Can a Growing Dome handle Alaska snow and wind?

One Haines dome carried nearly six feet of wet, heavy snow at one time, and the owners report the structure never worried them and wind had no effect. The frame sheds snow rather than holding it, spreads the remaining load across the whole structure, and can be built to withstand 120 pounds per square foot and more with slight modifications.

What can I grow through an Alaska winter?

Haines owners grow tomatoes and other heat-loving vegetables that will not survive outside in Alaska. Winter dark is the honest limit; what deep winter looks like depends on dome size, site, and how you run it. The heating and cooling guide walks through the numbers, and the climate calculator gives recommendations for your ZIP code.

Greenhouses for Sale in Alaska

Growing Spaces has built the Growing Dome® greenhouse kit in Pagosa Springs, Colorado for more than 35 years, and more than 30 of them are installed across Alaska, from Haines to a fly-in Aleut village of 18 people on Umnak Island.

If a greenhouse can grow food in the middle of the Bering Sea, it can grow food in your yard.

30+

Growing Domes installed in Alaska, as of July 2026.

Designed for the hardest test

Built in Rocky Mountain snow country and proven from Haines to the middle of the Bering Sea.

Built for Alaska conditions

Alaska is the hardest test we ship to: wet, heavy coastal snow, wind, long winter dark, and short, intense summers. One Haines owner carried nearly six feet of wet snow on the dome at one time.

The Growing Dome design answers each of these directly. The geodesic frame sheds snow instead of holding it and spreads the remaining load across the whole structure; the kit can be built to withstand loads of 120 pounds per square foot and more with slight modifications, and the Haines owners report the frame never gave them a moment of worry under that load, with wind having no effect. The glazed dome takes in light from every direction through short days, the above-ground water tank stores daytime heat and releases it overnight, automated vents open on heat rather than grid power, and the undersoil air system carries warm air into the soil, where cold nights do the most damage.

The design pages cover each system in depth: passive solar design, thermal mass, the undersoil system, and automated vents. For structural detail, see the weather resistant greenhouse kit page.

Two domes in the middle of the Bering Sea

Our crew built two 33 foot Growing Domes in Nikolski, an Aleut village of 18 people on Umnak Island in the Bering Sea, where food arrives by plane twice a week when the weather allows. Four large crates made the trip; the domes extend the growing season for one of the longest inhabited settlements on earth.

Read the Nikolski story.

the domes on Umnak Island in progress assembly

A village build in New Stuyahok

In 2010, the Yup'ik village of New Stuyahok raised a 33 foot Growing Dome beside the Chief Ivan Blunka school with our team's help: a community garden for seedlings, organic growing, and time between generations.

Read the New Stuyahok story.

Tomatoes under six feet of Haines snow

Mardell and Diz gardened in hoop houses in Haines for years before switching to a 26 foot Growing Dome in 2016 to grow heat-loving vegetables, tomatoes above all. Their dome has carried nearly six feet of wet snow at one time, and they report they never worried about the structure.

Read the Haines story. More Alaska stories live in the Alaska greenhouses archive.

Permits, snow, and logistics in Alaska

The questions Alaska buyers ask first.

Permit requirements vary by borough and city, and much of Alaska sits outside organized boroughs with no permitting at all. Where permits apply, snow load requirements are serious, so call your local office early and tell them the footprint and that the structure is a greenhouse. We supply construction drawings and specifications for permit applications on request. Start with our building department guide.

Yes, and we have shipped and built in some of the hardest places to reach in the state; four crates and our crew made it to Umnak Island in the Bering Sea. Alaska freight runs differently than lower 48 trucking, and every route is its own plan, so talk with an advisor early and we will price the leg to your site alongside the kit. The shipping page and the installation options page cover the paths.

plane propeller Growing Spaces install crew in Alaska

Choosing your dome

Growing Domes come in six sizes, 15 to 42 feet across. The right one depends on what you want to grow, how much of the year you want to grow it, and your site. The greenhouse guide walks through the choice, the shop lists current kit pricing, and the comparison pages set the dome against other structures, starting with the gothic arch.

Plan an Alaska greenhouse with an advisor

Tell us your borough, site, and what you want to grow. We will help you size the dome, plan the site, and sort out shipping and logistics before you commit to anything.

Talk with an advisor

Alaska growing dome nearing complete frame assembly