Growing Spaces.

• Author: Peterson, Eric
• Position: Small biz COLORADO COOL STUFF

In the late 1980s, Udgar Parsons was inspired by a pair of geodesic-dome greenhouses that grew vegetables year-round at John Denver's Windstar Foundation outside Aspen. Setting out "to make an affordable version" for a broader market, Parsons tweaked the design and launched Growing Spaces with his wife, Puja. Colorado's climate is too extreme for traditional greenhouses developed in the United Kingdom, Parsons says. "It doesn't work--it's either too cold or too hot."

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Ranging in diameter from 12 to 51 feet, Growing Spaces have a fossil fuel-free design that captures the heat of the winter sun and stores it overnight, thanks to excellent insulation. In summer, fans and automatic windows keep things...