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Subject: Market Farming
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- From: Joan Vibert <joan AT windwalker-farm.com>
- To: Market Farming <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
- Subject: Re: snow vs hoop houses
- Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2001 11:48:47 -0600
Marie - Your question about the effect of the ice storm on hoop houses sent
me up to the garden to check out ours. We had the same rain-sleet-ice-snow
that you had, I'm sure. We are 40 miles west-south-west of KC and were in
KC yesterday and it looked very similar. We still have ice on all the trees
this morning - so it was a good time to check the hoop house and it's fine.
The door opens to the north and it was frozen shut from ice build up on the
ledge - since I hadn't taken any tool up with me I'll go back shortly and
get inside. I had wanted to tell you what the temperature is in there but
I'd guess around 55ยบ since we have sun this morning. I'll go in in a little
while and softly work the ice sheets off the plastic with my hands, just
pressing out the plastic to release the ice. When we had the big snow in
December that's what I did to get it off, my husband was outside with a
broom and discover quickly that working from inside was far superior and
much drier.
Our hoop house is built with 1" galvanized conduit, four feet apart, that we
bent ourselves with a tubing bender. I would not use pvc, period. It just
doesn't have the strength for snow and ice not to mention wind. We lost our
hoophouse last spring in the wind, it just took off and wrapped around a
tree BUT the frames were all fine, one or two required a little
straightening but that's all. Its well anchored now, btw.
I had pvc supporting a trellis on the patio one summer on which I intended
my hops vines to climb and create shade (it didn't happen but that's another
story) but the pvc sagged seriously due to the combination of the summer
heat and the very slight weight of the plastic trellis. I just can't
imagine it not bending under hoophouse plastic and shade cloth.
I noticed you are going to the conference in Jeff City next week - I thought
about it but don't have the extra money right now - let me know how it is!
joan
windwalker farm
ottawa, kansas
-
snow vs hoop houses,
Marie Kamphefner, 02/10/2001
- <Possible follow-up(s)>
- RE: snow vs hoop houses, Donna Fezler, 02/10/2001
- Re: snow vs hoop houses, BBGREGSON, 02/10/2001
- Re: snow vs hoop houses, Dori Green, 02/11/2001
- Re: snow vs hoop houses, Joan Vibert, 02/11/2001
- Re: snow vs hoop houses, mckemie, 02/11/2001
- Re: snow vs hoop houses, Marie Kamphefner, 02/11/2001
- Re: snow vs hoop houses, Kathy Somers, 02/12/2001
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