Diggin’ with Dillon: The Bio Dome

Meet Dillon!

He’s an average 14 year old boy from Greenville, SC. Just like every other teenage boy, he attends high school, and enjoys many extracurricular activities including being on the swim team, running track and field, and running cross country. Except he’s not so average. Dillon has spent the majority of his life—since he was 5 years old—in the garden, which is why he’s been chosen to test many of Park Seed’s products and seeds. For his first project, he transplanted seeds from Park Seed’s Bio Dome to his garden, where they took root and flourished!

How it all started…

Dillon’s gives all the credit to his humble beginnings as a gardener to his grandad: “We would plant sunflower seeds, and they would grow to be taller than the roof of our house usually. We would harvest them and eat them.”

After a few years of getting acquainted with growing plants, Dillon says his gardening experiments got a whole lot more interesting: “When I was 8, I helped my grandad build an irrigation system when he decided to go with a huge garden. He had the whole thing self-watering and planted apple trees to gourds. You name it, and he had it.  When he passed away when I was 9 I used his seeds to build my own.”

His grandpa’s garden, where it all started!

As Dillon has matured, he hasn’t lost sight of his hobby, and says, “I would definitely say that gardening reduces stress. I think it is a very healthy thing to do, and although it may not seem super cool for a teenager to do, I believe more young people should take it up as a hobby.”

When asked about his current gardening projects, Dillon says, “Now I plant gourds in the spring and harvest them. When I’m done I let them hallow out in a dry spot in my house and then carve bird houses out of them. I’m only aloud to put two about at time because we end up having too many birds at our house. One year I got 50 large good sized gourds but put them in my garage and although it was a pretty dry place it was cold in the winter and caused them to rot.”

Not only does he grow gourds, but Dillon has a lot—and we mean a lot—of other plants he keeps up with throughout the season, including: a 3 year old apple tree that was a birthday gift, a 3 year old strawberry vine that started from 7 tiny plants, a 6 foot Japanese Maple tree that was a gift from his mom, a few giant mint bushes that started as mature plants, and sunflowers that produce tons of edible seeds. And on top of all of that, he has veggies and fruits such as, banana peppers, corn, swet potatoes, cucumbers, and watermelon that he harvested last year.

The Bio Dome Project

With all of those plants to care for, it makes sense that Dillon would want an easier and faster way of cultivating his seeds. So, he went for the Park Seed Bio Dome. Naturally, Dillon chose to place his Bio Dome in his family’s sun room. He sowed his seeds and refilled the water as indicated in the directions, and within just 2 weeks, every single seed had sprouted. By 3 weeks, the plants had nice foliage development, so Dillon transplanted the sprouts to pots. And 3 weeks after that—week 6—his plants were ready to be planted in his garden!

Dillon says that the Bio Dome “made the whole process about 3 weeks shorter, and he saw bigger leaves much earlier” than he would have if he had just sowed the seeds into the ground. So, he was very satisfied with the results he experienced from the Bio Dome, and he would likely use it again in the future. When asked if there is anything he would have done differently, Dillon explained that he would have rotated the Bio Dome every day to make sure the sprouts were receiving an even amount of sunlight.

The Future is Bright…and Green

Dillon has a lot of plans for his garden this year! He says that he will be trying some new cultivars, and going back to some that have failed in his past like carrots, lettuce and corn. But, like most great gardeners, those failed crops haven’t slowed him down! Even after 3 years of floppy, unproductive corn, he wants to continue to try different methods. He’s done his research and works to understand why some of his crops aren’t successful.

He’s also had his fair share of pesky rodents and birds ruining his precious crops. He even wrapped his strawberry vine in a bird net last year to protect it from nibbling squirrels and birds. He’s also been even more proactive, and set out traps for rodents like squirrels and chip monks, transporting them about 5 miles away from his home—creating a safer environment for them and for his garden!

We asked Dillon what advice he would give to a novice gardener, and he said, “Start with easy things and work your way up. It’s always good to go online and get tips or watch YouTube videos.”

Dillon has learned a lot from his gardening experiments and says that he will keep up his hobby for the long haul. After all, who doesn’t need a little stress relief and some fresh veggies and fruits?

Some of Dillon’s potatoes harvested from the garden! These and sweet potatoes are his favorites to grow, because he’s always surprised by the different shapes at the end of the season.