Our family comprises three people, Paul, Shena and fourteen year old Celia. We have a 5 acre site, 135 metres (440ft) above sea level and as the highest point locally subject to strong winds and temperatures, some 2 degrees Centigrade lower than the surrounding valley areas. The height of the area protects us from some of the heavy frosts experienced in the lower areas locally and benefits us in respect of moisture from heavy dews most of the year.
... Our Story
The increasing prevalence of intensively farmed foodstuffs with poor taste and questionable nutritional value, combined with a desire to explore more unusual varieties and foods has led us to endeavour to grow more of our own fruit vegetables and herbs. Over recent years we have erected two polytunnels and a small greenhouse in order to prolong the growing season and grow more tender crops. The latter activity has enabled us to successfully grow peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, melons, apricots, and early salads. We have also been able to over winter tender herbs and passionflowers but have not been able to produce edible fruits.
Without some form of heating and more sophisticated ventilation the tunnels protect from frost and external cold but still tend to mirror the outside climate. In 2003 we started to think about finding a structure which could provide an even longer growing period, possibly all year round which could harness natural resources to provide heat, light, ventilation and irrigation across the seasons. Shena had dreams of a glasshouse but did not like the price, planning problems and artificial heating and lighting options.
Searching on the internet we came across Growing Spaces which seemed uniquely to offer many of the features for which we were looking. We arranged to view a recently installed 24 ft dome in Lincolnshire . This was not used as a traditional growing environment but as the housing for a swimming pool. We were impressed with the look of the dome which we had been concerned may look somewhat ‘homespun’ and intrusive particularly in a garden.
On returning home we decided that the dome could provide the environment we were looking for to develop the maximum use of sustainable resources to create an all year round growing environment, and that the site we identified would support a 26ft structure.
We ordered a Growing Dome which arrived on 28 January. The temperature remained cold windy and rainy throughout the time of construction - at least it provided an incentive to complete the building process so that we could decamp to the inside to build and complete the tank and growing beds. We started putting the wall together on the prepared site on 19 February, and followed with the frame, which was completed by 22 February. Working weekends and snatched hours during the week we had completed the dome by 29 February (picture) except for the water tank, internal beds and under soil heating pipes, and solar powered fan. The tank was made up, the liner and the tank filled with water.
We made up planting beds in the dome using railway sleepers cut into roughly metre lengths laid around the shape of the tank and around the perimeter then laid the under soil pipes and filled the beds with soil. This stage was completed by 27 March so instead of setting further beds in the centre of the dome we laid out 10 grow bags to enable the speedy planting of fruits, herbs and vegetables started from seed in the greenhouse. We planted two grape vines, an apricot tree, a peach tree, melons, 5 different varieties of tomato, aubergines, sweet and hot peppers, 3 varieties of cucumber, basil, parsley, rosemary, fennel, dill, 3 varieties of lavender, sage, lemon verbena, chives, spring onions, 5 varieties of lettuce, and a range of flowers and scented climbers.
We planted the same tomato, pepper and cucumber varieties in a polytunnel and outside so that we could track the performance in the different conditions. The conditions in the dome proved very favourable, maximising the utilisation of available heat from the sun whilst protecting from the cold and wind and maintaining the warmth from the tank overnight. We soon had the assorted plants growing at a rapid rate and within two weeks we were able to eat baby lettuce plants and started using the chives in cooking.
.... Dome Build
Since completing the dome build we have tracked the daily maximum and minimum temperatures in the dome, the polytunnels, the greenhouse and outside. The dome gets warmer than outside but its ventilation keeps it cooler than both the polytunnels and the greenhouse. In addition the dome stays warmer than all other sites with an average temperature variation of some 10-15% less than the other sites. Once established the plants have grown to sturdy giants, growing taller than elsewhere but with no consequent lack of strength. .
.... Lily Pond
We took a cutting from an established pond lily and placed it in the tank with a couple of oxygenating plants along with a solar powered fountain. These were then joined by 8 tiny goldfish, which promptly hid among the foliage. Within a very short space of time the lily was flowering and the goldfish were growing fast. Within two months the goldfish starting producing young fish which have continued to appear in succession. The vines, peach and apricot have become established in their first year. The vegetables have been continuous since early July and the melons have grown well producing many small sweet pink-fleshed fruits from early August.
In our Climate
We were very pleased with the dome and believed that it was ideally suited to the UK climate providing an opportunity to lengthen the growing season and broaden the range of crops that can be cultivated. This is achieved utilising sustainable resources.
We are in the process of developing additional features to collect rainwater and harness wind and sun to provide heat and light in cooler periods. We agreed with Udgar that we would market, distribute and provide construction services for the growing domes in the UK and Ireland so promptly ordered a 15ft dome as show case for the smaller dome to work alongside the 26ft.
15ft Dome build
Prior to the delivery of the 15ft dome we prepared the ground and this time made a floor plan template using weed suppressant material to make the construction exercise quicker and easier. The dome arrived packed in one crate on 10 July and was built within a week. Celia was anxious to establish squatter’s rights, and after helping construction took charge of the planting and sometimes the watering! The temperatures in the smaller dome were much higher initially but as the planting has been completed and the vegetation has grown it has helped regulate the temperatures so that they are similar to the 26ft dome.
Conclusion
In conclusion we are very happy with the domes and are working on adding the additional features to standard offerings whilst at the same time building experience of the domes in a climate very different from that of Colorado .
We have removed some of the north wallinsulation because it was more than required and we wished to increase the light intensity, fitted water collection pipes, fitted solar powered fountains to maintain oxygen levels in the water tank and are working on solar and wind powered auxiliary heating and lighting for the winter. In the meantime we are enjoying eating the abundance of vegetables and herbs not to mention the melons while working on the seeding plan for autumn. .
UK & Ireland 