Nevada Greenhouse

Daunelle & Weldon Wulstein’s 18′ Growing Dome

Their Background

Daunelle and Weldon have always enjoyed gardening, but the weather in Lake Tahoe left them with very little time to enjoy it. Seven years ago, they decided to make the short move from Lake Tahoe to Gardnerville, Nevada. Located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains at approximately 4,751 ft their valley is known for it’s thermal winds. The climate is similar to Tahoe; but “hotter and windier.”

In their first few years in Garnerville, they tried it all; planting zucchinis and anything they could think of that might thrive in their new home. After some success gardening outdoors, they decided to take it up a notch and buy a greenhouse. “We wanted to extend our growing season in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.” Weldon did a lot of research on what would be right for them. When it came down to it, the Growing Dome is the “only greenhouse rated for erratic winds and crazy weather.”

Getting & Building the Dome

They sealed the deal in February of this year and purchased an 18′ Growing Dome. Living in Nevada allowed them to take advantage of our winter installation discount for warm climates. Plus, they earned a free solar waterfall upgrade after a friend referral.

They repurposed the wood pallets that we use when shipping the greenhouse to Nevada by giving them to their neighbor to build a chicken coop. When the weather warmed up in April, they started the building process. Weldon worked on the Dome pretty much all day every day for two weeks. He completed it doing most of the work on his own with a little help from his father-in-law and Daunelle. Daunelle said, “The videos were super helpful. My husband loves new challenges, but I think having construction experience made it easier for him than it would be for most. He is handy and handsome.”

Inside their Growing Dome

After finishing the outside, they got right to work building and filling their raised beds. Weldon installed a drip irrigation system and water spigot connected to their well inside the Dome. They opted to plant their “tried and true” veggies like radishes, tomatoes, arugula, thyme, rosemary, and zucchinis. In just two short months, the greenhouse veggies were noticeably “growing larger and more abruptly” than their outdoor counterparts.

In addition to their usual veggies, they also moved a fig tree into the center bed of their greenhouse. It was “struggling outside,” now it’s growing like crazy. They opted not to use their shade cloth, instead, Daunelle uses the fig tree to provide more natural shade. They also planted a grapevine facing west to wrap around the door frame. This helps to keep the greenhouse cooler through transpiration. If you were to visit Danelle and Weldon’s greenhouse in Nevada, you would also find watermelon plants, an avocado tree grown from seed by Welden’s Dad’s wife, and HUGE cauliflower plants.

First Impressions of their Nevada Greenhouse

Overall, “things are growing so well. ” As two people who are “very aware of climate change,” they love that the Dome is Solar Powered. “The waxed pistons that open the vents are ingenious! I love the sound of the waterfall…very serene when it is windy outside.” Although they don’t currently have anything in their pond they hope to have some mosquito fish and floating pond plants by next year.

Brand new Dome Owners Daunelle and Weldon want to remind you to “do your homework, ask for help if you need it, and know your climate.” Daunelle said that it’s “awesome that the business has been around so long. They know how to answer all of your questions.” Keep your eye out on the Growing Dome Enthusiasts group page for more updates from their Nevada greenhouse.

Show off your greenhouse!

You can find all of our Featured Growing Dome’s highlighted in our monthly newsletter “The Happy Grower,” on our social media platforms (Facebook and Instagram), and in our blog. At the end of the year, we create an annual calendar that includes every Dome of the Month. We send them to all Dome of the Month participants, along with a gift of Growing Spaces gardening goodies! Apply here. Have questions about a high altitude gardening? Send us an email to info@growingspaces.com.

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.

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