By Andru McCracken
John Christison said he used to be a taker from the food system, but after years of hard work and experimentation he’s now become a food producer and a major one at that. He’s decided to share the results of his considerable research at the urging of fellow gardeners.
Years ago, Christison became interested in a geodesic dome style greenhouse he saw advertised on television. It was a thing of beauty. The only hitch was that the dome kit he wanted cost $40,000.
With no small amount of ingenuity, the senior at the end of Museum Road has created an amazing and beautiful eight-sided food-producing greenhouse.
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“I robbed the idea,” he said. He said the eight-sided affair shears wind and sheds snow. It is 21 feet high at its peak. In 15 years he only once had snow freeze to the structure, by firing up the wood stove he was able to clear it off.
Christison used materials easily available to residents of the Robson Valley to build it for about $1000. The key building supplies were rough cut 2x6s and heavy duty outdoor clear plastic. Christison that it has lasted 15 years with no signs of wear or tear, including the exterior plastic.
Inside, plants reside in 30 truck tires.
The greenhouse is just one of his successful experiments. He’s also built a massive outdoor garden. He has more than 100 independent raised beds made simply out of three stacked semi trailer truck tires. The tires absorb the sun and warm the soil with amazing results, yielding excellent results including hand-sized onions and basketball-sized Kohlrabi.
