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Testing the Foundation of Your Garden

26 January 2012, 4:15 pm

Soil in the Growing DomeFrom time to time, we receive questions about the soil in the gardening beds of the Growing Dome. The question of soil, like many things in gardening, can be a life-long pursuit or can be a spontaneous leap of faith. Examining the interactions between micro-organisms, fungi, minerals, biomass and more keeps laboratories at the most prestigious universities busy for perpetuity. Their studies reveal much useful information, but humans have been farming for millinnea, during most of which advanced measuring instruments have not been available. Successful farmers are mostly impromptu field scientists that test and experiment on the go. The good news is that depending on your style you have a multitude of resources available to optimize your soil’s health. You can submit a soil sample directly to a university laboratory (try your local university extension office) or you can test different amendments to see how they affect your plants. Most people likely appreciate a blend of the two extremes and many may even prefer to try the different soil investigation techniques. Because of this, we’ve put together a short list of various soil testing resources. Some of these testing services give you recommendations for your soil and others leave it up to you to figure out what’s best. Again, it depends on how much time you would like to invest in learning.

As far as the question of where to purchase your soil when building your greenhouse… we recommend you do what fits your budget and your wishes. To avoid spending money at all, you can utilize the soil from your property. Things to keep in mind before jumping ahead are: Is this soil especially rocky or sandy (clay soil is also difficult to work with, but is easier to amend)? What plants are growing in the soil right now? Do they look healthy? Does this soil receive runoff from roads that may have contaminated it? Just remember that most weeds or grass in the soil can be weeded out once in the greenhouse. If you stay on top of weeding then for the next couple of years you’ll find that you have virtually no weeds at all. The one Soil in the Growing Domemain weed to avoid at all costs is bindweed. It’s incredibly hard to remove from anywhere. Another thing to keep in mind is that if there is other organic matter such as downed wood or leaves on your property, it’s a good idea to mix those in with the soil you bring in. If you don’t have soil at your site that you’d like to use, the most economical route is to purchase top soil in bulk from a local landscaping company. If you are worried about the quality of the soil, you can get a sample in advance to have tested and/or you can ask the distributor about the location from which the soil came from. If they’re really on the ball they may even have some information about the content of the soil to share with you. Things to keep in mind are if the source of the soil is near a manufacturing facility or waste dump, if it’s previously been used for farming, and other such questions about the history of the land it came from. We do know of some people who have cut straight to the chase and bought all of their soil bagged from their local nursery. Although this method is the best way to ensure you start with quality soil we don’t necessarily recommend it for two reasons: it’s not eco-friendly or economical. Yes, the soil is high quality, nutrient rich, and possibly free of pesticides and herbicides, but there was a substantial amount of energy and fuel put into gathering, packaging and shipping all that weight. Part of gardening is getting in touch with the land and how better to get started than at home or close to it?

Now… on to the links, but beforehand we’d like to add the disclaimer that we haven’t used any of these tests ourselves, yet. The first two come recommended by friends in the gardening world, the third is one we’re trying out this season, and the fourth is a home kit that we haven’t tried. We’ll let you know what we find out and if you have any to recommend for or against please do share in the comments below.

University of Massachusetts Soil and Plant Testing Laboratory (many testing options and no recommendations):  http://www.umass.edu/soiltest/list_of_services.htm

Midwest Laboratories (many testing options with recommendations if you’d like them): https://www.midwestlabs.com/content/view/61/199/

EarthCo / Dr. Good Earth (a number of options with recommendations for the backyard gardener, includes organic gardening suggestions): http://www.drgoodearth.com/

GrowOrganic.com (a couple of do-it-yourself options with information booklets): http://www.groworganic.com/fertilizers/soil-test.html

Filed under First Steps/Good Dirt, Gardening Tips & Owner stories, The Growing Dome. Tagged , , , , ,
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An Entirely New Canvas

16 January 2012, 11:18 am

My family and I are in the first year with our 26′ Growing Dome. This winter we are not at full capacity because we didn’t have time to get all of the beds built before the soil we needed to bring into the greenhouse froze solid to the ground. Right now we’re growing in a mix of raised beds and containers, and we planted all our seeds about a month later than we should have. It’s been a very mild winter and as the days become longer, the baby plants are excited to get growing. Soon we’ll be eating fresh Buttercrunch and Winter Density Lettuce, Broccoli, Mache and Arugula, but not quite yet.

In the meantime, we harvested our first radish – in the beginning of January no less! I haven’t grown radishes before, not really knowing any applications for them besides salad garnish and cole slaw. But, when we went to buy seeds at the local garden store in early fall, all they had left for vegetable seeds were carrots and radish. These were French Breakfast Radish and the drawing of them on the front of the package made them look lovely. I figured I’d order salad green seeds online and then I’d have something to garnish when the radishes were ready. It turns out that radishes grow really fast!

Having a year round garden really shifts my perspective. Even though I’ve grown in zone 7B where year round gardening was possible outside, it was too darn wet in winter for me to bother with battling slugs, mold, and wash outs. In zone 5B where I grew previous to now, I had a nice, long season to try out the warm weather crops before the snow took over, but never ventured much further than overwintering garlic. Now, in zone 4B with a greenhouse I have more flexibility than I ever did in all my outdoor gardens. With this flexibility comes a good degree of responsibility and necessary awareness. Crop rotation becomes a practice rather than an idea.

Before I never really had to worry about how long it took plants to mature. I just planted them as early as was possible for their germination and then got food when I got food. Now if I want to have radish with my lettuce, I need to either wait to plant the quick maturing radish awhile after the lettuce or do successional plantings of radishes. Or, I can do what I did this time – find some inventive way to eat the mature radishes I have and plant more seeds right away. Greenhouse gardening definitely takes growing to an entirely new level for me. Before it felt like simple paint by number and now the subject of my painting is vaguely prescribed. We’re in the cold weather crops season, but what that looks like in my garden can mean one of tens of thousands of possibilities.

I love how all of this versatility encourages imagination. Before, in the back of my mind was always lurking this scarcity mentality. I felt I needed to make sure to largely grow what I knew worked. I only experimented in a small section of the garden. If the experiment didn’t work all the effort in the garden wouldn’t be for naught. Now my entire garden is an experiment AND it’s working. There is a great sense of abundance and creativity here, a freedom worth experiencing. The tasty and unique dish we made from the surplus of early radishes is a great example… Chipotle Lime Chicken with Sauteed Radish garnished with Radish Tops.

 

Author: Stacey L. L. Couch

 

 

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January’s Dome of the Month Winner

6 January 2012, 10:36 am

Congratulations to Hakan Hammer of Norway on winning the Dome of the Month contest for January. He submitted two gorgeous photos of his 26′ Growing Dome in twilight. We had to choose between the two, which was difficult, so in this blog post we’ll include both for you to enjoy. The first is the winner and the second is most definitely the runner up!

January Growing Dome of the Month Winner

January Growing Dome of the Month Winner

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We are Made in America

15 December 2011, 1:48 pm

Made In AmericaWe spend a lot of time talking about our product and what it can do, next we highlight our vision of a sustainable world, and lastly we sometimes happen to mention who we are. The increasing attention paid to goods made in America has caused us to think back to who we are as a company.

We are Udgar Parsons, the inventor of the Growing Dome®, who over 20 years ago was so inspired by the vision of Buckminster Fuller that he became nearly overcome with creating this product so more people could live in connection with the Earth. We are Puja Dhyan Parsons, the co-owner of Growing Spaces, who has come to the forefront the last couple of years to bring her feminine energy to not only the greenhouse itself but also the culture of the company. This dynamic duo is the heart and guiding compass of this amazing business.

Not only is Growing Spaces family owned, it is family centered. We have over 25 employees and installation contractors working for the company during the busy times of year, and somehow the sense of family and community remains. We celebrate everyone’s birthday together and the birthday honoree gets to pick the feast they’d like. The vegans get melon and berries. The chocolate lovers get dense chocolate cake. We communicate with honesty and integrity even in the tough times when opinions differ and conditions are strenuous. Laughter is our medicine of choice and we trust the path of each individual. There is a unique synergy that exists built on caring and, yes, love.

Our company operates in the small town of Pagosa Springs high in the Rocky Mountains of southwest Colorado. This is not the ideal place to run a manufacturing business. The nearest interstate is 4 or 5 hours away. The nearest international airport is even farther away. Materials and parts are sometimes delayed because the mountain pass 30 miles away is covered in 5 feet of snow. Pagosa Springs continues to keep “box” stores at  bay and strip malls are not a part of the town planning. When we get 10 inches of snow in one day the locals fire up their 30 year old plow trucks and spend the morning clearing roads and parking lots before business as usual can begin. Clearly we are not here out of practicality. We are here because this is an amazing place to live and work. We believe the product carries the essence of this “both/and” relationship. The belief that you can do what you love where you love and be successful is central to our choice to stay in Pagosa Springs and participate in this small community. In that way we are also able to help the local economy. Growing Spaces was recently sited as one of the reasons why jobs are up in our county (see Report: Snapshot of Local Economy in the Pagosa Sun newspaper).

Growing Spaces StaffWe are Made in America. The dream of starting with nothing and building the life you’ve always wanted is here. The hardworking, visionary mindset is here. Along with these longstanding American values come the new dreams of living sustainably and consciously. We remain balanced in old values while fostering the new. Growing Spaces strives to remain at the forefront of the green movement and to help create the change we wish to see in the world both at home and across the country.

Winter, the holidays and the end of the year all call for a time for introspection, for looking back at the year and taking stock of all you have to be grateful for. We’ve had an especially busy year here at Growing Spaces and as we’ve rode the crest of the wave we’ve worked hard to keep our values of sustainability, health and eduction as the grounding point for all we do. With so many projects in the air at once we have remained hyper-focused on the product and what it can accomplish for the world. In this way we’ve managed to stay on course and to accomplish some awesome feats.

This year alone we have built Growing Domes at 14 schools and shipped them out to 74 homeowners, not to mention Growing Domes that also went to communities and businesses, but more than just numbers we’ve participated in building so much more. Local communities are rallying around the common cause of healthy food grown in a sustainable way and homeowners are raising awareness about what is possible in your own backyard. Running parallel to this close-to-home movement, people are joining together online and sharing beautiful and compelling stories, photos and videos. We feel incredibly blessed to be a part of something so amazing and invite you to continue the journey with us.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Growing Spaces.

 

Author: Stacey L. L. Couch

 

Filed under Green Ways, New Business Culture, Shifting Awareness / Embracing Change, Sustainable Lifestyles, The Growing Dome, The Staff Says........... Tagged , , , , , ,
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Animas Valley Raises New Greenhouse

12 December 2011, 1:56 pm

Animas Valley 22' Growing Dome Congratulations to the community of Animas Valley Elementary School in Durango, Colorado. With lots of hard work, especially in the category of fundraising, and lots of perseverance, this great project has come together. To read more visit the recent article posted in the Durango Herald newspaper:

 

http://durangoherald.com/article/20111211/NEWS01/712119899/-1/s/Animas-Valley-raises-roof-on-greenhouse

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Slow Money Entrepreneur Showcase Presentation

23 November 2011, 1:45 pm

If you missed it last month, we have it to share with you now! Puja Dhyan Parsons, Owner & CEO of Growing Spaces® LLC was one of 24 people representing her company in the Entrepreneur Showcase at the Slow Money National Gathering on October 13, 2011 in San Fransisco, CA. A hallmark of the Slow Money National Gathering, the Entrepreneur Showcase featured promising food enterprises from all around the U.S. Featured businesses were given the opportunity to introduce potential investors to their company in a presentation to a nationwide audience.

This 5 minute presentation gives you a wonderful opportunity to meet this visionary business woman and see one half of the dynamic duo behind Growing Spaces.

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Visioning the Balance

21 November 2011, 10:38 am

“For Puja and I, everything is connected, and we are ever awed by the complexity and beauty of the natural world. Offering a product which helps people enjoy and support this beauty and the bountiful ways of nature – while growing an abundance of food – is very fulfilling for us.”

– Udgar Parsons, Co-Owner and Founder22' Growing Dome

This time of year as the temperatures drop and weather shifts, the features of the Growing Dome come in as major players. We get question after question about how the Growing Dome is heated using solar power and if supplemental heat would need to be added. We talk wind speeds, snow loads, planting zones, and sunlight. There is a heavier focus on working to overcome nature because nature is calling a halt to all outdoor growing.  This puts us in a very interesting position because we are here to help people grow year-round AND help them live in connection with nature. The vision and values of Growing Spaces put these two sometimes opposing motives in the same basket.

We have found the ability to garden year-round to be the number one reason why people purchase a Growing Dome. Gardening is now available to thousands of people that used to have to put their garden beds to rest for half of the year. We are absolutely delighted that gardeners around the world are able to live healthier, sustainable lifestyles on an ongoing basis. We also don’t want the joy to become an obsession of going to the extreme of growing oranges in artic winters. We don’t typically come across situations this intense, but variations of it do occur. We ask ourselves when talking with some customers, how far is too far?

Luckily, Udgar designed the Growing Domes in such a way that the structure itself tells us when we’re growing out of connection with nature. The Growing Dome is not a closed system. It opens up to the natural world and allows bees, dragonflies, and ladybugs entry. Ventilation systems are in place to circulate fresh air through the greenhouse automatically. The entire structure is centralized around the sun’s ability to provide energy, light and heat.  The floor of the greenhouse is made of soil so plants can grow deep roots and excess water can move back into the ground. In all of these ways and more, the Growing Dome interacts with the land on which it sits.

The Growing Dome is a beautiful structure in that it can interact with the land and still provide food year-round. As a result of this marriage, gardeners are encouraged to plant in season. This forces us to become creative with new types of food we may never have eaten before and to trust in the inherent intelligence of nature’s design. Nature gives us leafy greens and dense roots when it’s cold, and sugary fruits and juicy vegetables when it’s hot.

22' Growing DomeWhen working in connection with nature, flexibility is key. Some seasons we need to add more water or allow for more ventilation. Other seasons we get everything dialed in perfectly and the Growing Dome works like a well-oiled machine. So, in considering what you would like to plant or how you might add to or modify the Growing Dome system, step back and think about what this will REALLY look like. If you’re trying to grow tomatoes and it’s -20 degrees F outside you’re going to have to work hard at it because you’ve moved a great deal away from the natural cycle. If you’re growing peppers in the summer and asking for just a little less heat in the greenhouse that will be no problem.

Here at Growing Spaces we are working to provide you with a life-changing experience that will provide you with wellness of spirit, body and mind. Part of this experience is the dance that stretches the limits of the natural world while bringing us into deeper connection with it. The good news is that we are here, as the best Growing Dome specialists we can be, to help you on your path.

Author: Stacey L.L. Couch

Filed under Gardening Tips & Owner stories, Green Ways, Sustainable Lifestyles, Temperature Management, The Growing Dome. Tagged , , ,
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Seeking Show Growing Domes

21 November 2011, 10:38 am

Are you enthusiastic about sharing the “fruits” of your labor?
Join us as we highlight outstanding Growing Domes in 2012.
We are seeking Growing Dome owners to participate in two special new programs:

Growing Dome GreenhouseThe National Tour of Domes

will take place on a Saturday in April 2012 (exact date TBD). This will be an exciting, single-day event where a select handful of Growing Dome owners across the United States open their doors to visitors. For the home gardener, this is a fantastic opportunity to meet other gardeners in your area, get new ideas, and share your passion for these endearing structures. If you are a community or school looking for continued support with your garden this will be a great way for us to combine our marketing efforts to help you reach donors. If you are a commercial grower, you will benefit from the broad audience of Growing Spaces and reach new customers.

The Growing Dome Registry

is an ongoing program to be launched in January 2012 that will include Growing Dome owners in different regions of the United States that are willing to open their doors to potential owners on a case-by-case basis. We are seeking passionate owners that would be available as requests come in throughout the year. This is an appropriate role for owners that like to show off their Growing Dome one-on-one with new people. We receive daily inquiries from potential customers asking if there is a Growing Dome in their area they can visit. You would be filling a great need and helping spread the word about gardening as an important way of life.

We are looking for owners that are maintaining and growing in their greenhouses year round, utilizing all of the seven unique features. We would like the Growing Domes to have been purchased in 2008 or sooner. In gratitude for your willingness to participate in one or both of these programs we are developing a special incentive program based on your level of participation. If you have an idea about an incentive that you would appreciate please don’t hesitate to share it with us.

For more information and to submit your Growing Dome(s) for consideration contact Kitti Cangialosi at kitti@growingspaces.com or 800-753-9333. Photographs are welcome.

 

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Dealing with the Pests in Your Life

21 November 2011, 10:38 am

Pests on LettuceWhen the summer sun provides a daily flush of fresh produce we are lulled into a happy, comfortable state. Then the daylight begins to escape us and the warmth dissipates. In the last month or so you may very well be asking yourself, “Why are the spider mites, aphids, and white flies having a hay-day all over my plants?”  Everything was going so well. The tomatoes were prolific on the vine, the broccoli, eggplant and peppers were beautiful. It was easy to become complacent surrounded by all that bounty, and then came those vicious little beasts, devouring everything in their paths. You just wanted your warm weather plants to go quietly in their sleep… in a few more weeks.

If you aren’t watching closely, the shift can be drastic. It can appear that the bugs landed overnight, but the truth of the matter is that these pests start with a few individuals. They just happen to multiply really fast in the right environment. Ask yourself this and answer truthfully, “Was I being attentive to my garden?” If you’re not sure, try to honestly answer the following questions:

Were you diligent about checking the soil moisture before watering?
Did you move aged plants out once they were spent?
Did you prevent overcrowding?
Did you fed, turn and monitor your soil?
And, most importantly, did you keep an eye out for signs of problems?

The significant reduction in sunlight and drop in temperatures destabilize the summer crops. The plants have less energy and less time to grow. Their metabolism automatically starts to slow down as they move from flowering and seeding to dormancy or death. The immune systems of plants moving into this stage of their lives are compromised, and the bugs are Mother Nature’s way of cycling the remaining energy back into the system. Just as worms and microorganisms decompose the dead plant material in your compost pile, these bugs are making use of the valuable energy stored in the plants stems and leaves.

Aphids on LettuceIt may seem premature for the pests to take advantage of your plants before you are done working with them, but an imbalance, such as overwatering or lack of soil nutrients, in addition to seasonal changes would tip the scales in the pest’s favor. It’s also hard to know what’s been going on outside of your greenhouse that may have also given the pests a leg up. Maybe they had a great year in the “wild” and now they’re moving in to keep up the party.

The important thing is to mourn the loss of your summer crops and promptly move them out. Hopefully, by now you have your cold weather starts in the soil. They should be your primary focus. Make sure they are not overcrowded and that they are being watered appropriately. This may be a good time to test your soil to see if there are additional nutrients you can give the cold weather crops to help boost their immune systems. Luckily, there are a number of non-toxic ways to give your plants a rest from the onslaught. We recommend everything from natural dish soap sprays, to cooking oil on yellow plates, to hand removal of heavily infected plants. We are by no means the experts of pest management although, so we suggest getting in touch with the people at Gardens Alive! http://www.gardensalive.com/

We’ve heard of gardeners taking drastic measures to get rid of pests including replacing all of the soil in their greenhouse or freezing out the greenhouse. These methods aren’t wholly effective because no greenhouse can be a completely closed and/or sterile system. You are after all, working with dirt. In the same way that our bodies sometimes become overwhelmed and we get the flu, so to this happens to our greenhouses. It’s a reminder to check in, evaluate our lifestyles and habits and either make changes to ensure better health or just take a break. Your greenhouse may not produce as much for a couple months or need some extra TLC, but then it will come back stronger than ever. The pests come in cycles the same way our crops cycle, it is Mother Nature’s way and we wouldn’t have it any different!

Author: Stacey L.L. Couch

Filed under Gardening Tips & Owner stories, Pests & Diseases, The Growing Dome. Tagged , , , ,
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School Garden Program Inside and Out

10 November 2011, 8:57 am

We’ve been keeping you in touch with the happenings at Galileo School of Math and Science in Colorado Springs, CO from the very start of their school garden program. You’ve seen many snapshots along the way including some great segments from the local Fox news station. All of those pieces were great fun to share and now we have this video we are even more excited about! It gives an overview of the entire program at Galileo School and really helps demonstrate the amazing amount of vision and work that have gone into this project. The video was created by Larry Stebbins from Pikes Peak Urban Gardens, one of the main collaborators in this project. Larry is passionate about spreading the word about this type of work and is mentoring other schools in the district interested in growing food for their students. Pikes Peak Urban Gardens can be found on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pikes-Peak-Urban-Gardens/130608186994562

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