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  • From: "Daniel Botkin" <dbotkin AT valinet.com>
  • To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Well, it just happened...
  • Date: Tue, 9 Feb 2010 11:53:10 -0500

<From: Leigh Hauter <bullrunfarm AT hughes.net>
<Subject: [Market-farming] hoophouses and snow
<Well, it just happened and I'm sick to my stomach.
< I never thought, living here in Virginia, that I would had to worry
<about the weight of snow on my hoops or greenhouse.

Soooo sorry, Leigh -- and for anyone who's lost a greenhouse to snow/ice load. I'm a late convert to hoophouse culture but now a fanatic! I've noticed time and again here in Southern New England that Snow Load is THE elephant in the living room for so many well-meaning newcomers and ambitious backyard farmers with their newly erected greenhouses. Two years ago, after a particularly wet and heavy Feb. snow (here in W. Mass.), I counted five (5) downed hoophouses in a thirty radius of our home near Amherst. Made you want to weep.
Today I teach basic workshops on building and managing lo-input winter tunnels. I always preach the absolute importance of bracing and extra interior support, especially for the quonset (round) shaped ones. Even with bracing I habitually rake down excess snow load. Good exercise, it is! And good policy for light. I often refer to the gruesome photos of downed hoophouses on the Hightunnels website to reinforce my preaching. I also collect said gruesome photos of weather-destroyed hoophouses and will collate into a graphic warning to post on our website someday. Send em if you can.

Daniel Botkin
www.laughingdogfarm.com




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