From the Farm - Gardens of Eagan

By Elizabeth Archerd, Member Services Manager

Linda Halley, Manager at our farm, Gardens of Eagan (GOE) gave me a quick and fascinating introduction to hoop houses, one of the most widely used techniques that allows farmers to extend the growing season so we can Eat Local Longer. GOE will use hoop houses for the first time this year.

A hoop house is a plastic-covered greenhouse that uses only one layer of plastic. It generally has passive ventilation and no heat source other than the sun. Hoop houses are old news in parts of the world that are densely agrarian. North American farmers have only become interested in them in the past fifteen years, but now they are fast becoming the most popular things in agriculture.

The short growing season in our region makes it challenging to earn a good livelihood off the land. Farmers have bills to pay year-round and need ways to get income from the farm more months of the year. Hoop houses are one solution. They are cheap and have multiple uses, including sheltering animals.

Here's now they work for plant crops. During the day, enough solar energy is captured to warm the air in the hoop house for the plants to survive through the night. Growers can also put little layers of plastic over the plants inside the hoop house. Each layer of plastic warms to the equivalent of one USDA agricultural zone, the growing zones home gardeners are familiar with (Minnesota is in Zone 4). The houses can stay up all summer. To keep the air from getting too warm, growers ventilate the houses by rolling up the sides or opening the ends, or both during warm weather. Hoop houses can extend the season at both ends. Imagine having colored peppers available from the end of July through Thanksgiving. Growers get more money for produce when it is the first or last in the market, so it is good for producers as well as local food inclined consumers. In the winter, hoop houses allow a producer to grow crops that can freeze and thaw repeatedly without damage. Examples include spinach, certain Asian greens in the mustard family like bok choy, and root crops like carrots.

Look for updates throughout the season as GOE takes its first steps into this new world of Local Longer.