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  • From: "Wiediger, Alison" <alison.wiediger AT hart.kyschools.us>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Winter's coming - hoop houses
  • Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2011 12:35:30 +0000

Ah, you may have to work on your crop selection. Not everything will do well
- that is grow well enough to be profitable. Arugula, mizuna, and the like
do really well for us. Again, light is a big part of the equation. The days
are a lot shorter, and here, really gray. But salad crops, mesclun, spinach,
arugula, lettuce, do very well. 'course, there is something to be said forna
few weeks RR time for the farmer as well.

Alison Wiediger, Au Naturel Farm

Sent from my iPad
On Sep 25, 2011, at 3:29 AM, "Nan Hildreth" <NanHildreth AT riseup.net> wrote:

> 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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