Greenhouses are everywhere — glowing in backyards, tucked behind nurseries, or standing like quiet glass sanctuaries along a country road. They’re so familiar, it’s easy to forget how extraordinary they really are.
Each one is a space where nature and design work in harmony — where the seasons slow down and something new is always taking root. They represent self-sufficiency, beauty, and a life lived closer to the rhythms of the natural world.
But who builds them? Where did this idea even come from? And how did we end up devoting our lives to crafting them?
At Monarch Greenhouse Solutions, our story begins with those same questions. Long before we became a company, we were people captivated by the connection between architecture and the living world — by the idea that a structure could help nurture life, creativity, and calm all at once.
What started as a fascination became a craft, and over time, a calling. This is the story of how Monarch Greenhouse Solutions took root — and how that passion continues to grow with every structure we install.
Planting the seed
Our story began in 2019, when we built two small high tunnels for the father of one of our founders. Supported by an NRCS grant in Grantsville, Utah, that first build planted the seed for what would become Monarch Greenhouse Solutions — a company rooted in family, craftsmanship, and a passion for helping things grow.
Carter, co-founder of MGS did all the site prep, including excavation and setting posts in concrete. The greenhouse was built by family and neighbors as MGS had not been started yet.
At the time, Carter and his business partner Logan, were running a sprinkler business doing repairs, system installations, and winterizations throughout Cache and Salt Lake counties in Utah. Both of them felt that sprinklers were not going to be the way they reach their goals.
The push to build greenhouses intensified after the pandemic hit in 2020. Covid was a catalyst for change in a lot of ways for society. People’s desire to get healthier and provide for themselves increased.
This inspired trends like urban farming, where more people were gardening in their backyards. The only problem with this is that Utah has four distinct seasons, often with intense winters that come earlier or last longer than expected.
Thus, the need for greenhouses.
Carter and Logan realized that there will be a growing demand for backyard or even commercial greenhouses that could bring trustworthy, healthy foods closer to home.
Starting as a side project in 2022, they began taking on greenhouse work along with their sprinkler work. They installed irrigation systems in the Grantsville greenhouses, reglazed greenhouses at the Garden Gateway nursery in Hyde Park, and even volunteered to lead the construction of a community garden high tunnel in Logan, Utah.
Things began picking up in 2023 when we started bidding on bigger projects and doing even more re-skinning work for nurseries. We also began relationships with manufacturers like Growing Spaces.
First full greenhouse installation, July 2023
This led to our first full greenhouse installation in July 2023 when we built a 33 foot Growing Spaces Growing Dome in Malad, Idaho. With a team of 4 and a borrowed expert from Growing Spaces, we took on the project starting from the ground up.
We trenched for and installed an insulated concrete form (ICF) foundation. This proved to be a very challenging process, because ICF is not designed to be used in a circle. Thanks to detailed instructions from Growing Spaces, we were able to make it work.
When the concrete cured, we had Easton, our Growing Dome expert, for a week to get the build finished. A 33 foot dome usually takes about a week or more to finish with a supervised un-experienced crew like ours.
With Easton’s seasoned instruction and help, we finished the framing, glazing, and systems installation in three days.
We learned a lot from this project. Especially about ICF foundations, polycarbonate installation, and many of the nuances that come with Growing Dome installation. This helped us with the next project that may have changed the direction of MGS and solidified its existence.
The 42 foot blessing in the form of a nightmare
After posting a short video of the Growing Dome installation on Facebook, we got a comment from someone in Northern Idaho asking if we service that area. Ready to get another greenhouse install under our belt, we said yes and were enlisted to build another Growing Dome, but this one was bigger.
Not only was it bigger, it included more sophisticated systems.
For the first time we would design and install a geothermal system. This system uses the earth to help regulate the temperature inside the greenhouse by running tubes six feet underground with inlet and outlet pipes at the surface.
The project became a nightmare when rain and snow began to fall in October, turning the jobsite into a relentless mud-pit. With luck and a miracle we were able to pour the ICF foundation, install the geothermal system and backfill, even with the added moisture.
After around a month of fighting mud, we had another miracle in good weather the week that we began framing. The 42 foot dome came with its own set of challenges but the framing and glazing process lasted about a week.
The systems and interior however, lasted another month.
While that project was happening, part of our team was reglazing our first high school greenhouse in American Falls, Idaho. This project taught us more about polycarbonate and gave us clues on how most greenhouse manufacturers install polycarbonate.
Residential Repairs and builds
Spring of 2024 was filled with many sporadic projects where we either sealed, reglazed, or built smaller residential greenhouses. These greenhouses were spread throughout Utah and some were attached to homes, unlocking new techniques for getting jobs done.
School Recoverings
With a contract with Alpine School District in Utah County, school recoverings became a big part of our workload. Skyridge, Westlake, Lone Peak, and Pleasant Grove High Schools were all in desperate need of new polycarbonate.
Most of them because of yellowing, or wind damage, and one because students were using the roof of the greenhouse to get to the roof of the school (not the best idea, we’re glad no one got hurt).
Those school greenhouses will have another 20 years of poinsettia producing life with the new polycarbonate.
Hailey Farms
Summer of 2024 marked a new era for Monarch Greenhouse Solutions. We stopped taking on sprinkler work and focused completely on greenhouses when we started the biggest project we had to date. We were recommended by AgraTech greenhouses to build three greenhouses for Hailey Farms in Hailey, Idaho.
These greenhouses were all different styles, sizes or brands. Not only that, we were also contracted to form up pour the concrete foundations for the three greenhouses and a barn.
This project became a roller coaster that taught us many lessons from greenhouse construction best practices to ways to keep a large jobsite organized.
Hailey Farms is going to provide tomatoes for restaurants in the Sun Valley, Idaho area. We were really excited to be part of a project that is set to bring food production closer to home, even if it’s not our home.
Sandpoint part 2
In the summer of 2024, our friend in Northern Idaho called us asking if we would build another 42 foot dome for him. With more extensive planning and preparation, we obliged.
This time we went months earlier to get the geothermal system and ICF foundation installed and we were able to avoid the nightmarish mud-pit from the year before. With all of the things we learned over the last year, we were able to finish this Growing Dome much faster.
Seeing the growth in the greenhouse from the year before while creating an opportunity for more growth to happen was a very rewarding experience.
2025
Leading into the new year, we got a project for Cache Valley Nursery. They had purchased two greenhouses that were disassembled, and hired us to reassemble them.
Anybody that has done ground work or excavation through a Northern Utah winter knows that it certainly will not be a very dry experience. While setting the posts for the greenhouse we had to deal with extra ground water, mud and handpouring concrete in the snow.
After the posts were set, the real struggle began. Reassembling two greenhouses that are similar but slightly different makes for some interesting challenges. Parts and pieces were placed precariously and some pieces were missing completely.
The puzzle eventually came together and we learned a lot about high tunnel greenhouses.
26 foot Dome in Taylorsville
While working on CVN, we began another Growing Dome project in Taylorsville, Utah. Just like the others, we installed an ICF foundation with an included geothermal system.
This was the smallest dome we had built up to that point, and it is still a medium size. In fact if you drive near it, you will be surprised that it fits in the neighborhood it’s in. That project, like all dome projects, was very fun, especially to see people’s reactions as they drove or walked by.
Custom BC Greenhouse’s
That spring we also got to build two custom greenhouses in Midway, Utah. Both greenhouses were home attached and engineered to hold up to the snow load requirements. The design and engineering was done by BC Greenhouses and they did a fantastic job.
The first greenhouse was gable attached on two walls, making for a complicated design. Unfortunately, some initial measurements were off causing the first kit to be sent out in the wrong size.
BC worked with us to create a solution for this problem and the kit design was corrected and sent out soon after. The greenhouse install went great and the team at BC was there every time we had a question about things specific to this greenhouse design.
The other greenhouse we built in Midway was a lean-to design. This one with a polycarbonate roof and glass sidewalls. Again, BC was a phone call away for any questions. These projects really solidified our want to build greenhouses for them and they accepted us to be a dealer for their products.
Planta Terra 34 x 2
Moving into summer we had another bigger residential project begin. This project was two commercial size Planta greenhouses built side by side with an ICF Foundation and geothermal systems for each of them.
These greenhouses went together smoothly with minimal problems. The biggest issue we’ve found with Planta greenhouses is that the plans tend to be very vague and take some time to figure out. This is true for their small residential kits as well. Luckily they have videos for the small ones.
Planta’s are durable and generally cheaper, making them a great value option.
Summer into Autumn 2025
Summer of 2025 was filled with more builds, repairs and finishing of previous projects including more BC greenhouse builds, an 18 foot dome build, school repairs and more.
We currently have two commercial projects happening now (October 2025) and we don’t plan on slowing down.
Growing With Purpose
From that first set of high tunnels to every greenhouse we build today, Monarch Greenhouse Solutions has grown one project at a time. We’ve learned that a greenhouse is more than glass and metal — it’s a space where life and possibility take root.
Every project, whether a new build, repair, or enhancement, is a chance to craft something lasting and help others bring their vision of growth to life.
Thank you for following the journey of Monarch Greenhouse Solutions. We’re proud to nurture not just greenhouses, but the dreams, passions, and ambitions that grow within them. Because in the end, building a greenhouse is really about planting the seeds for something bigger — a life lived with more freedom, and a future built on growth.
Ready to start your personal greenhouse journey? Read these blogs to learn where to begin!