From the Founders
Since 1989, Growing Spaces has been building geodesic dome greenhouses from our home in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. This category brings together the Growing Spaces’ owners, past and present, writing on Growing Spaces history, design decisions, manufacturing philosophy, and the values that have guided the business through decades of evolution. Explore the stories behind why the domes are built the way they are, the choices that shaped the product over time, and the long view from the people who run the company.
Growing Spaces is now a Certified B Corporation
May 4, 2026
For a long time, we have said that a Growing Dome uses substantially less operating energy than a conventional mechanically heated greenhouse. The claim made sense to us. It fit the design, and customers could feel the difference. The B Corp process asked a harder question: can you document it?
On Pricing, Durability, and What We're Actually Selling
April 24, 2026
Most of what I know about money, I learned the hard way. One idea I kept coming back to was cost per wear: good leather shoes resoled a few times often cost less over ten years than a string of cheaper pairs. A solid hand tool that lasts decades is usually cheaper than replacing a weaker one every few years. That's the frame I bring to the question we get all the time: why does a Growing Dome cost what it costs?
Growing Spaces New Website
March 31, 2026
Our team has been hard at work on this for over a year, always with customers front of mind. We asked: when someone is trying to make a confident decision, what do they need? When an owner is caring for a dome through changing seasons, what should be easy to find and access? How do we serve people who love to explore on their own, without losing the “pick up the phone and talk to us” experience that sets us apart from larger greenhouse brands? Here is what is better now, and why I think you’ll enjoy it.
Growing Domes Thrive as Therapy Greenhouses
December 3, 2024
As the owner of Growing Spaces, I have the privilege of collaborating with various organizations, including schools, non-profits, and community groups, to promote sustainable and innovative growing and healing practices. Through our in-kind grants and partnerships, we aim to empower individuals and organizations to cultivate their own food, regardless of their climate, location or resources. …
Edible Gardens and Dome Greenhouse in Boston
August 1, 2024
Edible Landscaping Creating edible gardens in your backyard is a growing trend in the US, as it creates beauty, biodiversity, and a sustainable source of healthy, nutrient-rich, organic food for your kitchen. Ben Barkan of HomeHarvest has been on the front end of that trend and has been helping customers cultivate edible landscapes in the Greater…
Grow Your Way to Long Life: The Centenarian Diet
July 3, 2024
Healthy eating, exercise, mindfulness, and meditation have been central to our company's values since we began in 1989. We're thrilled that so many people around the world are now inspired by the blue zone regions, famous for their high number of centenarians, to start growing their own food.
Growing Through Deep Winter: A Comparison of Greenhouse Approaches
February 6, 2024
Deep winter greenhouses (the Minnesota design) and geodesic domes (what we build) are the two most established solutions to growing through long cold winters. Here's how each approaches the problem, what they can and can't do, and what 30 winters of operating domes from Alaska to New Mexico have taught us.
Water is Life: Bringing Farming Back to Navajo Nation
November 25, 2020
On the first morning of the 26’ Growing Dome Greenhouse build, Tyrone's Uncle John told us that when constructing a new building it was Navajo tradition to always put the door on the East side of the building and work your way clockwise...following the sun. Otherwise, ‘it gets you all out of whack’.
Buckminster Fuller and the Geodesic Biodome
July 10, 2020
Buckminster Fuller was first and foremost a great teacher and humanitarian. He described his research and teachings as "comprehensive anticipatory design". The term Dymaxion he used so frequently was a combination of the design principles he often used: Dynamic, Maximum, and Tension. But to Bucky, it also meant "doing more with less."
5 Charities Fighting Food Insecurity
July 1, 2020
We wanted to take a moment and show our appreciation to five outstanding non-profit charities that are actively fighting food insecurity. Navajo Nation, Mattersville Vets, Urban Growers Initiative, GoFarm Coop, and the Food Coalition 4 Archuleta County and the GGP are all working to improve the health and nutrition of the people in their respective communities. See what Growing Spaces is doing to support these great causes, and learn how you can help. We are also excited to announce a new Urban Community Garden Grant opportunity for 2021!
Reflections on Retirement
May 13, 2020
Udgar and I founded Growing Spaces in 1989. The process of selling it was like looking for the right partner to pass on the baton in an exciting marathon. Preparing for that moment took extra energy. Our team had become our community as we developed the agility together to master all the moving parts of an evolving company. After retiring, we decided to travel in order to mark the change and to distance ourselves from our results-driven habits.
Help Grow A Dome for Food Insecure Communities
December 9, 2019
These non-profits are working to increase access to locally grown organic food in their communities There are many challenges facing our planet’s agricultural systems. Climate change, pesticides, GMOs, over-farming, soil health, corporate agriculture among many others. Food insecurity is also a major concern, as many communities do not have access to fresh, healthy organic food….
Holiday Solstice 2017
December 22, 2017
As I think about my experience shopping yesterday, as everyone prepares for the holidays in our town, I am struck by the Holiday energy, thoughts about ending 2017, and affirming what will be healthy for the New Year. The offer of a “21 Day Pilates Holiday Slimdown” reminds me of the urge to improve in…
Thankful at Thanksgiving
November 22, 2017
It’s the middle of November, and I walk outside into the crisp coldness that reminds me winter is closer than it appears. Our backyard has Growing Domes and entering one of these is like transporting yourself into another world. It’s warm and a bit humid inside, completely opposite from the outer world I just left….
Notes from Puja: Reflections During Strawberry Moon
June 24, 2016
She just flew up to the window as if to say “Are you Awake now?” I am slowly getting there. Attempting to summarize my thoughts, my woodpecker friend evokes the question by testing various surfaces on our log cabin home. What to say? I’m in a reflective mood. In this record heat, all I can…
Winter Solstice: The Turning Of The Light
December 16, 2015
The Winter Solstice: A time to celebrate, a time of re-affirmation, and a time of courage. In the Northern Hemisphere, the December Solstice is the Winter Solstice, and the shortest day of the year. Although winter is the season of dormancy, darkness and cold, the December Solstice marks the “turning of the Sun.” The days slowly get…
Season’s Greetings
December 17, 2014
Season’s greetings! What is this season? A time of turning…turning toward snow boots and scrapers and bundling up to scrape snow off the solar panels and help Udgar mount the plow. The smell of wood smoke nurtures my sense of gratitude for our Rocky Mountain home and the outdoor life we get to live. This…
Living in Gratitude this Season
November 24, 2014
As I begin this Newsletter greeting, I was just watching wild turkeys outside our window scratching for food. I always feel wonder that they return every year and surround our cabin with their good energy, reminding me of the pilgrims and Native American’s offering gratitude. I am preparing a surprise turkey dinner for a friend and…
Celebrate Everything – Growing Spaces Values
February 7, 2014
When we started Growing Spaces LLC in 1989, our effort was to build a socially responsible business based on the values and practices we are living. One of them was the idea to “Celebrate Everything.” For me that means the attempt to shift inside, and see the potentials in every experience as well as to…
Accessing Our Inner Wisdom in Business
August 27, 2013
A few years ago I was privileged to be on a panel of CEOs at our annual SW Colorado Women’s Business Conference and asked “How do women do business differently than men?” Although the moment called a response from the three of us that invited us all to recognize that we all possess masculine and…
Happy Holidays …
December 13, 2012
This is the time of year that my inner child delights in the music, Christmas lights and spirit of giving. My excitement is an appreciation for the turning inward of the shorter days, the relief of cozying our home and coming inside for more reflection. A reverence for inwardness symbolized by the Solstice, as well…
Jamie Oliver’s Passion, Our Gratitude
May 23, 2011
Rewinding to 2010, Growing Spaces embarked on an inspiring journey, aligning with Jamie Oliver's mission to transform global nutrition. Our collaboration reached a pinnacle during Oliver's American Road Trip, where we donated a Growing Dome to the Navajo Nation, fostering sustainable living and native plant wisdom. Oliver's dedication to educating on healthy eating resonates with our ethos. His efforts, from cost-effective meals for world leaders to tackling obesity in America, echo our commitment to 'choosing life' through sustainable practices. As Oliver's influence continues to spark change, we invite you to explore his vision for a healthier world and our shared dedication to a sustainable, nutrition-focused future.
Creating a New Business Culture
April 4, 2011
I am writing after the Japanese Tsunami, the upset in Madison, the revolution in Egypt, and many other newsworthy events. It is a time of questioning and a time of “upset” I am sure, to most of us and we all have to integrate new fears, like the potential for Nuclear Fall-Out from the power…