Planning the dome

Planning the dome is quite exciting. My brother is putting pen to paper and searching geodesic dome designs and use on the net. I, too, am searching, dreaming and planning.

My husband sees the building process as something to look forward to, plus he knows all if the great things it will bring. He even has some fanciful ideas that won't eventuate because although having an entertaining area and fireplace sounds good, it simply won't be that big. And those things are best left for outside.

Mum and I look forward to the serenity of the space and my plant choices will be guided by her as well.

We plan for the dome to be well insulated, with some form of double glazing, probably polycarbonate. There will be a high opening window and some low opening windows, creating air flow, which is especially important to let out the scorching Summer heat. The south side will probably have a section that is thicker or painted or otherwise made to be a better 'heat sink' to keep it warmer in Winter.

I am so keen to start thinking about what I can grow. I have ideas about tropical plants, but it's probably just wishful thinking. I actually don't know what kind of temperatures will be possible to maintain in Winter.

A few degrees above the 0.9 degrees overnight that my current green house experiences would be good. Although that means I can keep some frost tender things alive (like my marigold seedlings), just a few degrees more and the possibilities are endless!

This year we ate the last of our fresh home grown tomatoes at the end of June. Perhaps we can have home grown fresh tomatoes all Winter next year...

I love planning!