Can you grow food in a Geodome Greenhouse in the winter?
This is an important question. The answer is – it depends. It depends on the cover of the greenhouse, additional heating, and the temperature you get in your area in the winter.
We are in growing zone 3a and can expect the temperature to drop to -40 degrees in the winter, too cold for any greenhouse. Also, even though a GeoDome structure has an optimal light absorption, being so far north we would need grow lights to keep plants growing. We figured that it is not worth it. But I have started as early as March (our last frost day is end of May) in an unheated greenhouse with peas and greens.
I sprouted the peas indoors and then planted them. Additionally, I covered them with two extra layers of frost cloth. Frost Blankets for Plant Cover & Winter Protection 
Also radishes, beats, and spinach did quite well. So think winter crops, plants that do not mind a bit of cold or even frost. See how different plants react to frost. Those cold loving plants will do well in an unheated greenhouse.
Is the GeoDome greenhouse stable in wind and under snow?
When winter storms are hitting, you want to be sure that your greenhouse can stand it. Also it’s not fun to go out and shovel snow off of the greenhouse. Our GeoDome had no foundation and we never worried about wind or snow. One morning it looked like this – hmm, an igloo in our back yard :). We took pictures and waited till the sun melted the snow off.
Can you heat a GeoDome greenhouse in the winter?
You sure can. Adding a additional heat trough for example a Propane Heater would work. We would not recommend adding a wood stove since heat will be needed in a weather, and at times when you don’t want to be in the greenhouse to heat that stove.
We used a Water Tank for passive temperature regulation and also an active heating and cooling system through a radiator. It worked very well till night temperatures dropped to about -10C (14F), lower than that there is a danger that the water freezes. Again, this would be different with a different greenhouse covering.
Depending on how much you want to use your GeoDome greenhouse in the winter, you can make it work. But even just for the warmer months of the year, it is a great addition to any garden!
Inspiring books for winter gardening:
A Geodesic Greenhouse Book: Building and Using a Solar-Heated Geodesic Greenhouse.
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Those were some of the questions I had when you initially shared about your greenhouse. Thank you for sharing! What a fun garden project!
I love your GeoDome greenhouse. I can only imagine growing such a garden in the winter.
I love seeing the pictures inside your GeoDome. I find this absolutely fascinating, and the igloo picture made me laugh…sorry. Snow is so foreign to me here in Southern California; I wouldn’t have the first clue of how to cope. I love learning about all the different things you do in and around your home. 🙂
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
Wow – look at that! This is so interresting & great information!! ~Renee
You did an excellent job on the dome and it is very beautiful to look upon as well. The low profile would really help against high winds. I live in Montana and in a high wind area and just a little further north near the Rocky Mountain front in Browning they had 85 mph gusts this past week. They have a community type dome greenhouse near the outskirts of town. If someone were to build a dome like yours in an open area like a field, attaching the dome base to hefty wooden raised beds around the perimeter would help resist wind lift This would also save a lot of money not having to pour a heavy concrete foundation. With no permanent foundation and the use of greenhouse film the structure would fall under the category of a temporary tent structure and you wouldn’t have to pay any taxes which would create even more savings. Thanks for sharing this great project. definitely very inspiring.
We’ve been contemplating what type of greenhouse to put in this year because we get such heavy snowfalls in B.C. The temperatures stay mild though, often stay around the -5 to 0C range, so I think we could overwinter many vegetables.
I liked seeing your igloo greenhouse! It’s nice to know it can handle quite a bit of snow. We’ve been hesitant on the GeoDome because of the price, however if our greenhouse breaks from the snow it’s worth paying extra just to not replace the structure…lots to think about! I love seeing your greenhouse pictures!
What an inspiration.Even in a heated space growing vegetables with supplemental artificial lighting is just too costly.Here at latitude N 41 we must wait for Feb 1st for the Sun’s angle and day length to be useful for greenhouse growing. Adding the he radiator was brilliant! What about two layers of plastic? If you were to staple greenhouse film both on the inside and outside of the frame would the reduced light be offset by the slower heat loss?.If you were to add a rocket stove for heating how could you calculate the BTU’s needed ?
We could do more, and maybe we will. Just stay tuned.
You must be in the Canadian Prairies like me – I’m near Edmonton, Alberta. We have been talking about doing a small greenhouse in our back yard so I found this post very helpful – thanks! Found you over at the Home and Garden Thursday Party.
Hi Marie, welcome, I am always excited to see readers from close by, struggling with the same weather conditions we have ;).
Hey cool dome, currently building one myself and going to use 7.2mil poly, have you had any issues with snow load and failure.
regards
Matt
Congrats on building a Dome! No, we did not have any issues with snow load and failure. It is a very sturdy structure!
I see also with the way it’s constructed you could add plastic to the inside creating a dead air space between the two for added insulation and still keep your venting.
That and a rocket stove and I bet I could grow all but tomatoes and other real tender crops here in zone 5
I’ve been thinking about a geo dome for awhile just may go for it now.
Hi Northern Homestead folks, thanks for all the great info. We’re certainly inspired and have just taken initial steps for building our geodome. Dave, we are also in zone 5 (Newfoundland) and are planning to install a mass rocket heater inside our dome for winter gardening. What do you plan to do for dryness? We weren’t sure about that. Also, are you going to build a foundation? We’ve started digging a 4 ft trench for a foundation that reaches the frost line and also to brave the Newfoundland winds. Just wondering if you or anyone else had any insights. Thanks!
We tried the rocket stove, not in the GeoDome but in the garage greenhouse and give up on it quickly. A rocket stove is great if you can take time to heat it up. But who wants to be in the greenhouse for hours in a blizzard situation to heat that stove!? Something to think about.
Exactly what I was looking for! I’m in Winnipeg so it gets pretty darned cold here I still want to give it a try! Great info!
Thank you! Happy GeoDomeing and gardening.
thanks homesteaders for the wonderful information!! do you have rodent issues? wanting to winter in your dome? if so, how did you take care of that? just traps? thank you!!
You are so welcome. No, we haven’t had a problem with rodent in our garden. We do have a cat who likes to hunt. Not sure if that helps, but we are happy to be free of anything that would take our produce.