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Table of contents
o Introduction
o Materials to use
o GeoDome plans
o Tools needed
o Cutting the struts
o Assembling the GeoDome
o Covering the GeoDome
o Door and windows
o Water Tank
o Active heating and cooling system
o Conclusion
Welcome!
My husband and I both grew up on mostly self-sufficient
homesteads and had to learn early on how to grow and
preserve food and care for animals. We lived a simple life
and made the most with what we had. Urban homesteading
was what our parents did and what we considered to be the
normal life. After moving around and seeing a lot of this
world we strive to go back to this simple normal life of
urban homesteading. Read more about it on
www.northernhomestead.com
We are in Alberta, Canada Zone 3A. Yep, its cold here!
When it comes to gardening in colder climates, a
greenhouse is almost a must have. It extends the growing
season and gives the plants a lot more heat. With a
greenhouse, we can actually pick ripe tomatoes here and
grow some plants that we would not be able to without one.
A greenhouse can also be a great place to hang out on those
cool spring days and summer nights.
When we started to look out for one to build, our
expectations were very high. In a northern garden we have
to deal with frost, nasty winds and hail, and also loads of
snow in the winter. Our days in spring and fall dont have
much direct sunlight so we need to catch every sunbeam we
can. Plus, we live in town and the greenhouse in our small
back yard needed to be somehow catchy.
o In our research we came across the GeoDome
greenhouse
o Very unique, lightweight structure
o Stable in wind and under snow
o Optimal light absorption
o Has the most growing ground space
o A unique hang-out place
o An eye catcher
2013 | Jakob & Anna Esau | Northern Homestead
Materials to use
o Wood. We used untreated spruce lumber, and stained it
before assembling. You could also use Douglas Fir
which is more durable.
o Screws, about a pound
o Covering. We used greenhouse plastic that was given
to us from a commercial greenhouse. Plastic from a
commercial greenhouse can be easily reused on a
dome, since there is not so much pressure on it, and it
can last another 3-5 years. You can also cover the
dome with shrink foil, polycarbonate, or bubble
Solawrap foil.
o Automatic window openers and hinges for the door and
the windows.
GeoDome plans
Acidome is one of the best GeoDome calculators we were
able to find on the Internet. Although its in Russian it can
be translated using Google Translate at the top of the page.
The Geodesic frequency for a Dome can be 2V, 3V, 4V. A
smaller dome can have a lower frequency; for our 18 dome
we chose the 3V frequency. Anything bigger then 18 should
be 4V. Keep also in mind that whatever the width of dome
is, it will be half that in height. For example, our 18 dome is
9 high plus the 1 pony wall.
Tools needed
o Measuring tape
o Square
o Pencil
o Safety glasses
o Hearing protection
o Drill
o Radial arm saw or dual bevel miter saw
o Level
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Finished struts:
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We built a 1 ft high pony wall. With a pony wall you will gain
some height, especially for a small dome it can be very
important. Some users make a pony wall up to 3 ft high.
Our pony wall is a simple frame structure covered with
plastic.
Once the pony wall was built and leveled we started
assembling the dome. Its a bit like playing Lego on a bigger
scale, following the plan. The strut joints are being held in
place by screws as indicated on the graphic below.
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First we stapled the plastic to the struts and then used the 1
cm planks to hold it in place, which also pointed out the
structure of the GeoDome even more. We like it . You can
also see in the picture how sturdy the structure is!
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Water Tank
In our GeoDome greenhouse we have a 280 gallon water
tank.
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We lined the tank first with tarp, and than with 4 layers of 4
mil black plastic. It lasted for two growing seasons. The
reason why it ripped was partly because of the ice that
builds up in the winter. Our frost comes so suddenly that
one year we hadnt emptied the tank on time and ice had
built up. The second year we were on time, but there is
always a bit of water left.
This spring we exchanged the black plastic with 2 layers of
6-mil clear construction plastic. Of course to line the tank
with special pond liner would be better, but our dome is on a
rented lot so we did not want to spend so much on it.
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Conclusion
We hope all this information inspires you to build your very
own GeoDome Greenhouse. And if you do, please come and
share it with us on You Share. If you have any more
questions, do not hesitate to contact us on
www.northernhomestead.com
Be inspired and enjoy your very own GeoDome
Greenhouse to its absolute fullest.
Blessings
Jakob and Anna
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