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Jardin du Fort
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Posts: 243
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2012 2:59 pm
Location: Fort Wayne, IN

Too cold for a hoophouse

So, I think I've mentioned elsewhere on this forum that I am planning a future hoop house for the garden. I am SO very thankful that this year is NOT the year I got it up! We've already had one spell of near -20° a couple weeks ago, and here we go again. Tonight it is supposed to get to -15° with wind chills in the -45° range. This has been the coldest winter on record here over all, with January temps 35° below average for the month!

I am just wondering how those of you that DO have cool houses (unheated hoop houses) how you are faring in this cold winter? A heated greenhouse is of course another matter, since you just expend more energy to keep things up to whatever temp you need, but I suppose even heated greenhouses might be struggling this year!

I have to say that even though I am currently in "garden planning mode" for this next summer, I am having to force myself to do so and am having a hard time even thinking about gardening just now. Just sayin'.

Everybody out there in the northern climes keep warm and be safe!

Darrell

Bobberman
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Posts: 2437
Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2010 10:31 pm
Location: Latrobe Pa.

A hoop house is made mostly to extend a season a few month or to start cold weather crops a month earlier like in March in your area! Even my solar greenhouse got hammered this year. last year te low temp was around 30 with nothing freezing . this year it wet below 25 degrees several times when the outside temp was minus 10! I like cold frames better than hoop houses for small amounts of crops! Cold frames can be covered easier on ver cold nights!

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Jardin du Fort
Senior Member
Posts: 243
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2012 2:59 pm
Location: Fort Wayne, IN

Thanks Bobberman. :)

Of course the second issue this year in disfavor of a hoophouse is the snow. We had 14" back in January, and just had another 10" on top of the 3" that was still on the ground. This has NOT been the light fluffy stuff, but a really heavy wet snow! And we have a bunch more coming still. My local market gardener uses hoophouses made of steel, and he has one small one that has collapsed. It sure makes a point for making a sturdy structure. A gothic arch would shed the snow easier, and that is what I am planning. I just wonder how close I should space the hoops when I get around to building. Using 1 1/4" PVC, would 4' spacing be strong enough? Or perhaps I should reduce to 3' spacing? And perhaps I should plan on steel?

And of course there is the recourse to using row hoops inside the hoop house for protection on those really cold seasons.... Image

Darrell

Bobberman
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Posts: 2437
Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2010 10:31 pm
Location: Latrobe Pa.

Hoops houses are fine but me I prefer a small A frame structure. A triangle is the strongest structure and a A frame in place a hoop house made with 2 by 4 s is cheap! The advantage is more head room in the middle! It would cost you about $40. plus the plastic which you can get for less than $20 anywhere. The inside plastic layer can be less thick even 2 mill if you want a warmer house . That would include the bottom base so you could move the structure easily. It would be 6 foot in the center 8 feet long and 10 feet wide 6 foot in middle. You could make it an size you want! You could even convert it into a small green house anytime. you need 9-- 2 by 4 by8 and 2 - 2 by 4 by 10 . Easy to make the less wide ou make it the higher the center! I could put it together in 1 hour with no cuts! Making the base 8 feet would increase the center height by about 9 inches.



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