Do It Yourself / DIY Geodesic Greenhouse

We want everyone to enjoy our DIY Geodesic Greenhouse Kits

At Growing Spaces, we love the do-it-yourself (DIY) mentality. It is what this company was founded on, and with a little help from Buckminster Fuller, inventor of the geodesic dome, is what created the first DIY Growing Dome Geodesic Greenhouse Kits 30 years ago. But since then the design has been continuously improved and refined, with a focus on optimizing cost and quality. Our original founder, Udgar Parsons’ goal was to create an affordable, high-quality solution for the short growing seasons experienced in many parts of the US and Canada. Over the years we’ve optimized our kits for both DIY installations and those who want us to take care of everything!

“30 years of trial and error went into refining and perfecting our 6 sizes of Growing Domes. It was a labor of love and am joyful that so many people are able to garden year-round in harsh climates.” – Udgar Parsons, founder of Growing Spaces

Cutting Polycarbonate Glazing

As Growing Spaces grew, so did our purchasing power for many of the components we source for the Growing Dome kits. This is especially true for the high-quality polycarbonate we use. A full truckload of 4’ X 24’ and 6’ X 24’ sheets of 5-wall polycarbonate arrives at our dock weekly. Hundreds of templates are stocked and ready to cut the polycarbonate to the precise dimensions needed for every shape and size that goes into the kit. We also custom build precise vents with rain sheds for every kit, and include reinforced automated vent openers that are not available in retail stores.

Kitting and marking the lumber

We source only #1 select Douglas Fir and safe pressure-treated wood for the greenhouse kits. Since the lumber is structural and visible from the inside of the dome, we do not accept any large knots, warping or visual defects on our lumber. This quality of lumber is hard to find at your local hardware store. The Douglas Fir is dipped in a non-toxic wood stain that is friendly to plants, animals, and people.

DIY Geodesic Greenhouse Build

All of the hardware sourced for the Growing Dome is pre-kitted, labeled, and ready for assembly. We also get significant volume discounts from our US-based hardware suppliers. As an example, our entire 26-foot Growing Dome kit consists of 120 unique components.

 


Will your DIY Greenhouse stand up to the weather?

Greenhouse Design for Heavy Snow Loads

Google “DIY geodesic greenhouse” and you’ll find a plethora of low-cost ways to build a do-it-yourself greenhouse, but these will all be built from lower quality components and will not stand up to wind, snow, hail, and cold temperatures. As you can see, the Growing Dome is truly a structure that will enable you to grow fresh, organic produce year-round for many years to come. And the investment you make will pay off in the years of savings from buying organic produce and making multiple trips to the store. Not to mention the satisfaction you will receive from building the kit yourself.

It’s like paint by numbers, but greenhouse style.

DIY Geodesic Greenhouse Success

To sum it up, while we offer many different installation options, DIY‘ers usually opt for our self-install option. The geodesic dome greenhouse kit will arrive color-coded with step-by-step instructions. Assembling the dome feels like a barn-raising of sorts, and when you put the last struts in place at the top of the dome you can feel the strength of the structure as Bucky and Udgar intended!

Please contact us if you’d like to get more information on Growing Domes. Or to receive more informative gardening and Growing Dome articles, please sign up for our monthly Newsletter “The Happy Grower”.

author avatar
Kenzie Jackson Marketing Director
I studied marketing at Eastern Illinois University and have been working as the Marketing Director at Growing Spaces since May 2019. What I love most about my job is getting to tell the stories of our customers in our featured dome articles. It’s all about connecting through storytelling, and it’s pretty cool to see all the different ways people use our greenhouses.

2 Comments

  • Hello, I’m very interested in your 42ft dome. But now I’m not sure what we’re going to do. Your post says DIY, that you can build it yourself. I looked into that and found out that we can’t do it ourselves, that for the 42 ft it requires at least a supervisor and a 1 crew and where we’re moving it would cost over $13,000 just for 2 people’s labor!!! Why do you charge so much for that and why can’t I get my own crew to do the work? If I have to pay that then we won’t be able to get one of your domes. My husband’s a disabled vet and wondering if you work with vets in any way. If I have to pay for for your labor I won’t be able to get your done and will have to end up building our own and I really loved the convienience of having the aquaponics set up that comes with the dome. I believe I read that if you pick it up yourself you’d have to have an enclosed trailer. If we went that route would we still have to spend the money on your labor? We’re on the east coast. That’s going to be the deciding factor if we build a dome thru your company. I really love your domes and have been excited for months after deciding we were going to get one of yours. So please let me know so I know what direction to go. Thank you and have a wonderful day!

    • Please give us a call at 800-753-9333 and speak to one of our dome advisors. We are in the office M-F 8am – 5pm Mountain time. Some of our clients do hire their own crew, some do it themselves and some hire our supervisor and crew. One of our team can help you determine the best size for you and your husband and the best method of installation! You can also email us if you would like: info@growingspaces.com
      Our Shop Greenhouses page gives you the dimensions and how many people each dome will feed, but we are happy to chat with you! https://shop.growingspaces.com/collections/growing-domes
      Tina

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