Rainbows

The sun broke through during our daily thunderstorm today, illuminating a couple of nice rainbows stretching from the barn…

to the hoophouses…

Hoophouse bounty

All of our spring vegetables have had a nice comfortable upbringing in our smaller hoophouse.  Pictured are lettuce, beets, turnips, carrots, cilantro, kale, chard, spinach, etc.

We learned how to make this one at a workshop put on by Foundation Farm in Eureka Springs, after which we got a wild hair and decided to build one, even though our first hoophouse was still only about 25% finished.  Our larger hoophouse took approximately one million hours to build, whereas this smaller one took… one day, give or take, with help from some friends. And it cost a whole lot less.

The design is very elegant. Nothing is permanently attached to anything else; i.e., no screws, nails, or holes in the plastic.  So far, it has held up very well.  We get some pretty high winds up here in the Ozarks (such as last night’s 50-mph gusts), but so far, both of our hoophouses have stood the test.

Hoophouses provide a lot of benefits to the farmer–extra warmth; protection from wind, rain, and frost; and some protection from pests as well.  After using one for a few months, I think protection from rain is probably the greatest benefit, at least in the spring when there’s a lot of it.  Rain compacts the soil, leaches nutrients, and waters all your weeds.