The Best Vegan Taco Meat
The best vegan taco meat starts with whole grains and fresh vegetables. Eat the rainbow with this whole food plant- based recipe. Many of these ingredients can be grown right in your own backyard!
Growing Dome Lifestyle
Decadent Dairy Free Avocado Ice Cream
This dairy-free avocado ice cream is sure to satisfy your craving without the guilt! Rich coconut milk and ripe avocados create a delectable guilt free dessert.
Top 10 Gardening Books for Beginners, Experts, and Everyone in Between
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.
A Unique Spin on a Mediterranean Classic: Borage Tzatziki and Gluten-Free Falafel
A unique spin on a Mediterranean classic. Borage tastes like cucumbers and adds beautiful color. Perfect for those looking for healthy meatless meal options! Serves: 8-10 Prep Time: 25 hours Cook Time: 15 minutes
Keeping Chickens in a Greenhouse: A Balanced Look at This Unique Combination
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?
The Best Lemon Olive Oil Cake with Lavender Glaze
Lemons are among the most popular fruit-bearing plants to cultivate in a Growing Dome greenhouse. Because they are available year-round at the grocery store many people associate lemons with fresh lemonade on a hot summer day. However, it may surprise you to learn that lemons are, in fact, considered a winter fruit. Their peak season, when they are most abundant and of the highest quality, typically extends from December to April.
Bananas as an Excellent Egg Substitute: The Case of Banana Pancakes
Forget eggs! Bananas are the secret ingredient to light and fluffy vegan pancakes. This easy recipe uses mashed bananas for binding and sweetness, creating pancakes that are bursting with flavor and moisture. Plus, we've thrown in some melty chocolate chips for an extra decadent touch. Serve with maple syrup and fresh banana slices for a breakfast or snack that's as good as it is good for you.
How to Support A Local Food Bank During the Holiday Season
Here you will find a list of plants to grow for food bank donation and how to find a local food bank to donate to during the holiday season.
How to Make Guava Jam with Homegrown Pink Guavas
Discover the art of making delicious Guava Jam using homegrown pink guavas with our easy-to-follow recipe. Ideal for Growing Dome enthusiasts, this guide from Growing Spaces showcases how to harvest and transform pink guavas into a sweet, slightly musky jam with a hint of vanilla or tangy lime. Learn the differences between guava jam and jelly, and explore versatile ways to enjoy this tropical delight, from morning toast to guava margaritas. Our comprehensive instructions cover everything from preparing guavas to water canning, ensuring a perfect batch every time. Plus, get insights on the longevity of homemade guava jam and tips for growing guavas successfully. Perfect for both beginners and seasoned canners, this article is your ultimate guide to creating a tropical treat in any climate.
The Ultimate Roasted Green Chili Corn Cakes with Fresh Corn Salsa
A sweet and spicy roasted green chili corn cake topped with fresh corn salsa is the perfect way to kick off the start of fall.
Bean and Tomato Salad: Healthy and Easy Work-From-Home Lunch
Discover a culinary oasis in our Bean and Tomato Salad, a vibrant and nutritious dish perfect for those seeking a wholesome and delicious work-from-home lunch option. This medley of crisp bush beans and plump cherry tomatoes, sourced straight from our greenhouse, will awaken your taste buds and brighten your day. Tossed with the colors of red onion, briny Kalamata olives, and creamy feta cheese, every bite offers a symphony of flavors and textures. Embrace the abundance of your own homegrown harvest, and elevate your lunchtime with this easy-to-make salad that is as convenient for on-the-go as it is indulgent at home. Savor the freshness and feel rejuvenated with each nourishing forkful. Embrace the deliciousness and healthfulness of a power-packed lunch you'll keep craving!
The Best Nasturtium Pesto Flatbread Pizza
Total cooking time: 20 minutes – Serves: 4-6 Nasturtiums are a great plant to grow in your Growing Dome greenhouse. They help to deter pests from eating your prized veggies, they add beautiful vibrant shades of green, yellow, orange, and deep red to your gardens, and they are edible! Nasturtiums have a peppery flavor that...
The Best Chard and Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushroom Recipe
These Swiss Chard and Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms make for an elegant and flavorful appetizer, perfect for entertaining or as a tasty addition to any gathering. Enjoy their savory and creamy combination with a touch of Swiss chard goodness!
How to Make the Best Calendula Lotion Recipe and Bug Repellent Salve
Calendula is an amazing herbal medicine that has been used for centuries. From skin healing salves and lotions to tinctures and teas this plant will quickly become a staple on your modern homestead. Plus it is easy to grow and simple to turn into everyday items! From how to make calendula oil, to making this...
The Easiest Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce Recipe: Perfect for Tacos, Salads, and More!
Whether you are growing cilantro in your garden or buying it from the store, it is one of those plants you always seem to have an abundance of. This cilantro lime sauce recipe is a great way to use up all that extra coriander. It is perfect for adding flavor to any dish. No matter if you're making tacos, burrito bowls, sandwiches, or salads, this sauce will make your meal even better. It's a creamy, blended sauce that uses cilantro, lime juice, and sour cream as the primary flavors.
Growing Cabbage in a Greenhouse
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.
How to Make Kale Taste Good: Colcannon and Kale Chips
If you are like me and do not love the taste of kale, it is a great veggie to mix into other dishes that you normally eat. Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish that combines kale with, my favorite vegetable, potatoes! While Nancy’s kale chips are extremely simple to make and satisfy the need for a crunch.
Bok Choy Wonton Soup
Wontons, dumplings, pot stickers, or whatever you prefer to call them are delicious, satisfying, and fun to make. This winter we have a lot of nutritious greens, herbs, and veggies to choose from in our Growing Dome gardens. Bok choy is delicious, easy to grow, and can be used in all types of recipes from soups to salads and stir-fries.
Hearty Kitchen Sink Soup from Garden Bounty and Winter Warmth
We call this Kitchen Sink Soup because we take everything leftover from our fall & early winter Growing Dome harvests & whatever we have in the fridge to make the soup. We put everything in but the kitchen sink! The key is to have veggies, herbs, a grain or carbohydrate, and different types of alliums
Sunchoke Chips with Rosemary and Roasted Garlic Dip
Looking for a crowd pleasing unique appetizer for your holiday party? This rosemary and roasted garlic dip is sure to impress!
Vibrant Pesto Caprese Chicken
Basil Plant looking a bit sad in the cooler temperatures? This quick pesto is a great way to use it before it is too late!
The Best Celeriac Recipe
Ever heard of Celeriac? It is great for soups, salads, slaws, baked, roasted, and sautéed.
Quinoa Crusted Summer Squash
Tis the Season For Squash and Zucchini. This is one of our favorite ways to make a delicious and easy side dish for any grilled protein!
Dome-Made Salsa with Air Fried Chips
Lucky for us, it’s tomato season in our Domes right now, and if you are like us, you have a variety of vine-ripened tomatoes from your Growing Dome. If you haven’t tried a Dome-grown tomato, you are missing out. The filtered light and temperature in the Dome make a perfect environment to ripen your tomatoes. They are far more flavorful and delicious than any tomatoes at the market or even in the outdoor garden. We also have fantastic fresh garlic, cilantro, and onion that we harvested from the Dome. They make the absolute best fresh salsa!
Chard is the New Kale: Chard, Bread Crumbs, Parmesan, and Lemon Salad
This rainbow & swiss chard salad is delicious and a fantastic way to use fresh, vibrant, and sometimes underutilized vegetables. Move over, kale! Swiss chard is the new super green! Chard is known to be bitter, so it is often left out of raw, cold salads. However, combining it with lemon zest, Parmesan, and olive oil relaxes the chard and takes away the bitterness. Give it a try. This summery, satisfying salad just might become your new go-to!
Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls No Guilt or Gluten
This bright, satisfying, yet light lunch keeps you going through your afternoon or you can use it as an appetizer to a favorite Thai dinner entree or even pho. Nasturtium spring rolls are perfect for any warm spring or summer afternoon or evening. Easy to make, the nasturtium packs a punch that is unexpected in A spring roll. They are so pretty you may not want to eat them but they are equally as delicious!
Nasturtium Spring Rolls with Thai Peanut Sauce
This bright, satisfying, yet light lunch keeps you going through your afternoon or you can use it as an appetizer to a favorite Thai dinner entree or even pho. Nasturtium spring rolls are perfect for any warm spring or summer afternoon or evening. Easy to make, the nasturtium packs a punch that is unexpected in A spring roll. They are so pretty you may not want to eat them but they are equally as delicious!
Last of the Winter Veggies: Leek Sauté
Cooking with veggies has been a liberating experience for me as a cook, food-enthusiast, gardener, and mother. I have found confidence in my ability to provide delicious, nutritious, sustainable food to my family and friends. Thinking outside the box and using healthier ingredients in everything that I cook. I have cultivated an incredible deeper relationship with food nurturing myself through growing my own sources of sustenance. It's a wonderful feeling going out and gathering ingredients from the garden and the Growing Dome. I know that everything was grown with care, has the proper nutrients in the soil, no pesticides, no herbicides or chemicals. It’s all organic, fresh, nutrient-dense, and local.
The Best Vegan Lasagna
There are multiple reasons we suspect lasagna has rotated out of the weekly dinner routine (high fat, cholesterol, carbs, sodium, calories, etc.). But everyone loves a good lasagna, so let’s revise and revisit! Make it modern, healthy, flavorful, skip the side of guilt and opt for a salad.
Pistachio and Chickpea Caesar Salad
When I first started cooking more plant-based and vegan recipes I struggled to find a Caesar salad that had the crunch, punch, and protein of a traditional Caesar. This recipe has double the crunch, and double the protein, with a nice punch in the dressing without all the fat, & no oil.
The Worlds Best Chili Verde AKA Colorado Green Chili
Everyone has their favorite version of chili. Some like it spicy, some like it mild, some like it red, some like it green. If you’re like me, you can eat chili all winter long and be happy as can be. It’s easy to make, stores well, and is the perfect match for many other dishes. Before I had a large family, I used to store it in the freezer and warm it up as needed. Now we never have any leftovers, ever! The kids beg for it, and if it gets approved by them, it’s approved by me. That makes life so much more straightforward, plus it is one of my top favorite things to eat. It also keeps us nice and toasty in these cold winter months in Colorado.
The World’s Best Butternut Squash Soup
This is the time of year that we are all looking for those soothing, warm us up, type recipes, to help acclimate to the changing cold temperatures outside. This soup says fall flavor as much as pumpkin spice! This recipe is creamy, vegan, nourishing, and is full of cozy fall flavors. It's the ultimate comfort food to keep you full & warm this season. It can be frozen or stored in the fridge for up to a week. If you do have any leftovers, it's easy to reheat for a quick lunch on a cold afternoon.
A Community of Happy Growers Connecting and Sharing
In spring, early high temperatures are a huge benefit--especially in our mountain location with a short growing season. But as spring turns into summer, the increasing heat in the dome can turn our sanctuary into an oven unless it’s managed correctly. Over the years, we’ve learned how to adapt our growing practices, our plant choices, and even our plant locations to make the most of summer heat and provide much-needed shade for the water tank.
A Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts Recipe
Brussels sprouts get a bad rap. They are notorious for many kids and adults alike having utter disdain for them. Have no fear! These roasted brussels sprouts are delicious, nutritious, and easy! They melt in your mouth, have caramelized outer edges, and a little crunch at first bite. I’m willing to bet, these little bites of goodness will convert any Brussels sprout hater.
Fried Green Tomatoes: Not the Movie But Just as Good!
My family comes from a long line of deep-fried southern cooking. A whole lot of comfort food made with butter, buttermilk, cream, lard, and pretty much anything that would clog your arteries. Tastes great but we have to be practical about our health these days and try to incorporate some healthy substitutions that will make our classic dishes modern, delicious, and less fat and calorie-dense.
Delicious Shrimp and Nasturtium Salad with Pine Nuts
Working at Growing Spaces for more than a decade has allotted me many exciting perks. The one I enjoy the most is having access to fresh produce, veggies, herbs, greens, and fruits all year round. For many years, I have walked into the Growing Dome, like it was the grocery store, at lunchtime and hand-picked my lunch. This shrimp and nasturtium salad is one of my favorite easy Dome Grown recipes.
Easy Instant-Pot Artichoke with Dipping Sauce
Artichokes are a beautiful plant. Those who don’t grow them may not realize that they are immature flower buds from the thistle plant. Appetizing? We don’t know who decided first to try these odd little pokey guys, but we sure are glad they did. They come in many varieties, but the most common one that we use in cooking is called a globe artichoke. They can be intimidating, but I’m going to help you with that.
Roasted Red Pepper and Cauliflower Hot or Cold Soup
I started making this creamy southern comfort food in 2007. My friend owns a southern, Mardi Gras-themed comfort food restaurant. She gave me the recipe because I was obsessed with how yummy it was! I’ve been making this exact broccoli casserole dish for holiday gatherings and potlucks ever since, and people always want more! My family loves it.
The Best Way to Eat Your Broccoli: Broccoli Casserole!
I started making this creamy southern comfort food in 2007. My friend owns a southern, Mardi Gras-themed comfort food restaurant. She gave me the recipe because I was obsessed with how yummy it was! I’ve been making this exact broccoli casserole dish for holiday gatherings and potlucks ever since, and people always want more! My family loves it.
Simple Pad Thai Recipe: Shrimp, Chicken, or Vegan.
Most people think you can't make restaurant-quality food at home. Well, I am here to tell you if that is your sentiment, you are sorely mistaken. I am going to change your mind! It took me more tries than I would like to admit to getting it right. To keep it clean & healthy, but decadent and delicious.
Smooth and Creamy Hummus Recipe
It’s easy to make and delicious on just about any vegetable, cracker, pita chip, or toast. You can add just about any herb, spice, or vegetable you like to adjust the taste. Bonus points if it was grown in your Growing Dome.
Best Spinach and Artichoke Dip Recipe
New Year’s is always a good time to make your favorite appetizers, dips, and drinks. I’ve been experimenting with different ways to make my creamy, cheesy spinach artichoke dip over the years. I have experimented with full-fat cream cheese, Neufchâtel cheese, mozzarella cheese, and even vegan substitutes. This is my favorite dip recipe, and it is pretty simple. It melts in your mouth! You will want to double the recipe just for yourself.
How to Make Leftover Turkey Soup- An Easy Turkey Sandwich Substitute
Turkey Sammies are craveable all year long, no doubt. Still, after you deconstruct your leftover Turkey into a savory, satisfying, soothing, and soulful soup, you may begin to think that turkey sammies are for the birds?!
The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Beet Brownies
Beets are full of good stuff. They contain a unique source of phytonutrients called betalains, which are antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxifying. They are also chock full of vitamins and minerals, especially folic acid, manganese, and potassium. So, I guess you could say that these gluten-free beet brownies are "healthy".
The Best Baked Kale Chips
The first time I made kale chips, I remember thinking, “Should they taste burnt like this??” As it turns out, the answer to that question is no. After multiple failed attempts that were either too soggy or too burnt, I believe I have finally found the perfect kale chip. Yes, this is a very serious business, this kale chip business.
Fresh Tomato Bruschetta
It’s peak tomato season, which means it’s also bruschetta season! By bruschetta, I mean the Americanized version of authentic Italian bruschetta, featuring ripe red tomatoes, basil, and garlic on golden, toasted French bread.
5 Charities Fighting Food Insecurity
We wanted to take a moment and show our appreciation to five outstanding non-profit charities that are actively fighting food insecurity. Navajo Nation, Mattersville Vets, Urban Growers Initiative, GoFarm Coop, and the Food Coalition 4 Archuleta County and the GGP are all working to improve the health and nutrition of the people in their respective communities. See what Growing Spaces is doing to support these great causes, and learn how you can help. We are also excited to announce a new Urban Community Garden Grant opportunity for 2021!
Not a Vegan Carrot Cake
Since I am not a vegan like Kesy I couldn't really do a vegan recipe. Instead, I give you my nana's recipe for the best carrot cake ever with homemade cream cheese icing. She is Sicilian and the only thing I love more than her cakes is her meatballs.
Vegan Chickpea and Sorrel Salad
Now that you have read How to Grow Sorrel, I am sure you are wondering what do do with those tangy green leaves. Don't worry. We have your back. This three-step vegan salad is the most straightforward recipe we have ever featured.
Reflections on Retirement
Udgar and I founded Growing Spaces in 1989. The process of selling it was like looking for the right partner to pass on the baton in an exciting marathon. Preparing for that moment took extra energy. Our team had become our community as we developed the agility together to master all the moving parts of an evolving company. After retiring, we decided to travel in order to mark the change and to distance ourselves from our results-driven habits.
Skinny Buffalo Mushroom Pizza
This skinny buffalo mushroom pizza falls into my favorites category, but who doesn't love low-calorie pizza? It's a lighter, vegan way to enjoy pizza. Simple and fast, perfect for busy weeknights.
Earth Day 2020: Stay at Dome
Commit to reducing your Carbon Footprint by 10% with a Growing Dome. As most of us are spending the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day in our homes, the Earth is getting a breather.
It’s QuaranTime
With the craziness of the world right now, it can be tempting to pick up the remote and start a little vacation in your apartment. However, this can quickly turn into a harmful thing. Staying inside all day can have negative effects if you aren’t working towards positive goals and creating a productive environment. Try to make your work-from-home day like any other workday. But instead of a stressful morning commute, take a healthy morning walk outside. And take the extra time to do some other things you normally would not have time to do on a busy morning.
Off The Vine
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.
Not so Cheesy Healthy and Easy Cheesecake
No cheese at all as a matter a fact, this vegan cheesecake is SO good. You will think I am totally pulling your leg that is actually GOOD for you. You can indulge & be decadent, all you want, and not worry an ounce!
Cleaning Greenhouse Panels
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.”
Homegrown Chicken Pot Pie
Homegrown Chicken Pot Pie with Organic Dome Grown Veggies. What better way to say farewell to the winter growing season than with the ultimate comfort food. Fill your belly with fresh chicken, herbs and winter veggies from your Growing Dome.
Lumpia: Vegan Filipino Egg Rolls
Lumpia – Vegan Filipino Egg Rolls I am a massive fan of any spring roll or fresh roll. But this time of year, they aren’t the first dish that comes to mind. The weather often inspires my appetite. When it’s cold outside, I usually yearn for comfort food like chili, soup, hot tea, etc. Lumpia...
Vegan Fully Loaded Feel Better Pho
Fully Loaded Feel Better Vegan Pho I took a class with vegan chef Tess Challis to learn how to make this dish specifically, and I have simplified and streamlined it here for you. This is a comforting dish from a food culture that I incorporate into my everyday lifestyle. The secret to making delicious vegan...
Green Thumb Daddy’s Greenhouse
Stories From Growing Domes Across the Globe Andrew Trujillo – Green Thumb Daddy The Growing Spaces team often refers to Andrew as the face of Growing Dome Greenhouses. Although he doesn’t work for Growing Spaces, he is one of our biggest supporters and provides outstanding feedback, content and wonderful pictures on our social media channels....
Help Grow A Dome for Food Insecure Communities
These non-profits are working to increase access to locally grown organic food in their communities There are many challenges facing our planet’s agricultural systems. Climate change, pesticides, GMOs, over-farming, soil health, corporate agriculture among many others. Food insecurity is also a major concern, as many communities do not have access to fresh, healthy organic food....
December 2019 Tropical Flowers in New Mexico Mountain Greenhouse
Stories From Growing Domes Across the Globe Matt & Christie’s New Mexico Mountain Greenhouse is growing beautiful tropical flowers year-round If you are an avid user of the Growing Spaces Facebook Group “Growing Dome Enthusiasts”, then you are no doubt familiar with our December Growing Dome of the Month owner, Matt Larson. He often posts...
The Best Organic Immune Boosters for Cold and Flu Season
It’s here, the dreaded cold and flu season. I got an early start this year after countless hours in the airport traveling back and forth from Thailand. After two weeks of spicy flu fighters and immune boosters in Asia, I was inspired to come home and share them with you. So, here they are, my...
Tomatillo Green Chile Tamales
Tomatillo Green Chile Tamales It’s prime green chile season! If you live in the western United States, then you know all about green chile peppers. If you are one of the few who does not let me give you a little insight. Pueblo Native Americans have cultivated chile peppers for centuries, but the modern renditions of...
Savor Autumn with a Hearty Pumpkin Squash Risotto Everyone Will Love
Embrace the flavors of autumn with our luscious Pumpkin Squash Risotto, a dish that captures the essence of harvest season in every velvety bite. As the leaves change and the cool air hints at winter's arrival, this risotto is your ticket to warmth, comfort, and the irresistible aroma of seasonal herbs and squash.
Greek Village Salad
Greek Village Salad In honor of our Tomato Plant of the Month, our September recipe is a Greek Village Salad. This recipe is my go-to for a quick and light meal that easily uses all the excess tomatoes we have at this time of year. Total Time: 10 min Serves 1-2 What you need: SALAD...
Cultivating Abundance
Cultivating abundance, both financially and in my garden, has been a long journey for me. When I first became interested in gardening I was convinced I needed to grow my own food because the economy was going to crash and I’d have to know how to be self sufficient in order to survive. This belief...
Artichoke Salad
Artichoke Salad In honor of our Artichoke Plant of the Month, our August recipe is my family’s favorite Italian salad. It can be eaten alone or paired with homemade pasta for a healthy recipe. Total Time: 15 min Serves 4-6 What you need: SALAD INGREDIENTS: 1 head red-leaf lettuce, chopped into bite-sized pieces1...
Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Tacos
Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Tacos Spice up your next taco night with food from your dome and an easy-to-follow recipe from peppers and chickpeas combined with a spicy buffalo sauce and a cooling drizzle of ranch in this flavorful take on traditional tacos. Serves 4 What you need: ⅓ cup hot sauce 3 tbsp sriracha sauce 2...
Nourishment During the Summer Solstice
Ways to nourish your body and your Growing Dome during the Summer Solstice The Summer Solstice of 2019 is upon us, bringing with it a time of intensity physically, emotionally, and environmentally. As we all know, the Solstice marks the day of the year with the most hours of sunlight. On this day, that number...
Sustaining Mental Wellness In Your Growing Dome® Greenhouse
Gardening Sustains Mental Wellness While Providing Healthy, Nutritious Food: A Win-Win for You and Your Body Gardening in a Growing Dome is an invaluable method to improve and sustain mental and emotional wellness. Growing Domes are coveted, some would argue sacred, retreats to be with nature and one’s thoughts and emotions. At some point, however,...
Growing Bananas at 60 Degrees North
Janet and I first met Bjorn Oliviusson in Fall 2012 when we arrived to help install the 33′ Growing Dome Greenhouse sold to the Royal Institution of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. As described in Bjorn’s post, it ended up at a school near the university, a pleasant setting, but late Fall in Stockholm the sunlight...
Whole-Food Plant-Based Diet in a Growing Dome
Cara Barnes of Hollyhock Farms in Aspen Colorado talks about sustaining a whole food plant based diet out of her Growing Dome Greenhouse
Cloud City Farm: Growing the Impossible at 10,000 Feet
Cloud City Farm: From Superfund Site to Community Gardens, Thriving High Altitude Farm and Year-Round Growing Dome Greenhouse With only 28 frost free days a year, and living 10,000 feet above sea level, they are growing what at first might seem impossible. Cloud City Conservation Center (C4) Cloud City Conservation Center (C4) is a non-profit 501(c)3...
Joyful Journey Hot Springs Spa Growing Dome Greenhouse
Joyful Journey Hot Springs Spa offers a rejuvenating experience in the San Luis Valley of Colorado with a Growing Dome Greenhouse
Pine River Garden Club: Growing Gardeners
Growing Gardeners and a Local Foodshed with a Growing Dome® at the Pine River Community Garden Instead of garlic from China and avocados from Mexico, the Pine River Garden Club in Bayfield, Colorado, cultivates their own local foodshed, grows gardeners and teaches how to harvest what you thought wouldn’t grow here. Pine River Garden Club...
7 Simple Secrets to Maintain Vibrant Health
75 Year Old Ex-Dentist Reveals Effective No Cost Methods of Improving Health Naturally Following are 7 simple tips to maintain vibrant health, as given by this guy. And unless you’re brand new here, I bet you recognize our fearless leader! Udgar Parsons, the creator of the Growing Dome® and co-owner of Growing Spaces®. You’ve probably seen...
One Healthy Snack Without The Burden Of Prep Time
One Healthy Snack You Can Grab On The Go… Without The Burden Of Prep Time You like to eat. You want a healthy snack. You’re hungry…all the time. It’s the same for all of us. We’re all hungry all the time. My kids are always asking for food, always on the prowl for the next...
How to Boost Your Immunity with these 5 Garden Herbs for Flu and Cold Season
Boost Immunity and Beat the Flu with these Powerful Medicines Found in Your Kitchen, Window-Shelf Pot, or Year Round Growing Dome® Garden.
Holiday Solstice 2017
As I think about my experience shopping yesterday, as everyone prepares for the holidays in our town, I am struck by the Holiday energy, thoughts about ending 2017, and affirming what will be healthy for the New Year. The offer of a “21 Day Pilates Holiday Slimdown” reminds me of the urge to improve in...
The Gift of Food Security
What does food security mean to you? Does it mean that your food is grown organically without pesticides and hormones? Does it mean that you know you will always have food on your table for your family because you can supply it yourself? Maybe it means you have grown enough food to collaborate with...
Our Sugared Lives
TOO MUCH SUGAR TOO MUCH SUGAR – This is all we hear in the news and in health magazines. Every news organization is reporting on Americans eating too much sugar. What does all this mean? How much is too much? Most people think “eh, I don’t eat doughnuts and cookies so I should be OK”. ...
Essentially Being: Transitioning to a Healthy Happy Lifestyle
Building blocks of a healthier life Our health is so important and it can change so rapidly. There are a plethora of small things that you can do to positively transition your well-being and your lifestyle effectively. The little things really do add up! Before you know it they can create a snowball effect in...
Spring Equinox 2017. Break Out of Darkness, Return to Light
It is the Spring Equinox for 2017….traditionally symbolizing the breaking out of the darkness of winter and the return of light. It’s time for longer days and an “emerging” as birds sing and buds return from sleep to waking. In my world, it is especially significant this year, due to the symbolic darkness of this...
Permaculture Convergence in Mancos, Colorado
Permaculture and Tending the Fires of Inspiration Permaculture isn’t really about chickens, swales, plants, energy, composting toilets, and buildings; and this article isn’t really about permaculture. It is about how permaculture helps us design for beneficial relationships. Relationships which make the world a better place, regardless if it is between domestic fowl, comfrey, and pill bugs....
Assisted Living Greenhouse
Robert Hilger transformed a barren wasteland, a forgotten metal scrap yard, into a living, growing landscape for the betterment of seniors. Now he is transforming an outdated barren mindset of institutions which may not serve us to our highest potentials.
Notes from Puja: Reflections During Strawberry Moon
She just flew up to the window as if to say “Are you Awake now?” I am slowly getting there. Attempting to summarize my thoughts, my woodpecker friend evokes the question by testing various surfaces on our log cabin home. What to say? I’m in a reflective mood. In this record heat, all I can...
Children’s Health Empowered By Growing Your Own Food
The Pizza Bed Regenerating Children’s Health By Growing Your Own Food And Regenerating A Culture Connected to The Soil Our kids are fat. I know that’s a shocking way to say it, and with a little license to be politically incorrect, it’s probably accurate. Sadly. And as for adults, the majority isn’t any better off. But it gets...
Community Gardens and The Garden Project of Southwest Colorado
The Garden Project of Southwest Colorado “Growing your own food is a revolutionary act.” -Vandana Shiva Gardening is Revolutionary. Your garden is significant. Gardening creates a better world, bringing health to your body and health to the planet. It cultivates a quality of beauty that merits direct experience for full appreciation. Even a humble backyard garden plot...
Growing Your Own Food vs Shopping
Bountiful Baskets are great. They keep my family of five stocked with quality fresh fruits and vegetables. The other day, while picking up our baskets at the local pick up site, the lady that checks your name off the list greeted me. Then asked half shyly, "Do you guys eat all three of those boxes?" If you’re not familiar with Bountiful Baskets Food Co-op, it’s a great volunteer-run co-op that distributes boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables. It’s sort of like receiving a CSA box (Community-Supported Agriculture). The contents are different every delivery, and it’s usually a surprise, to me at least, as to what’s in there.
Return of the Light: Back to the Garden
As I consider the “Return of the Light” as signified by the Spring Equinox, Easter and even the Lunar Eclipse this week, I have to say… “It is welcome!” I have been very moved by the troubles we see and hear about globally, as we enter the next season. Growing Spaces® mission “to help personal...
Winter Gardening: Growing Spaces
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...
Winter Solstice: The Turning Of The Light
The Winter Solstice: A time to celebrate, a time of re-affirmation, and a time of courage. In the Northern Hemisphere, the December Solstice is the Winter Solstice, and the shortest day of the year. Although winter is the season of dormancy, darkness and cold, the December Solstice marks the “turning of the Sun.” The days slowly get...
Exercise To Cultivate Wellness
We all know the importance of eating good food. And we all know the importance of exercise, but do you do it? Be honest. Do you get enough exercise? Do you have something in your life that keeps you consistently exercising 4 or 5 times a week? Now, I’m not talking about lifting weights, working...
An Example of Sustainability and Stewardship in Action, Mission: Wolf
Growing Domes and Mission: Wolf A Living example of Sustainability and Stewardship “A wolf in a cage is good for one thing…to teach people NOT to put wolves in cages.” Mission: Wolf I applaud the work of our friends over the mountains in Westcliffe, Colorado. Mission: Wolf You won’t believe how they are raising the...
Season’s Greetings
Season’s greetings! What is this season? A time of turning…turning toward snow boots and scrapers and bundling up to scrape snow off the solar panels and help Udgar mount the plow. The smell of wood smoke nurtures my sense of gratitude for our Rocky Mountain home and the outdoor life we get to live. This...
Living in Gratitude this Season
As I begin this Newsletter greeting, I was just watching wild turkeys outside our window scratching for food. I always feel wonder that they return every year and surround our cabin with their good energy, reminding me of the pilgrims and Native American’s offering gratitude. I am preparing a surprise turkey dinner for a friend and...
Celebrating Growth in the 15′ Growing Dome: Episode 3
Welcome back to the 15′ Growing Dome! The Growing Spaces team is excited to share how well all of our cool season crops are growing, even as the weather continues to get colder and the days get shorter here in Pagosa Springs, CO. November is the time of year when most everyone is putting...
June in My Growing Dome
Yesterday, while focusing on recovery from my dental surgery and the long week of organizing and working with our stellar team, I knew I just wanted to GARDEN in my Growing Dome. I was out in my Growing Dome for about 5 hours, preparing old baskets for new plants, amending the soil and mixing up...
Celebrate Everything – Growing Spaces Values
When we started Growing Spaces LLC in 1989, our effort was to build a socially responsible business based on the values and practices we are living. One of them was the idea to “Celebrate Everything.” For me that means the attempt to shift inside, and see the potentials in every experience as well as to...
New Moon, New Year, New Beginnings
I have just settled in by the fire, on our coldest day on record in two decades in the USA, according to N.O.A.A. Weather Service online. With the wind chill, my relatives in Minnesota are experiencing 60 degrees below zero today! Lucky for us, it is only 5 degrees below zero in Pagosa Springs, but...
How We Built a Socially Responsible Company and What Inspired Us
Why are we a Socially Responsible Company? Like so many environmentally aware people, I was really affected by the reality of the unusual super-storms of the past few weeks as the hurricane in the Philippines and the recent tornadoes here in the United States, took away lives, homes, and livelihoods. The Climate Reality project states...
Accessing Our Inner Wisdom in Business
A few years ago I was privileged to be on a panel of CEOs at our annual SW Colorado Women’s Business Conference and asked “How do women do business differently than men?” Although the moment called a response from the three of us that invited us all to recognize that we all possess masculine and...
Peace as a practice taught through gardening
There is an intangible, but equally empowering peace that comes with the practice of growing our own food. Have you taken the time to understand where this peace comes from? In understanding the roots of this peace we can find ways to expand on it and move the practice over into other parts of our...
It’s Earth Day
It’s Earth Day, and this is being celebrated in many places around the globe (see Earthday.org ). In our own small town, the people of vision were out on a cold day in their booths giving away small trees to celebrate Earth Day. There were many examples of innovation and many contributions to the awareness...
Our Dirt Work Leads to a Food Revolution
Celebrity Chef Jamie Oliver endorses the Growing Dome Greenhouse while visiting Navajo Nation in Arizona
What You Need to Know About Eating Safe Fruits and Vegetables
In this day and age of the deluge of bad news, everyone does their best to filter out the pertinent information about what will affect their health and safety. In this article we’re going to do some filtering for you and review important information about the safety of your fresh fruits and vegetables. We’ll offer...
Dancing with Stress, Managing Overwhelm
What IF I could live in such balance that the energy needed for my everyday commitments was an OVERFLOW out of the peace and natural enthusiasm I carry within me? What if I could re-set myself, when I was thrown off balance? And make recovery an art form? This has been my developing goal since...
Proof that Gardening Gives a Natural Mood Lift
How many people do you know who are affected by depression, anxiety, stress or other emotional illness? Or maybe the better question is: Who do you know that is not affected? The pressures of today’s increasingly fast-paced, high-tech society that demands you know all things at all times and learn to do them all at...
6 Ways to Be 1 Amazing Kid
Growing Spaces co-owner, Puja Parsons, subscribes to a number of e-newsletters that keep her abreast of current trends in healthy eating, wellness and sustainability. Many Mondays we come to work and find delicious email forwards in our inboxes with links to great articles. Most recently via Puja’s subscription to DailyGood.org, she shared with us a...
Keynote Address: Staying Centered in the Cyclone
One of our two favorite leaders of Growing Spaces, Puja Parsons, gave a beautiful keynote address to an audience of nearly 200 at the SW Colorado Women’s Small Business Conference in Durango, Colorado on July 13th, 2012. It was a bit of a new frontier for Puja because she had the opportunity to present how...
A Featured Favorite Blogger
This Growing Dome Greenhouse owner in New Mexico writes wonderful pieces on healthy off-grid living
A Child in Canada Gets His Wish with a new Growing Dome Greenhouse
Ever heard about the “Children’s Wish Foundation”? Well we had the amazing opportunity to be involved with them in fulfilling the wish of a boy with Leukemia. He asked for his own Growing Dome. We’re speechless about how beautiful a thing this is and are very glad to share this nice article The Children’s Wish...
Visioning the Balance
“For Puja and I, everything is connected, and we are ever awed by the complexity and beauty of the natural world. Offering a product which helps people enjoy and support this beauty and the bountiful ways of nature – while growing an abundance of food – is very fulfilling for us.” – Udgar Parsons, Co-Owner...
A Worthy Journey: Putting youth gardening into perspective
As we celebrate the interest from children and young adults in growing organic food, we want to point to major influences over the last few years. I thank the efforts of Jamie Oliver, Will Allan, and Michelle Obama and many Moms and Dads who are convinced that learning “where food comes from” is the beginning...
STEM Intern Helps Us Grow
As you may have already guessed, we’re all about education of all ages here at Growing Spaces and are always searching for new ways to empower people with knowledge about how to live and grow sustainably. We had an awesome opportunity this summer to hire an intern to work in our shop through the local...
What About Farm-to-School for the Little Ones?
I am not very good at baking….there I admit it. I love to cook but have a mental block on baking. It is challenging, to say the least, with all of my food allergies. (Wheat, gluten, eggs, dairy!) So I gave it up long ago but in the recent months the need has come back...
The Grassroots Global Web
Have you noticed how the off-grid, sustainable living movement is increasingly wired in? You can subscribe to @HomeGrownDOTorg on Twitter and like the Solar Living Institute on Facebook. How strange is the small farmer with his hands in the dirt one moment and his eyes trained on YouTube the next? How odd is the gardener...
An Inspirational Culture of Life
Paul Renner of Gabrielle Cousins Living Foods program in Arizona pays a visit to Growing Spaces Greenhouses
Cost versus Value: How to reconcile spending more for organic food
Whether you buy your red bell peppers conventionally grown from Chile or organically farmed down the road, you are likely noticing that food prices are rising faster than inflation. This just adds another layer to the already complicated question of, “What am I willing to pay for my food?” Every time I’m at the grocery store,...
A Gateway to Sustainability
As the world turns towards sustainable solutions, the Eden Project in Cornwall, UK, stands out as a beacon of hope and innovation. This visionary project, transforming an exhausted quarry into the world's largest conservatory, exemplifies how communities can come together to create impactful, eco-friendly spaces. Its blend of education, tourism, and social enterprise inspires visitors globally, subtly promoting ecological awareness. In Pagosa Springs, we draw from this example, envisioning our own eco-destination with the Geothermal Greenhouse Project. Join us as we nurture this dream, planting seeds for a sustainable future and inviting you to share your green community stories.
Growing Organic Food in Urban USA
Living just 100 feet from the freeway, the Dervaes family lives a self-sufficient life in the middle of LA. They grow enough organic food on their 1/10 of an acre of available “farm” land on their 1/5 of an acre of property in Pasadena, to live year-round without going to the grocery store for food....
Spinach Loaf Recipe for the Kids
Spinach Loaf Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine: Pour into buttered casserole dish and bake 35-40 minutes until inserted knife comes out clean. White Sauce: Whisk together in a saucepan:
Is Sugar Toxic?
On May 26, 2009, Robert Lustig gave a lecture called “Sugar: The Bitter Truth,” which was posted on YouTube the following July. Since then, it has been viewed well over 800,000 times, gaining new viewers at a rate of about 50,000 per month, fairly remarkable numbers for a 90-minute discussion of the nuances of fructose...
Michelle Obama and Growing Spaces – Working Toward a Common Goal
Today’s announcement that Michelle Obama is authoring a book on the importance of school, urban and community gardening is another example of the mind shift that is happening in the United States and across the globe. Her support of healthier, more self-sustaining lifestyles is directly in line with Growing Spaces vision. Growing Spaces was founded...
Smoothie made from Garden Greenhouse Veggies
A delicious and nutritious smoothie right from the garden! Ingredients: 1/2 zucchini, peel and remove seeds 1/2 cucumber, peel and remove seeds 5 cherry tomatoes (this recipe uses yellow cherry tomatoes) 10 chunks of pineapple (this recipe uses frozen chunks) 1/4 cup water 1 tsp honey Blend coarsely chopped vegetables, pineapple, water, and honey in...
Food for Thought
As I am moved by the amazing colors of the harvest season here in the Rocky Mountains, it seems so appropriate to share why I feel so honored to have Shumei International® teachers arrive as our guests in teaching Natural Agriculture. We Americans were once gardeners and people of the land. My own lineage were...
Shumei Natural Agriculture & Growing Spaces
“The principle of Natural Agriculture is an overriding respect and concern for Nature,” stated Mokichi Okada in his book A Great Agricultural Revolution. This respect leads to minimum intervention in the growing processes. While many modern agricultural practices are based on a belief in the need to control and manipulate the growing process, Natural Agriculture...
Greenhouse Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Our friends in Taos, New Mexico once published this recipe – we just couldn’t get enough of this yummy treat, and wish to pass it on to our fellow gardeners…(** as originally from a friend of Yart, Janine N; Yart leaves out the ingredients with the asterisks.) Chocolate Zucchini Cake Cream together: 1/2 cup **margarine...
How Growing Your Own Food Changes Your Life
Growing just one food-producing plant at home like tomato, bell pepper, strawberry, lettuce, snow peas, etc. can do more than just save money otherwise spent at the grocery store. Whether you are a family of five, a single-person household, or a community of many, you can make a difference in how you live – today!...
Green Living 101: Grow Your Own Food
Green Living 101: Grow your own food in Colorado Worried about America’s addiction to oil? Do you want to rely less on oil and live off the vegetables and fruits of your labor? Want to grow your own organic food all year around, even in the dead of winter in the bitter Colorado Rocky Mountain...
Powerful video on encouraging a healthier, happier, more sustainable lifestyle
Shift awareness and embrace change! Play this brief video, and share with everyone to encourage healthier, happier, and more sustainable ways across our planet! This video by FourYearsGo was forwarded to us through email by a Growing Dome owner.
Recycling: 1.41 Oz. of Trash Created by Gardening Class
We are celebrating!! Growing Spaces hosted the first of this seasons four-part Gardening and Beyond class… In preparation for the event, we made a conscious decision to really eliminate the “normal” waste that is created by having such an event with 30 to 40 people. We used real glasses, cups, saucers, silverware and cloth napkins....
Feeding a Crowd in February from the Growing Dome!
Here at Growing Spaces, we are lucky enough to have employee lunches provided by food from the Domes on site. Yesterday, from two 22′ Growing Domes, we harvested enough salad greens and kale to feed a crowd of 12 people. Not bad when the weather outside is still in the teens and low 20s and...
Promoting Positive Lifestyle Change
From Janice, (new decade) In an effort to promote positive lifestyle changes, I want to tell you about a company I work for called Growing Spaces. The staff here is very excited to share our passion about the importance of our product, the Growing Dome greenhouse. Half of all American adults have a chronic illness...
Exploring New Ways of Doing Business
It is obvious that we live in unprecedented times. The combination of environmental and economic degradation are catalysts to review how we do business as well as how we live our lives. Growing Spaces has always been “alternative” in a way because we have a product that uses and teaches the use of natural energy...
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