Does anyone have experience with the "Growing Dome" solar geodesic greenhouse, made by the company, Growing Spaces? There are listed in Garden Watchdog, but without any comments. I am interested in solar greenhouses, but am such a novice--and there are so many choices. If anyone has a favorite solar greenhouse, I'd love to hear about it. I live on Cape Cod, zone 7a--we do have a winter here, but not terribly severe. Just a loooong cool gray spring.
Thanks in advance.
http://www.geodesic-greenhouse-kits.com/index.php
"Growing Dome" solar geodesic greenhouse
Hopefully someone who knows more than me will chime in, but here are my thoughts. The things that make this seem different from other greenhouses I've looked at are the water tank for thermal mass (which you could easily make your own and incorporate into any other greenhouse if you wanted), and the heated pipes and insulated walls at the bottom to keep the soil temp higher--I haven't seen those features in others and they would be harder to incorporate into another design. However, since you're in zone 7, I don't know if having those is worth paying extra for if this greenhouse is more expensive than others you're considering. I think a disadvantage of the dome shape is that it's going to be harder to put shelving in there unless you buy one of the really big ones. And I think all the extra insulation and piping is going to make it harder to assemble, so if you're not an avid DIY'er you might want something more simple. But I have no personal experience with this greenhouse or this company (or any others for that matter--I'm still in the shopping phase!)
Thank you, ecrane, for the thoughtful response. I see what you mean about the shelves--and I think that the 12-15 ft. dimension is the biggest I could fit in behind my house (the neighbors would storm us with torches if I put one in the more roomy front area though I personally think geodesic domes look cool!)
I'm hoping that someone else with solar greenhouse experiences/recommendations will chime in.
This is one of my dream greenhouses. Too expensive for me to buy (I need several hundred square feet at least) but I've been kicking around building something similar from scratch.
Domes benefit from a high volume to surface ratio that helps hold in heat, but there are similar systems available in more classic shapes. FarmTek has a nice one: http://seriph.us/redir/farmteksolar
(I'm using a redirector since DG doesn't seem to support long URLs).
Unfortunately, high efficiency systems like this are harder to do in smaller area because you can't get enough thermal ballast in, and you lose too much heat through the high surface to volume ratio.
All of the same tactics employed in the Dome from growing spaces can be employed elsewhere or added onto any other kit or design: insulated north wall, radiant absorbant water tanks, insulated benches, multiwall glazing, radiant barriers, floor and bench heating, etc.
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