Field Hoop Houses

		Project Leader: Adam Silverstein, Round Earth Farm, Hotchkiss, CO Technical Advisor: Ron Godin, CSU Rogers Mesa Research Center Project Year: 2003

Project Summary 2003 The project objective is to evaluate the economic viability of a field built hoop house and shade house structures, and to determine the best varieties to grow under cover. This year, we built one 3,840 square foot hoop house. Our largest plantings were in tomatoes, snapdragons, sunflowers, statice and melons. We also planted a variety of annual flowers, basil, zucchini, cucumbers, bell peppers and eggplant.

Project Summary 2004

Due to a relocation of the farm, this project was put on hold in 2004, but started again in the spring of 2005 and will continue into 2006, the project's last year.

Project Summary 2005

This year, the structure previously purchased was re-erected and split into two sections: a 150' plastic covered hot house and a 50' shade house. In the hoop house, orange bell peppers, snapdragons, and melons were grown as well as smaller sections of eggplant, okra, and an African Deze gourd. These all grew very well. The shade structure will not be used until next season. The seedlings were planted in early May and the harvest in the hoop house began in mid-August, with melons ripening a month ahead of the field grown patch. By late August, the orange bell peppers were being harvested, while the field peppers barely managed to change color before the first frost.