Sudbury, Ont., couple sets up backyard dome to extend their gardening season
CBC
To become more self-reliant, Jordan and Sofia Tizzard have installed a large geodesic growing dome in their Greater Sudbury, Ont., backyard.
The dome, which has a diameter of around 5.4 metres, is made of polycarbonate, with a wood frame, and functions as a greenhouse for the couple and their young family.
"We wanted to take steps towards being more resilient, more self-reliant and more independent," Jordan said.
"A crux of that is having your own food or food sovereignty. The more ability we have to provide ourselves with good, healthy food in a reliable manner, the more free we are to carry our lives out as we see."
Jordan said the dome allows them to extend the growing season from March until November.
In the summer months, the temperature inside can reach 34 C, and in early spring and late fall, they can get to around 20 C in the dome.
In the dome, they have some large tomato plants, along with some peppers. Earlier in the year, they also grew some Swiss chard and radishes. There's a fig tree in the centre of the dome, along with some ground cherries.
They have had the dome for approximately a year, and Jordan said it's been a big learning experience. Sofia's family is Portuguese and has a lot of gardening experience, which has helped.
"I've messed up a lot, but I've learned a lot," he said.
To document their experience with the dome, Sofia said they started a podcast. That has also helped them connect with other gardeners in the region.
"We have really built a community," she said.
Sofia said the dome garden also presents a learning opportunity for their children.
"I think it's important we bring our kids out to the garden as much as we can and have them see what we're doing, and have them do things, as well," she said.
"And I think that'll teach them the importance of it, just like I learned from my parents."
A Brampton lawyer allegedly connected to fugitive Ryan Wedding was granted bail Tuesday morning by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
Rankin Inlet hamlet councillors recently passed a motion that has had them avoid drinking alcohol for the 12 days leading up to Christmas, with the goal of setting a positive example for the community.
Jason Jacques says he learned a lot about the importance of choosing his words carefully in his first few months as the interim parliamentary budget officer (PBO).
Durham police say a man is dead after suffering multiple stab wounds in Oshawa Tuesday morning.
An internal review of technical outages that caused significant delays at airports and international land borders this fall has exposed critical flaws with the Canada Border Services Agency's IT services.
Two people are in life-threatening condition after being pulled from a house fire in Scarborough Tuesday morning, according to Toronto Fire Services.
Whenever the door opens at the British Grenadier Bookshop, proprietor Steve Douglas doesn’t know who is going to walk through.
A northeastern Ontario potato farmer says he’s shipping more bags of potatoes to southern Ontario to make up for waning demand.
Halifax’s registry of rental properties is now available to the public online, showing what HRM staff believe are the “bulk” of rentals in the city.
A New Brunswick tenant says he’s being pushed out of his rented bungalow as retribution for complaining about his landlord, but his landlord says she’s the victim of an unfair tenancy tribunal ruling that is preventing her from using the unit to house family.
Snow and freezing rain could affect morning commutes on Tuesday, according to a special weather statement issued by Environment Canada.
Daniel Jolivet, 68, had his first taste of freedom this weekend after spending the last 33 years behind bars.
Peguis First Nation is suing former chief Glenn Hudson over allegations he failed to act in the best interest of the band and financially benefitted from breaches of duty — including claims that he enriched himself, his family and supporters.