It’s tempting to think the bio-dome concept was created solely for the so-named 1996 Pauly Shore comedy film, in which
two dim-witted burn-outs accidentally get sealed in one while looking for a restroom, but biodomes have been a reality for several decades. Initially designed to serve as closed ecological systems that would allow scientists to observe how environmental changes affect an ecosystem (the most famous, the Montreal Biodome built in 1992), they’ve been used to study many natural phenomena, including air pollution and the spread of non-native species.
But even before the advent of biodomes, experimentation had already begun with domed enclosures that could sustain year-round gardens. At the forefront was Patricia Watters, author of the “The Biodome Garden Book,” the premier book on passive-solar biodome greenhouse gardening.
When Watters constructed her first biodome garden 30 years ago, even the most forward-thinking gardening communities hadn’t conceived of a solar-powered, weed- and pesticide-free, waist-level greenhouse capable of producing its own food (in the form of aquatic animals), which could, in turn, feed organically grown vegetables using minimal water.
Watters envisaged the first biodome greenhouse after observing the construction of a cistern and theorizing that a similar environment could be created to raise fish for domestic use, with the resulting nutrient-rich water used to maintain a garden. Seeing a picture of a plastic swimming pool dome inspired her to develop her concept as a dome-covered greenhouse.
As illustrated in The Biodome Garden Book (Create Space), the culmination of her years of experimentation is a user-friendly design for a DIY passive-solar greenhouse 
that captures and stores solar radiation, incorporates a wind-powered ventilation system requiring no electricity, is naturally humidified, and uses a biofilter to maintain proper pH in the fish tank.
It also has a built-in compost bin, mushroom flats, an area for raising earthworms, a humane means of rodent control, hydroponic vegetable troughs, biological (non-chemical) insect control, and perhaps most essentially, is designed to maintain a garden at optimal growth with very little water.
According to Watters’ latest specs, depending on how handy one is, a very efficient biodome enclosure (with beds approximately 32” high) can be constructed for about $700 (at current Lowe’s prices), with the accompanying dome acquired for under $3000. It’s a substantial initial investment, but with some presumed organic sources in question, from farmers markets stands to natural food markets, it’s the best way to be sure you’re eating local organic produce.
—James Coffey
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