The Growing Dome Insulated Greenhouse: Revolutionizing the Greenhouse Industry

Welcome to the Wonderful World of the Growing Dome® Insulated Greenhouse

The Growing Dome is a net-zero, energy-efficient, insulated greenhouse. You can grow year-round with no heater, even in cold climates. A unique system that truly revolutionized the greenhouse industry. How is that possible?

It’s always fun to have Udgar mic up and wander out to the Growing Domes to chat. His energy and enthusiasm for growing food and the uniqueness of the Growing Dome start flowing like a waterfall hooked up to a 30-watt solar panel.∗ I push record and capture everything I can.

This video delivers the essence of why the Growing Dome is unique. It demonstrates why a Growing Dome allows you to grow your own food without the worries and frustrations of a traditional greenhouse. It shows why a Growing Dome is more than a greenhouse, and why, without flinching, we say the Growing Dome is revolutionizing the greenhouse industry.

The Water Tank AKA “The Above Ground Pond”

Udgar pulls no punches and goes straight for the “Power Pack” of the Growing Dome. The first thing he shows is the Above Ground Pond, the water tank used as a thermal mass. The water tank is the passive solar battery pack for the Growing Dome. In the winter, the low angle of the sun heats up the large water tank, stores the heat throughout the day and slowly releases it at night.

It is always north facing. Then, during the summer months, the tank is shaded from the sun. So, instead of heating the dome, the water tank helps cool the Growing Dome in the summer. The Above Ground Pond regulates the temperature of the dome regardless of the season.

North Wall Insulation (Reflectix)

This heating and cooling is made possible by the Reflectix insulation on the north side of the greenhouse. It is specially designed to both reflect and insulate heat to optimize the efficiency of the thermal mass. Most greenhouses lose their heat when the sun goes down or when the angle of the sun moves past mid-day. The Growing Dome is able to outperform traditional greenhouses, in part, because it is insulated.

It’s cold over there on the north side of things. It’s where you lose a lot of heat, but the North Wall Insulation helps keep it all in, especially during the cold winter months.

5 Wall Polycarbonate

This is by far my favorite section of the video.

The polycarbonate is strong. It’s resilient. It insulates the dome greenhouse far better than glass. Single pane glass has an R-value of 0.95, double pane glass is equal to 2.0, while 5-wall polycarbonate comes in just under 3.0! Making it the best material to use for insulated greenhouses.

Udgar made the mistake of saying you can throw a hammer at it and it’ll bounce right back at you.

Do Not Try This At Home! We Are Professionals!

He’s right you know. It is so strong you can throw a hammer at it and it will bounce back. I had to prove it. I thought it would be a good idea to demonstrate the claim. Of course, I wasn’t going to be the one to throw the hammer just in case. But sure, I’ll run the camera.

The polycarbonate glazing panels come with a 10-year pro-rated manufacturer warranty against yellowing and hail damage it says nothing about hammers, rocket launchers, or misguided tomfoolery.

Geodesic Shape: A Pattern of Beauty and Strength

The geodesic shape of the Growing Dome is very energy efficient. It has 40% less surface area than a rectangular structure through which heat can escape. It keeps the heat in, and as the sun tracks across the sky, the curved surface of the Growing Dome allows for an even solar heating input by the sun throughout the day. East facing, south facing, west facing. The sun warms your plants evenly throughout the day, all year long!

And, the geodesic shape is what makes the Growing Dome so strong and unique. It’ll handle heavy snow loads and winds simply flow right around it.

Undersoil Climate Control System: Not Just Blowing Hot Air

The undersoil ventilation system might look like just a little fan half-buried in the soil. But it’s doing a big job. This one-of-a-kind greenhouse design feature makes your year-round growing a reality.

To keep it simple…it blows a lot of hot air.

It blows hot air through the soil in the winter and cool air in the summer. You effectively heat or cool your soil depending on the time of the year. What’s more, regardless of season, the added air circulation helps even out overall temperatures as the soil itself also acts as a heat sink for your greenhouse. It’s like a mini climate battery or geothermal greenhouse, but no excavating. So, in the summer, it cools the dome, and in the winter it heats the soil so plants can grow all winter long.

Automatic Venting System

Again, greenhouses get hot. It’s part of the package. But here’s what happens when a Growing Dome gets too hot. The automatic vents in a Growing Dome are triggered to open when the temperature rises past a predetermined level. They’re heat activated. So, when it gets hot they open automatically. As hot air rises and escapes from the vents, a cooling chimney effect is created.

Frost Busting Insulated Foundation Wall

Back to the magic of insulated materials. The Growing Dome Greenhouse also has an insulated foundation wall. It keeps the soil warm because it prevents frost from coming in. And there’s also an insulating skirt which prevents frost from creeping in from underneath the wall. So, with a Growing Dome, you end up with a heated, insulated foundation for your greenhouse. There is no frost heaving and you can build your Growing Dome on a gravel ring.

Mediterranean Climate in the Mountains

All of these features:

• Geodesic Shape
• Above Ground Pond Thermal Mass
• North Wall Reflectix Insulation
• High-Quality 5-wall Polycarbonate Glazing
• Undersoil Climate Control System
• Automatic Venting System
• Insulated Foundation Wall

These all contribute to how the Growing Dome is revolutionizing the greenhouse industry. This is how you can grow tropical fruits, vegetables, and flowers year-round in the Rocky Mountains. The Growing Dome creates a Mediterranean climate even in cold climates. Look over here at our citrus tree.

Your Enclosed Indoor Garden

A Growing Dome Greenhouse Kit gives you an enclosed, indoor garden without the worries and frustrations of a regular greenhouse. It is revolutionizing the greenhouse industry. More importantly, you can grow food year-round.

This video was shot March 1st. The Growing Domes here at our manufacturing facility have been in production all winter. At the end of the video, Udgar says, “So, call us and you can have your own Growing Dome very very soon. It’ll give you years of fresh fruit, vegetables, flowers, and herbs all year round. So, give us a call.”

Well, just like the hammer throwing, I want to clarify. For certain, if you want your Growing Dome as soon as possible, then call us. You can have your Growing Dome soon. However, as the spring season creeps upon us the orders flood in faster than the snowmelt off the mountains. So, to beat the spring rush, to have your Growing Dome in time to plant for this growing season, don’t delay. Do what Udgar said.

∗ The water feature is a unique feature of the Growing Dome. It's not necessary for the Growing Dome to function as it's own enclosed indoor ecosystem, but it sure is an added benefit. It oxygenates the above ground pond, keeps your fish happy, and creates an alluring, peaceful atmosphere of sound. It runs on a 30 watt solar panel (or we have an electric option), and when it's on, it's on. Just like Udgar when he's sharing about the Growing Dome.