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...
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...
The Snow and Cold are Here! Until a few weeks ago, the Growing Spaces team and all of Pagosa Springs, CO was still waiting for our first big winter snow. Impatience for this important seasonal event ended just a few days before the Christmas holiday when the clouds finally dumped a good amount of fluffy...
It’s winter vegetable harvest time, and we hope to make it a holiday tradition. The long awaited snow and winter cold has finally arrived in Southwest Colorado, but our lush garden in the 15′ Growing Dome continues to produce yummy, nutrient-rich greens. The longer season crops we planted in October are also coming along nicely,...
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,...
Welcome back to the 15′ Growing Dome! We are glad you’ve decided to join us again. Following along with our project will continue to provide you with valuable gardening tips and information, as well as show how, really, anyone can grow fresh, nutritious food in a Growing Dome, all year-round! Thinning vegetable crops is a...
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...
It’s October 1st, and we’re planting seeds! At the beginning of our new project in the 15′ Growing Dome, we heavily amended the soil in the outer growing beds, where we direct seeded many greens and vegetables. As we constructed a new interior bed to increase growing space with the goal of maximizing production in...
As a socially responsible and green business, we are always seeking ways to source materials Made in America. Products Made in America supply valuable jobs that support our economy, and reduce fossil fuel use due to shorter transport distances from suppliers to our manufacturing facility. We often have to weigh a number of factors when...
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...
4-25-13 Thursday: I love round tanks, especially when it comes to leveling. Today we were busy finishing the tank. Don’t you love Janet’s pleats in the tank liner? And, yes, for a charge she will come redo your tank! Other tasks included finishing the fans, final odds and ends at the door, and leftover parts! 4-27-13: Thursday...
We thought we might be nearing a close with the construction of the 33′ Growing Dome at the Shumei Garden at the Rodale Institute, but this story sure has had it’s twists and turns! It turns out that Richard is headed back east to work on some finishing touches and to help with consulting on...
As the 33′ Growing Dome at the Shumei Natural Agriculture Garden at the Rodale Institute continues to take shape we see how many wonderful volunteers are pitching in to make this project happen. Richard Miller, Growing Spaces installation supervisor, has been kind enough to send us updates as they go. 4-9-13 Tuesday: I checked hubs...
The 33′ Growing Dome at the Shumei Natural Agriculture Garden at the Rodale Institute is going up nicely. Richard Miller has been kind enough to send us updates as they go, so you can feel like you’re right there with them! 4-2-13 Puxatawney Phil is part of a stew right about now. No, not because...
“Off Again To High Adventure”with Richard Miller, Growing Spaces Staff Question: What do Growing Spaces, Rodale Institute, and Shumei Natural Agriculture have in common? Answer: A 33′ Growing Dome Yes, it’s true…Here we go again. Janet and I, the lowly vent maker, are “off again to high adventure”. Well, 15′-6″ high at least, to the...
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...
DATELINE Sweden, the U.S. connection, the story continues… As with many “Great Times” in life, our time in Sweden came and went in a blink. The Johansson family, our wonderful hosts, represent, in my opinion, the future of our planet. I know that sounds profound, but it is the simple truth. The love, interest and...
Richard and Janet by this time have finished up with Ludvig and family on the 26′ Growing Dome Greenhouse installation at Ludvig’s home in Sweden. We’re awaiting a written narrative of the experience, but in the meantime, we have this photo journal of the remainder of the build. Enjoy!
Richard Miller and his wife Janet made it safely to Sweden and were reunited with the Growing Dome kit shipped from Growing Spaces. The build has commenced and is coming along beautifully. The international exchange is going over great. It seems Ludvig and Richard had hit it off well over the phone and email that...
“Dateline Sweden” Ludvig Johansson discovers 2 crates, one might contain the “Holy Grail”, eat your heart out Harrison Ford! Just kidding!! The two crates do contain what will be a great adventure, however, I’m just happy they made it from Colorado, USA to Sweden, 5000+ miles, in good shape. This other picture concerns me though....
Officially Announcing the Winners of Where In The World contest! And the winners are…do you hear the drum roll?? But wait, before I announce the winners, let me thank Ludvig Johansson and his family in Sweden for sharing their adventure. The new photos now posted show the amount of labor Ludvig and his Dad, Ove,...
Many of us can look at this photo and envision what will be a great adventure. Site selection, solar orientation, leveling the ground, leveling the ground, leveling, leveling, and more leveling. You get the picture, but wait… Where in the world is this future 26′ Growing Dome site? These iconic photos have become the feature...
This is the most exciting time of year to be involved in gardening and we can’t help but join in and share spring planting info. When the bug hits to get growing it’s hard to resist, but when REALLY is the best time to sow what seeds in spring? And is there a way to...
Stacey Couch is the Creative Media Coordinator for Growing Spaces LLC. She wrangles social media, navigates our online presence, and harmonizes overall marketing efforts. Her background includes a degree in Conservation Biology, Evolution, and Ecology, and years working in the field studying ornithology and botany. More recently she’s worked for animal welfare non-profit organizations and...
We were fortunate last summer to come upon a great community of gardeners on Twitter that gets together once a week on Monday nights at 9pm EST for an event called #gardenchat. #gardenghat is presented by Bren of Creative Living and Growing with Bren Haas and includes hundreds of well-educated professional and hobby gardeners from...
From time to time, we receive questions about the soil in the gardening beds of the Growing Dome. The question of soil, like many things in gardening, can be a life-long pursuit or can be a spontaneous leap of faith. Examining the interactions between micro-organisms, fungi, minerals, biomass and more keeps laboratories at the most...
My family and I are in the first year with our 26′ Growing Dome. This winter we are not at full capacity because we didn’t have time to get all of the beds built before the soil we needed to bring into the greenhouse froze solid to the ground. Right now we’re growing in a...
We spend a lot of time talking about our greenhouse kits and what they can do. Next, we highlight our vision of a sustainable world, and lastly, we sometimes happen to mention who we are. The increasing attention paid to goods made in America has caused us to think back to who we are as...
“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...
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...
I have experienced it many times; in five countries, on three continents, blending multiple languages, cultures, and generations. I have felt the power and potential while working with indigenous peoples, schools, neighborhoods, communities, and families. I have shared in their celebrations and contributed my tears and shivers of gratitude and excitement. A Growing Dome build...
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...
Allan Werthan provides an outstanding account of his visit to Arizona to build a Growing Dome Greenhouse in Navajo Nation
I am excited this fall, because for once I don’t feel terribly behind on my winter crop plantings. I have 2 separate beds of my “greens mixture” beets, chard, kale, swiss chard and parsnips coming up, about 3 weeks apart, I have garlic sprouted about 4″ and more just breaking through the ground. Onions are...
Here’s what I’ve learned lately from our 26′ Growing Dome. For a while there our life was pretty calm and I was getting to the Dome every Saturday and checking in on the plants. I’d harvest whatever was ready, clip the dead leaves or stems from the tomato and pepper plants, throw in a few...
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...
So Richard Miller, our resident Master Gardener here at Growing Spaces, and I finally made it to my Growing Dome for a little gardening evaluation. Turns out that my concerns about my gardening skills have a lot less to do with the results this year in my Dome, than the soil or rather in this...
The 33′ Employee Dome at Growing Spaces and my personal 26′ Dome are in full harvest mode now and it’s a little tough for even the most enthusiastic veggie lover to consume as much produce as is ready to eat! For weeks now Richard Miller and I have had a little “co-op” going on, he...
I spent a bit of time this weekend in my 26′ Dome getting it tidied and ready for a fall planting. We just had 3 weeks of monsoon rains and our temperatures have moderated somewhat, so I am hoping to get my fall crops planted this week. In so doing I am hoping to be...
After punching in this morning I went out to the 33′ Dome here at Growing Spaces to check on the lettuce seedlings surrounding the new strawberry transplants. Once again it appears we have planted way too densely, not hard to do with fine little lettuce seeds. So I spent about 10 minutes plucking out some...
Look what the Dome has in store! After spending a few minutes in the domes, I had to grab my camera! We have tomatoes, grapes, artichokes, figs, bell peppers, and squash just to name a few of the wonderful things growing inside!!! What types of things are growing in YOUR Dome?!
Growing Dome Greenhouse in New Stuyahik Alaska is growing fresh food for the community year-round
The Growing Dome makes such a difference in our lives. The possibilities are just absolutely endless! And my favorite part is that my three-year old boy loves it just as much as I do. He has made friends with the frogs, fish, and salamanders, but hasn’t seen the baby garden snake yet. Soon, he hopes!
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....
Can you guys believe we already have tomatoes sprouting in the Growing Dome, in MID-MARCH, in Southern Colorado, from last years plants that have been ripped out!!! You won’t see a single green leaf outside the Dome, for at least another month or two!!! (We’ll be eating tomatoes from this plant by then!)
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...
I have just planted peas, arugula, beets, and radishes in our 33′ Growing Dome. The peas are taking off and they look fantastic! It is a wonderful 84 degrees Fahrenheit in the dome today!
After a quick trip to our 26′ Growing Dome, I was thrilled to discover over 4 pounds of mixed salad greens and the first of our sugar snap peas ready to eat. What a treat! As our Dome is located 18 miles from where we now live, I only get to the Dome about once...
Hello!! My name is Kesy, I have been with Growing Spaces for almost two years. Let me tell you that these two years have flown by. It is so refreshing to work in an environment that is positive and nurturing, inside and out. Growing Spaces produces a product and a quality of life that I...
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...
