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  • From: Nan Hildreth <NanHildreth AT riseup.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>, Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Winter's coming - hoop houses
  • Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2011 03:25:15 -0500

My hope was growth, not preventing frost damage. We plan to grow pea shoots, and keep on growing arugula, and mizuna. Last year the peas grew veeeerrrrrrryyyy slowly in Dec/Jan/Feb. Or growth was stemmy, woody. Or maybe some of both. We've worked so hard to get restaurant customers to incorporate our products on their menus, I hate to not supply them. Farmer's market folks not so much, but still, we're teaching them new foods, creating demand. It's a shame not to be able to fill it.

Nan in Piney Woods of Southeast Texas

At 03:08 AM 9/25/2011, Owsley lucy wrote:
nan,

you should be fine using row covers on #9 gauge wire hoops and held down either staples, rocks, etc.. And if you are growing plants like lettuce, kale, chard, arugula, etc. know they are not fazed by frost and will take a freeze down to around 28F totally unprotected and be fine. Any lower and you will find slight damage to the leaves but the plants will not be harmed.

A hoophouse would be a lot more trouble than it is worth simply for frost protection but would be useful to even things out temp wise and to get great harvests.

Lucy Goodman
Boulder Belt Eco-Farm
Eaton, OH
<http://boulderbelt.blogspot.com>http://boulderbelt.blogspot.com
Find us on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/boulderbelt#!/pages/Boulder-Belt-Eco-Farm/368403976315?ref=sgm>http://www.facebook.com/boulderbelt#!/pages/Boulder-Belt-Eco-Farm/368403976315?ref=sgm



On Sep 25, 2011, at 3:53 AM, Nan Hildreth wrote:

Can someone answer a few questions about hoop houses?

The good news is we're making money now growing frost-hardy winter
greens and are selling at the farmer's market and to
restaurants. The bad news is winter is coming, and growth will
slow to a halt. Here n Zone 8b, winters are mild, but we'll have
maybe 15 frosts and maybe a hard freeze. If would like to smooth
out night lows and day highs and warm plants up 10 or maybe 20
degrees in December, January and February.

I've been reading Eliot Coleman's Winter Harvest Handbook. I haven't
used frost cloth before nor used a greenhouse. We grow in beds, 4x10
or so, irrigated by micro-sprinklers.

I could:
1) Cover with frost cloth held up by wire wickets when too cold. I
may need to switch irrigation to drip tape.
2) Throw up 4 foot tall "quick hoops", that is, pvc pipe looped over
my beds to hold up greenhouse plastic. Then fuss around all winter
pulling it off when too warm, driving myself crazy and wearing out
the plastic.
3) Put up 7 foot tall plastic tunnels over several beds and open up
the ends when too warm.
4) Put up tall hoops and also put down frost cloth over plants when very cold.
5) Plant carrots instead of greens. And then take winter off, tell
therestaurants "See you next March." and spend two months building
new beds. Harvest carrots in February.

Suggestions?



Nan Hildreth

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Nan Hildreth
Oak Hollow Farm in Oakhurst, Tx
936-377-3956
832-343-3766

3939 Luca St.
Houston, Tx 77021
713-842-6643

NanHildreth AT riseup.net





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