SmugMug
Home | Login | Help |
|
Style:
&
|View Cart
share photo
maldon  > Food > Our growing dome
Here it is -- the first "Growing Spaces" dome in the southern hemisphere! WE live on six acres just 20 mionutes north of Christchurch, New Zealand, and we have been increasingly alarmed at what's in our food. We decided we weren't going to dance to that tune any more. So I did the homework and, for me, the dome is the best. So after lots of talk and emails, here it is. This site will tell the story of its growth and its part in our lives. At the time of writing, April '08, there's still a lot to be done, like the water tank and we don't have the floor finished yet. But it's extraordinary. I am watching climbing beans grow up the wall four inches a day. Amazing.
Gallery pages:  1  2  3  4  5  >  
Buy:
this photo buy this photo
multiple photos buy multiple photos | view cart view cart
< 4 of 39 >
maldon > This was our first sight of our new dome -- on the back of a truck -- having travelled all the way from Colorado in the United States to New Zealand.  That's our house in the background and the truck was heading through the macrocarpa hedges to its new home in what we call the little paddock.
maldon > Unloading the two big boxes in the little paddock.
maldon > we were very lucky.  The inventor of the system, Udgar Parsonsand his wife, a delightful, gentle lady called Puja, were planning to visit the South Island of New Zealand just about the time we were building our 26 Ft dome. they arrived just in time to help my "team" with much advice about the pre-assembly.  We met them at Christchurch airport and they spend a "shakedown" night with us in their little van.
maldon > Udgar and Shaughan studying the plans and instructions on the back of Shaughan's truck. the "little paddock" is behind them. we were concerned about locating the growing dome properly-- everything is reversed in the southern hemisphere.
maldon > Wewe had chosen the site and father and son building team Shaughan James (left) and son Mitch struck the first blows in anger. the steel peg was to be the centre of the dome
maldon > Close-up of the piece of reinforcing rod marking the centre.It was an exciting moment.
maldon > the first step was to mark out where concrete pads would go to support the wall sections at their joining points.  Then they in filled with gravel.  In this picture my gardener, Karl Duxfield, levels the stone bedding.
maldon > Shaughan James marking the exact point where the wall sections would join.
maldon > Overview of the "marking out".
Udgar and Shaughan studying the plans and instructions on the back of Shaughan's truck. the "little paddock" is behind them. we were concerned about locating the growing dome properly-- everything is reversed in the southern hemisphere.
 > Udgar and Shaughan studying the plans and instructions on the back of Shaughan's truck. the "little paddock" is behind them. we were concerned about locating the growing dome properly-- everything is reversed in the southern hemisphere.
Udgar and Shaughan studying the plans and instructions on the back of Shaughan's truck. the "little paddock" is behind them. we were concerned about locating the growing dome properly-- everything is reversed in the southern hemisphere.
Original size: 640px x 427px |
Current: 400px x 267px |
Other sizes: Small · M · L · O · save photo |
Share photo: links, forums, blogs |
Gallery pages:  1  2  3  4  5  >  
Buy:
this photo buy this photo
multiple photos buy multiple photos | view cart view cart
< 4 of 39 >

Comments

| hide gallery comments |

New comment:

Comment on: | Rating: stars
Name:
Link:
To foil spammers, enter this code: copy this text in this box: Code unreadable?
News | Browse | Keywords | Communities | Forum | Wiki | Gear | Prints & Gifts | Shopping Cart | Login
Terms | Privacy | About Us | Contact SmugMug | Blogs | API | Affiliates | © 2008 SmugMug, Inc.
Show FeedsAvailable Feeds | What are feeds?
gallery photos:
Atom FeedAtom | RSS FeedRSS