Hoophouse

The hoophouse is a passively (solar) heated structure intended for season extension. Human intervention is necessary for ensuring adequate temperature control throughout the seasons.

The "Rolling Thunder" design
The Hoophouse at SVSF is on a track which allows the 22 by 46 foot structure to be swapped between two adjacent plots from season to season. This allows for crop rotation and practices which mitigate disease and enhance soil health by changing which parcel of land is protected from the elements from year to year.

Spring
Cold at night, hot mid-day. May need to roll up sides on hot days. The hoophouse allows for plants to be started in the ground earlier in the season than without, especially with use of row covers.

Summer
Hot all the time. Roll up the side walls early in the morning. Close at night except when excessively hot and humid. Drip irrigation lines running under mulch limit time spent watering, water loss and prevent water from accumulating on plant leaves which can lead to spread of disease.

Fall
Cold at night, hot mid-day. May need to roll up sides on hot days for ventilation and temperature control. The hoophouse allows extension of the autumn harvest. Also, new plants can be started in the fall, overwintered and harvested in the spring.

Winter
Cold all the time. Side walls stay rolled down except on the most unseasonably hot days. Typically, sufficient ventilation comes from opening up the doors briefly, if at all. Hay bales along the plastic flaps at the base of the walls prevents loss of warm air due to wind. Plant production can proceed except in the darkest days of winter where plants will go dormant due to lack of light.