Hoop houses for cold weather

Hello,

Last week I volunteered and helped build a greenhouse near Albuquerque that was made of wood, PVC and plastic sheeting . With an irrigation system, the entire 16' x 32" structure was built in one day by volunteers some with virtually no experience with hand tools.

I plan on having one of these installed in time for Spring planting this year. I realize at this elevation 6,500 feet, that stretching the growing season both early and late is absolutely necessary for a good growing season. Other serious gardners in my area seem to respond quite favorably to helping build one greenhouse and then helping each other build theirs, until all are completed. At a little over $1,100 dollars nowadays, this seems like a screaming value to me!

I realize already that there has to be a more sophisticated design utilizing two layers of plastic, with an air space in between, so that the temperatures inside can be heated efficiently. I would like to obtain instructions for the four season hoophouse.

I would be ever so grateful to the fellow Gardenrs in this site if they could provide me with the info or site that has extensive knowledge on cold weather gardening in a "hoop house" type of construction.
I thank you all for any help you can provide me with regarding this subject and wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.

Gene so

Eliot Coleman, the g'daddy of 4 season, has a website...
http://www.fourseasonfarm.com/

He also dicusses pros and cons (mostly cons) to double layered, inflated heated hoop houses in his books... mostly against energy usage, low return for the dollar.

At 7100 feet, I've grown plenty of stuff without a hoop house... went to shelter due to variable hail attacks more than anything. A lot of it is wise variety selection... I use Territorial and Johnny's, which note which varieties do well in cool areas.

Also, make use of cold storage. Why burn up the planet when there are many varieties of veggies that store well? I'm working towards a nice root cellar and will select some of the old varieties that are good keepers...

Hmm - at $1100, I would consider buying a metal frame - won't degrade as quickly as the PVC will. http://www.growerssolution.com/page/GS/PROD/hobby/1624kit . Of course, you didn't mention the size ....

I'd wonder too about snow loading... Abq doesn't get much in the way of snow these days.

I got a steel frame high tunnel from FarmTek that was an excellent value, though more than 1100. There's also UV stabilized PVC available these days... but I'd still worry about snow... it doesn't slide off the plastic... well, maybe if you're heating the GH it will.

Or maybe it would keep it warm, lol...

If snow is an issue, you might want to convert an old swingset - how's that for out of the box???

This message was edited Nov 25, 2009 3:49 PM

Flat but warm... yeah, that could work. =0) You could probably get Santa's elves cheap off-season. Do you suppose they'd need green cards?

Swing set! Oh, fantastic idea! Could easily be elaborated on for quick and dirty small GH... could also be used to support hoops running over the top bar, giving a little more side wall room...

Brilliant, PC!

Here's the link on the GH Swingset
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/827836/

Oh cool! I'm going to watch for a dead swing set...
And I learned how to do the º sign, too. =0)
I just learn soooo much around here.

LOL - yeah, I can't claim the swingset idea as my original, but I thought it would be a great use for the dead and rusting ones you see... although they have been kinda replaced by the mega forts since the 90's....

Jayryunen - I was surprised to see your post that the snow doesn't slide off the plastic on the hoop house; I have an 8 x 16 Rion greenhouse that I cover with a big piece of plastic for the winter and find that even when we have a LOT of snow at one time, as soon as the sun comes out at all the snow slides right off. Maybe Michigan snow is more slippery? Or do you think there's some reason why this works with the (unheated) greenhouse and not a hoop house? I'm especially curious because I'm planning to put a hoop house up next year to try to extend my seasons - the greenhouse works great for my seedlings, but no ground to plant in there.

Sandy

I don't know what a Rion looks like, but if it has a pitched roof, that could be the difference. A hoop house is essentially flat at the very peak for a short span, allowing snow build-up. Once the sun comes out may not be good enough if you get enough snow build-up with no sun late in the day and overnight... if it's a wet snow, it may 'reshape' your tunnel. Here's the model I have...
http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/prod1;ft1_coldframes_hightunnels;pgpb01670r4c_PB01660R4C.html

I'd sorta hoped our usual perpetual 'breeze' (around 20 mph) would just keep the snow blown off, but our little 3" early made a nice cap on the greenhouse and didn't come off til halfway through the day.

There are high tunnel frames that have a peak, and I found out after I purchased mine that they are what's rec'd for snowy areas...
http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/prod1;ft1_coldframes_hightunnels;pg103108.html

Fortunately for me, so far global warming or long-term drought has caused my local snow fall to be waaaay below anything threatening. But a few springs ago we got 3' in 24 hours, sticky stuff, and I worry about what that might do.

Are you heating your hoop house at all?

No.

Well, that's good information - I might need to rethink my project... The Rion does have a low peak; this photo is from last January. The high tunnel you have really looks like a nice one, though, I must say!

Sandy

What a pretty picture! And what a lot of snow... we could use some like that. It's so dry here right now... =0(

You might try a search of 'snow, hoop houses' and see what comes up.

I've also got GH fabric on my hoop house, rather than clear GH plastic... it might be stickier, having a texture. I do like the way the fabric disperses the light, and decreases the dripping on my head, but I wonder if it affects snow shedding.