Their children lovingly refer to it as ‘the Hab’ but this isn’t Mars, though sometimes it feels just as dusty. This is wild and windy West Texas. The Growing Dome is an artificial habitat of sorts and definitely has an ‘otherworldy’ look. In the movie ‘The Martian’ the Hab is the artificial habitat that the astronauts live in while studying the planet. You won’t typically find banana, citrus, and fig trees in the West Texas landscape, but with a Growing Dome the possibilities are endless!
Kurt and his wife Paula purchased the Growing Dome as a retirement project. “It has filled our time with hard work, imagination, research, peace, joy, pride, and great vegetables and beautiful flowers,” Kurt said. They were originally debating between a 26’ Growing Dome and a 33’ Growing Dome. The space available wouldn’t lend itself to anything larger than that, but this is Texas after all so going smaller was never really an option. They entertained the idea enough to come and see all 6 sizes in person at our Pagosa Springs facility. “Going in the domes made all the difference.” They ended up purchasing a 33’ Growing Dome and hired a supervisor+1 installation crew so the Dome was constructed in no time.
Why Choose a Growing Dome as a Texas Greenhouse?
We know what you are thinking…why would you need a greenhouse in Texas? Well, they experience single digit temperatures in the winter and triple digits in the summer. But when it comes down to it the answer is simple. Wind. Kurt recalled a recent wind event with 65 mph wind gusts. The house was creaking and rattling, so he went out to his Growing Dome to escape. “We can be in the dome in the middle of a dusty windy day or a cold blustery day and be completely quiet and peaceful and unaware of the outside elements.”
The shape of the Growing Dome not only makes it more aerodynamic than other style greenhouses, but far more energy efficient. Kurt and Paula customized their Growing Dome to work in their climate. Depending on what is growing, a Texas greenhouse can potentially need additional heating and cooling. The Growing Dome requires 3 times less heat than their traditional style greenhouse. They have a natural gas Reznor heater that is set at 50 degrees during the winter to protect the tropical plants. To beat the summer heat they installed a solar chill cooler from Southwest Solar. Their climate is arid, so evaporative cooling is a great option. This system makes sure the dome does not exceed 90 degrees during the heat of the summer.
Lessons Learned in a Texas Greenhouse
I asked Kurt what were some of the things that he wished he knew before starting this journey and he recalled two main things, the importance of soil health and water quality. Kurt and Paula originally purchased premixed soil from a large retailer and used this to fill their Texas greenhouse. This soil likely wasn’t top quality to begin with but overtime the soil became extremely compacted and plants began to show signs of stress. After testing, they found the soil to be very high in salt content and pH.
Well Water
Many of our customers live a more rural lifestyle and using well water is common. What Kurt came to realize was that his water has a naturally higher pH than most. This alkaline water led to a number of challenges that Kurt has learned to overcome. Kurt attended our customer appreciation event in 2024 and learned from Bart at Paonia Soil that citric acid can be used to lower pH. He now mixes citric acid and water in a bucket and uses that to water his plants instead of directly from the hose. His soil pH is now between 6.8-7.4, which is exactly where it should be.
Overall Usability
They were also having some issues with usability of their perimeter garden beds. Ultimately, Kurt and Paula decided to replace their wide stone garden beds with Backyard Boxes cedar raised garden beds. This helped them increase usability and decrease overall temperature in the summer months. Stone retains heat and that is something to think about when designing a Texas greenhouse. This also gave them the opportunity to remove the compacted soil and replace it with a mixture of their homemade compost, coco coir, perlite, and potting soil.
They laid down a base consisting of the cardboard that the Backyard Boxes came in, then topped that with a significant layer of wood chips from their local landscaper, and finally the nutrient dense compost mixture they made themselves. You can see how their plants have exploded with growth over a 6 week period.
Pests
He also brought up a great point when it comes to pests. “You’re always going to be fighting the pests,” he said. Based on his experience with working in his other greenhouse he knew this came with the territory. A greenhouse provides a nice warm and inviting space, out of the elements, and free from natural predators. However, he has found that after 2-3 years the ecosystem of the Dome has become well established and he doesn’t see many issues anymore.
Establishing an Ecosystem in a Texas Greenhouse
Speaking of the ecosystem within the Dome, his favorite things to grow include citrus, figs, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, herbs, and brassicas. “Our first crop was potatoes and that is when our children named the dome ‘The Hab’.” He has already harvested 2 hands, or bunches, of bananas. His Dome grown lemons and tomatoes are far superior to those at the grocery store with a thinner skin and overall sweeter taste. Paula is the preservation expert in the family and enjoys canning fresh produce. She also dries many things from herbs to tomatoes, even carrot peels to make delicious and nutritious flavoring blends.
Growing Olives in a Greenhouse
Standing tall in the center of the greenhouse is an Arbequina olive. Kurt was always interested in olives, but it gets too cold to grow them outside. At Growing Spaces, we are big proponents of the idea that gardening is an experiment. He took our advice and ran with it. He bought two of the same olive trees and planted one in a pot and one in his central garden bed. The one in the garden bed took off and he actually had to top it to keep it from trying to escape, while the one in the pot is still relatively small.
The tall tree in the center provides a great shade canopy for the plants below which is all he really wanted. He figured if the trees never produced fruit, he would eventually remove them and try something else. Through his research he discovered that olives require a period of time below 50 degrees in order to fruit, so he adjusted his heater for a few nights and low and behold his trees are flowering. We will find out this fall how the fruits of his labor come out!
Kurt and Paula’s journey with their Growing Dome is a testament to the spirit of innovation and perseverance. They’ve embraced the learning process, adjusting and experimenting to find what works best for their unique climate and needs. They continue to demonstrate the power of the Growing Dome to turn any space into a thriving, productive ecosystem. Whether it’s growing tropical fruits in the Texas desert or fine-tuning soil and water conditions, they are proof that with a little creativity and dedication, the possibilities are truly endless.
2 Comments
we’re investigating the idea here in Canada.
Arctic Acres is our partner in Canada!