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  • From: Nan Hildreth <NanHildreth AT riseup.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Winter's coming - hoop houses
  • Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2011 02:53:47 -0500

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
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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