Make your own food grow dome from the plans in this book.
The DIY Geodesic Growdome is a hands‑on, practical guide for anyone who wants to grow food in a strong, efficient, and low‑cost structure. Built originally for just £150 and still standing a decade later, this dome design proves that sustainable food‑growing doesn’t need to be expensive or complicated.
This book walks you through the complete process of building three experimental growdomes, each with its own set of plans, measurements, and construction notes. To make the process even easier, miniature models are included so you can understand the geometry and structure before you begin full‑scale building.
Inspired by the work of Buckminster Fuller — the 20th‑century visionary who pioneered geodesic design — this guide blends practical DIY skills with the elegance of dome engineering. Whether you’re a gardener, a maker, a permaculture enthusiast, or simply someone who wants to grow food more efficiently, this book gives you everything you need to get started.
Strong, weather‑resistant, and surprisingly simple to construct, a geodesic growdome is one of the most effective ways to create a protected growing environment. With clear instructions and real‑world experience behind it, The DIY Geodesic Growdome empowers you to build a structure that will serve you for years to come.
“Ever since learning about Buckminster Fuller at art college I have been fascinated by icosahedral structures. They are quite simple structures but once completed, very stable. Over a few years I have enjoyed the opportunity to experiment with some useful structures to make growing domes for food. There are instructions for making 3 small model domes in the book.”
This structure is the top half of a a two-frequency icosahedron. I can’t over-emphasise the importance of having a model to work to for dome building that has more than one strut length, otherwise it is easy to get lost in the structure.
Connecting the struts and raising the dome up on tyres allowed me to connect new pieces to the underside. I had to give special attention to the joints at the top because they took additional strain during the construction. It became clear to me that a half-sphere dome would be easily tall enough rather than the five eighths dome I had intended to build. This was fine as it meant there was wood leftover for an inside structure.
Then the floor went in, like a mini patio made from all the flattish rocks and bits of slate I could get my hands on. I painted some of the rocks at the back black, and left them raised to absorb more heat from the sun.
Finally, it was time to put on the polytunnel cover. I cut the sheeting into rough triangles, stapled it onto the struts and then trimmed to size. It is best to work from the bottom up, then the rain will flow down, and not into, the dome due to the overlaps.
The first season I had a good crop of blueberries, picking salad, coriander absolutely loved the warmth in there, squashes, tomatoes, basil and peppers. Since I have grown marrows, courgettes, tomatoes, cucamelons, stevia, more pepper varieties, melons, a lemon tree, avocados to mention a few!
The DIY Geodesic Growdome.
Make your own food grow dome from the plans in this book. The materials cost just £150 when I built it 10 years ago! This book contains detailed information on how to make 3 experimental grow domes, with miniature model instruction provided for each dome. It also has a special tribute to Buckminster Fuller, the 20th Century genius who was central to their origination. £4.50 plus tax Epub
‘The DIY Growdome‘ paperback version is also available on the link below. Please purchase this paperback book direct from Lulu.com on this link: ‘The DIY Growdome’
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Comparable To:
- The Greenhouse Gardener’s Manual — Shane Smith
- DIY Greenhouses — various authors
- The Buckminster Fuller Reader — for dome inspiration
- The Permaculture Handbook — Peter Bane
- Shelter — Lloyd Kahn (DIY building ethos)