Winter Gardening 2017 And A Hat Tip To The Gardener

Winter Gardening 2017

Riding the Pineapple Express

Well, welcome to winter gardening 2017. It’s in full swing.

Here’s a picture of our most used gardening tools the past few weeks. An old beat up, but highly dependable, Chevy Silverado plow truck, an assortment of hand shovel and we’re going to peek into a Growing Dome® to see how it’s holding up to the wet, heavy snow we’ve been getting.

winter gardening 2017 a truck with shovels in front of it

 

It seems like for the past month, or maybe since Thanksgiving, it’s been overcast and gray. Always another storm ready to roll through.

And quite frankly, I think it’s making people a little grumpy around here. We’re used to sunshine. We’ve taken to drinking copious amounts of coffee. It helps with the shoveling, too.

The snow is thick and heavy. It’ll rain for a while, it’ll snow, then freeze. The ditches along our roads look like a haphazard diagonal parking lot, and the other day the FedEx guy spent way too much time in our driveway.

This winter is hitting pretty hard all over the country. People talking about Pineapple Express, El-Nino, flooding, snowing in the south, cold fronts from the north, too warm here, too cold there and way too windy everywhere.

The Sierras are getting dumped on with feet of Sierra Cement, and I heard a rumor Crested Butte Mountain Resort shut down because of too much snow.

Mother nature is spinning up an unpredictable winter for 2017. Despite the heavy snow, freezing rain, and the snowbank fortress, let’s take a look at something that, at least so far, is still predictable.

Here’s Our 26’ Growing Dome

snow garden a growing dome greenhouse  covered in snow in january 2017

Reports have been coming in from our dome owners on our Growing Dome Enthusiasts Facebook Page, people sharing stories and photos of how their domes are holding up to the onslaught of winter weather. 

Inside Our Winter Gardening Getaway

Hats Off to the Gardener and Non-Monetary Tips to the Plow Guy

Mustard greens are doing great, in fact everything looks good in here. There’s fruit on the citrus tree and the garden gnome looks intoxicated from the smells of rich soil.

Together with the coffee, coming in here helps keep us all in good spirits. However, I do have to give credit where credit is due. I said the plow and shovels were our most used gardening tools lately, but truth be known, our gardener has been doing a fantastic job of tending our domes. Real gardening tools have been put to work.

While the shovels are flying outside, and the snow plow probably pushing a little to close to the dome, our gardener is the one really keeping everything together.

The Growing Dome is an amazing structure, especially for winter gardening. It’s extremely strong, sheds snow easily, it’s well insulated, and it utilizes both passive and active solar energy to regulate the temperature. In terms of greenhouses, there really is nothing else like it. But a little confession time, our dome looks the way it does because our gardener is tending it. Our gardens consistently receive the attention they deserve.

A Growing Dome creates a magical space and it still needs to be tended. If you want a winter garden, even in the midst of an unpredictable winter like this one, a Growing Dome can’t be beat.

If you maintain your dome with proper routine maintenance, your structure will remain sound and sturdy. And if you actively tend your garden, giving it the time and attention it calls for, you and your plants will love it in here.

Hats of to the gardeners, and make sure to tip the plow guy.

snow piled up on the outside of a greenhouse where it is green and lush inside

author avatar
Jason Stuck
For three days in March 2008 Jason Stuck shoveled gravel into a Growing Spaces’ 33’ Growing Dome. That was Jason's first “project” working for Growing Spaces. Jason easily fell in love with the product, the people, and the philosophy of helping the earth by helping others grow their own food. Jason wore many hats at Growing Spaces over the years. Shovel slinger, metal fabricator, shopkeeper and author. Jason wrote many articles for our website and newsletter.

1 Comment

  • A question. What is the siding used on the perimeter raised beds shown in the photo above? We used tin roofing to create our perimeter beds and it’s starting to break down after 7 years. The green color adds a nice touch too.

    Thanks,
    Suzanne in Placates, New Mexico

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