Step by Step Guide to Buying a Growing Dome Greenhouse

Things to Consider when Buying a Greenhouse

What do you need to consider when you are dreaming of having a greenhouse?
We have put together a list of questions you might ask yourself, and we try to provide some thought-provoking ideas for you to ruminate on.

Greenhouse Purchase Considerations

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Growing Dome Greenhouse Site Selection

Selecting a site for your greenhouse is the first step in planning for your year-round dream garden. There are many factors to consider, including proximity to your home, solar exposure, grade, soil, wind, and water supply. We walk you through each step to help you select the best site for your Growing Dome.

Selecting Your Greenhouse Site

Growing Dome Greenhouse Foundation Options

There are a few greenhouse foundation options for a Growing Spaces® Growing Dome greenhouse, from very simple gravel ring foundations to more complex options like Insulated Concrete Forms. The structure is very light, ground loading between 30-50 lbs/square foot, so the purpose of creating a greenhouse foundation is basically to secure the solar greenhouse to the ground and anchor it. The water tank of the Growing Dome is bolted to the foundation wall, which also helps in the anchoring process. We walk you through each factor to help you determine which foundation option is best for your greenhouse.

Greenhouse Foundation Options

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Building Department Information

After 30 years of manufacturing and building Growing Dome® geodesic greenhouses, Growing Spaces® is well practiced at facilitating the permitting process. Plus, we have a positive precedent; owners of Growing Dome greenhouses around the country from hobby gardeners to large institutions have had great success in obtaining permits for their greenhouse kits. We walk you through the important steps to obtain your local building permits.

Do You Need a Greenhouse Building Permit?

Home Owners Info

Does your neighborhood have a Home Owners Association or covenant? In addition to building permits, it is also important to present the right information to your HOA. The geodesic structure may be unique, but it is critical to maintaining a healthy environment for your plants. We also recommend reviewing our customization options to best match the Growing Dome with your home and exterior landscape.

Greenhouses and HOA’s

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Growing Dome Greenhouse Installation Options

Growing Spaces® offers four different options for building your Growing Dome greenhouse: DIY (do-it-yourself) owner self-installation, Supervisor Only, Supervisor Plus One or Full Crew installation. We will walk you through each option to help determine which one best suits your budget, timing and your building aptitude.

Greenhouse Installation Options

Growing Dome Owner Supplied Items

The Growing Dome prefabricated kits are optimized for cost and shipping. There are some items that are too bulky or costly to ship to your location and are readily available at your local hardware or HVAC store. This page lists the owner supplied items, approximate costs and where to purchase.

Owner Supplied Items Detailed

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Growing Dome Greenhouse Garden Design

There are many ways that people use our Growing Domes® for greenhouse gardening. Planning and building the interior and exterior of your Growing Dome is a fun and fulfilling project. This includes the location of your gardening beds, containers, pathways, extra space, water features, and of course what you are going to plant!

Geodesic Greenhouse Garden Design

Growing Dome Greenhouse Gardening Bed Design

Growing Spaces has a wide selection of pictures from Growing Dome owners of their garden bed designs. In the Growing Dome there is usually an outer raised bed, a circular pathway, and then an inner raised bed. The beds generally are anywhere between one and two-foot high depending on the personal preference of the owner and raised bed design is entirely up to the owner of the Growing Dome. Over the years, we have found our owners use recycled plastic lumber, Douglas Fir, plywood, sheet metal, adobe, rocks, and many other methods of creating the walls for the raised beds. We can also provide detailed plans and cut lists for the most common garden bed designs. When you select our Full Crew installation option, we can also quote interior bed design and assembly. We also have pre-fabricated, self-assembly options to choose from.

Designing Greenhouse Garden Beds

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Greenhouse Gardening Best Practices

By this point you should be ready to start planting your dream garden! Growing Spaces will also walk you through the Best Practices for Greenhouse Gardening to give you the best chance of success. We have important information on pests, soil, planting schedules, heating and cooling and more!

Greenhouse Best Practices

Passive Solar Dome Greenhouse Design

It is also important to learn more about our passive solar greenhouse design and seven unique features.  The unique geodesic design not only provides year-round growing, but it also provides superior engineering and durability in a variety of environments. Unlike some solar greenhouse kits, the Growing Dome® geodesic greenhouse withstands wind, snow, heat, and a variety of harsh weather conditions.

Our Passive Solar Greenhouse Design

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Prefabricated Greenhouse Kits

Because our Growing Domes are prefabricated down to the finest details, all you need to do is order a kit and assemble it on site. Putting up a dome is also a fun activity to share with family, friends, and volunteers in your school or community. Or hire our experienced installation crews.

Benefits of Pre-Fab Greenhouse Kits

Best Greenhouse for Wind

Worried about the wind in your location? The Growing Dome is engineered to withstand hurricane-force winds. Instead of wind impacting a large surface area, like the broadside of a rectangular greenhouse, it flows around the geodesic shape. The shape actually pushes the dome towards the ground.  We also strengthened the automatic vent openers to withstand high winds, and offer a solar attic fan option.  See some case studies from Growing Dome owners and other design features to protect your greenhouse from the wind.

The Strongest Greenhouse in the Wind

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