2021
Will Bees Help Your Greenhouse? Attracting bees to your greenhouse will certainly encourage ample harvests. New greenhouses don’t always get discovered by local pollinators, which might leave the gardener empty-handed, or with much less produce than anticipated when it comes time to harvest. It is the job of the gardener to help pollinators find the…
How to Create a Beautiful Pond Garden
June 17, 2021
The above-ground pond included with our greenhouse kits creates an optimal opportunity for growth. -- It aids the growth of your plants in your raised beds, acting as the greenhouse's primary source of thermal mass, but it can also foster the growth of aquatic plants & fish. It can even promote the growth of a peaceful environment with soothing sounds and art.
How to Grow Fruit Trees in a Greenhouse
April 17, 2021
Fruit trees can be a healthy addition to most dome greenhouse gardens above zone 3. They provide fresh fruit and shade in the summer with the bonus of attracting pollinators when flowering. Understanding a plant’s natural environment (tropical, subtropical, or temperate to continental) and how to stimulate it will help you grow a wide variety of plants from fruit trees to shrubs, which will give you more confidence in your dome gardening adventure.
Dome Greenhouse Planting Guide
September 16, 2020
Every Growing Dome greenhouse has micro-climates. Each micro-climate provides different optimal growing areas for different types of plants. Growing the right plants in the right location will help to ensure your gardening success. The zones vary depending on the size of your dome, your raised bed design, and your vent and fan locations. Generally speaking, they correspond with the North, East, South, and West sides of your dome.
Growing Dome Greenhouse Planting Schedule
September 15, 2020
Learn how to time the planting of your seasonal crops with our Growing Dome Planting Schedule.
How to Get Rid of Aphids Naturally
August 14, 2020
Aphids are tiny soft shell bugs that usually attach themselves to the underside of leaves. They can spread disease and damage plants, mostly by weakening plants or trees. Aphids do not often kill plants unless they are very young sprouts. Aphids suck the sap from the plant and refine it into honey. There are many different reasons aphids develop, but luckily there are also plenty of ways to get rid of aphids.
How to Grow Sorrel Successfully
May 28, 2020
Sorrel is a small edible green plant from the Polygonaceae family, which also includes buckwheat and rhubarb. The French translation of sour (“sorrel”) is spot-on.
Off The Vine
April 1, 2020
Optimize micronutrients by eating fruits and vegetables immediately after harvest. There are so many benefits to eating vegetables fresh from the earth. Taste, nutritional value and saving trips to the grocery store. Food travels hundreds, if not thousands, of miles before it makes it to the grocery store shelves and loses critical nutrients along the way.
Revitalize Your Garden with Calendula: How to Grow and Harvest Calendula
April 1, 2020
Calendula is a versatile and low maintenance plant that can add beauty and utility to any greenhouse or outdoor garden. This plant is not only attractive to pollinators, but it also has numerous medicinal and culinary uses. From its high flavonoid content to its ability to attract beneficial insects and act as a trap crop, calendula is an excellent addition to any garden. In this blog post, we will explore how to grow calendula, companion planting options, and how to harvest and use this incredible plant.
Cleaning Greenhouse Panels
April 1, 2020
Winter or early Spring is a great time to clean your panels as vegetation is generally reduced, allowing easy access to the polycarbonate surfaces. According to Claudia Stover, long-time Growing Spaces dome owner and greenhouse gardening teacher, not only does regular cleaning of the polycarbonate panels increase the sanitation of the greenhouse but “keeping the dome panels clear of pollen and plant debris also helps reduce disease and pest pressure on your plants.”
The Best Floating Pond Planters
February 5, 2020
Floating Island Plants for Your Pond Maintaining a healthy above ground pond in our domes depends on numerous factors. One of the most common questions we are asked pertains to controlling the algae growth in the pond garden. Floating pond planters are a perfect way to keep the algae away and add beauty! Why do…
Organic Pest Management In A Growing Dome
May 24, 2019
Blog for incorporating organic pest management into your Growing Dome Greenhouse routine.
Beneficial Insects
August 29, 2017
Gardening in a Growing Dome is rewarding. Upon entering the Growing Dome, we inflate our lungs with clean, fresh air, instantly melting away any fears or worries we had moments before. In this sanctuary we feed the fish, smell the blossoms, snack on some healthy treats along the way, and nourish the soil. Sowing seeds…
Secrets of Year Round Gardening Revealed
August 4, 2016
Why Growing Dome® Gardening is Unique and Easy. Gardening in a Growing Dome is different. It’s different in a good way. It’s easy. It is not like growing outside, and compared to growing in a regular greenhouse, they are as different as night and day. Plants do grow easily in the Growing Dome. However, to…
Frogs In Your Greenhouse
June 24, 2016
Both frogs and toads are beneficial to the garden because they feed on many pests. A single frog can eat over 100 insects in one night. Attracting and keeping frogs and toads in your garden will help moderate pest populations without the need for chemical or natural pesticides.
Winter Gardening: Growing Spaces
January 8, 2016
Claudia Stover, a Growing Dome® owner of 10 years, had a visit this past weekend from Growing Spaces® owners, Puja and Udgar Parsons. I’m pretty sure I counted almost 20 varieties of plant foods that she has growing, and thriving, in her Growing Dome right now, in early January. You probably caught that the outside…
Organic Pest Control: Thrips
October 16, 2015
How to control thrips organically in your Growing Dome
How to Control Aphids in your Greenhouse
February 25, 2015
Aphid Control: Why Aphids Suck
Growing Dome Greenhouse Temperature Monitoring
January 26, 2015
Just over a week ago, Pagosa Springs received some much needed snow. Overnight, more than a foot of wet snow blanketed trees and mountains surrounding our little town. It’s unusual for Colorado to receive such wet, heavy snow, and much of the town actually shut down for a snow day! Although county employees and teachers…
Greenhouse Mold – Why Does it Happen and How to Avoid It?
December 16, 2014
Mold and mildew are both types of fungi that grow best in warm, humid environments. Most fungi reproduce and spread via spores. Spores emerge from fruiting bodies of fungi and are most commonly dispersed via breeze or transported by water. Much like plant seeds, spores can survive environmental conditions that aren’t conducive to fungi growth,…
Maximizing Food Production in a Growing Dome
October 28, 2014
The Growing Spaces team has started a new project here at our Pagosa Springs office, and we want you to join us in our pursuit! As the warm growing season came to a close here in the Rocky Mountains, the Growing Spaces team started to plan a winter garden for the 15′ Growing Dome greenhouse…
How to Start and Transplant Vegetables
October 10, 2014
Learn which vegetables transplant best in a Growing Dome, how time stacking boosts yield, and when to direct sow to avoid gaps, shock, and wasted effort.
The Greenhouse Pond Gets a Makeover
August 12, 2014
This new 33′ Growing Dome owner in Cody, WY got very creative with her greenhouse pond that comes as a part of the Growing Dome kit. She had a local artist, Mike Kopriva, paint the tank with a gorgeous underwater scene. If you follow the painting from left to right, you see that it starts…
Replenish Your Garden’s Footprint
February 15, 2013
Let’s start out by first acknowledging that gardening is an inherently Earth-friendly activity. The basic acts of turning the soil, sowing seeds, watering, and nurturing the plants literally consists of acting in a loving, gentle and kind way toward the Earth. Gardening is also eco-friendly in less direct but as conspicuous ways. The most obvious…
Homemade Organic Pest Control Sprays
October 24, 2012
On October 8th we hosted an “Ask the Gardening Experts” Interactive Workshop attended by over 50 students and presented by 5 panelists. It was an information packed day that offered many solutions for problems gardeners face. We will be releasing the full class on video for the public to purchase. Until then we wanted to…
Dealing with the Pests in Your Life
November 22, 2011
When the summer sun provides a daily flush of fresh produce we are lulled into a happy, comfortable state. Then the daylight begins to escape us and the warmth dissipates. In the last month or so you may very well be asking yourself, “Why are the spider mites, aphids, and white flies having a heyday…
Gardening How-To Video Series
July 26, 2011
If you haven’t been on our YouTube channel lately, we’d like the chance to share the episodes from this Summer’s Gardening Tips video series. Our favorite is the most recent Hand Flower Pollination video: Also check out these fun videos on cooling your greenhouse in the summer:
Gardening & Beyond Video Series
July 5, 2011
To follow the theme of the Growing Domes®, we like to promote “going local”. You can’t get any more local than growing your food at home and we support local gardeners as part of this movement. In 2010 Udgar Parsons, Growing Spaces Owner & Founder, taught at a “Gardening & Beyond” educational program that was…
Control Whitefly Infestation Naturally
March 27, 2011
Whitefly infestations can be recognized when a plant is disturbed and a giant cloud of tiny flies fills the air. Although the Whitefly hatches and lives in the soil, it feeds on the undersides of foliage and often leaves a sticky residue. Unfortunately, this residue attracts aphids, and the aphid + residue combination attracts ants….
Experience with Growing Edible Fish in Tank?
March 29, 2010
Please share your input and/or experience with growing edible fish inside the Growing Dome water tank.