anyone here do hoop house?

tanstaafl72555

tanstaafl72555

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I am looking at doing some microgreen horticulture and spent a few days looking at ops on a guy who is quite intensively doing that.

Anyone on the forum here do that? I will buy you lunch to bend your ear on the topic. I am putting together a business plan to look at this.
 
You talking about a PVC structure with plastic covering or something more permanent? I'm planning on one. Already have the agricultural plastic, which will last longer. If you're looking at regular plastic sheeting, like at Home Depot, remember, that stuff is designed to degrade in sunlight. Good for about a year. Agricultural plastic will go 3 yrs. or more. We did a version with regular plastic in a sustainable agriculture class up in Rutherfordton a couple of years back as an exercise. I didn't like that particular design and have looked at a few I like better. But, my needs have changed and I may have to revisit designs. BTW, there's money in micro-greens.
 
georgel said:
You talking about a PVC structure with plastic covering or something more permanent? I'm planning on one. Already have the agricultural plastic, which will last longer. If you're looking at regular plastic sheeting, like at Home Depot, remember, that stuff is designed to degrade in sunlight. Good for about a year. Agricultural plastic will go 3 yrs. or more. We did a version with regular plastic in a sustainable agriculture class up in Rutherfordton a couple of years back as an exercise. I didn't like that particular design and have looked at a few I like better. But, my needs have changed and I may have to revisit designs. BTW, there's money in micro-greens.
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I am actually talking about building it with top rail from a chain link fence..... maybe even heavy gauge conduit, bent and filled. I just saw a 100 ft house destroyed by the winds last week. I do plan to use the ag stuff for plastic, and even that only last 3-4 years...., or so says my guru. It is a lot to know and process. I am in the learning phase, for sure.
 
tanstaafl72555 said:
I am actually talking about building it with top rail from a chain link fence..... maybe even heavy gauge conduit, bent and filled. I just saw a 100 ft house destroyed by the winds last week. I do plan to use the ag stuff for plastic, and even that only last 3-4 years...., or so says my guru. It is a lot to know and process. I am in the learning phase, for sure.
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Winds will destroy them no matter what honestly. There are all sorts of ways to protect them, but wind is a pain. The PVC ones generally flex a bit though, better to bend than break. Conduit works well but your cost will go up by a fair margin. If you are good with bending pipes though it can be a stable system.

I have a quick dyi walkthrough saved somewhere I will post the link when I find it.

AG plastic is a good system, and I saw a guy before use the clear corragated roofing that he managed to heat up and bend accordingly. If you go that route, lots of the UV protectant ones will darken as years go.

One important thing, that many people forget about greenhouses/hoop houses in general is that if you do not provide the correct ventilation you will completely cook your plants in the summer, or even some of the warmer days in the spring. Some people also use screen door material to provide shade in the hotter parts of the day.
 
Yes, climate control is a big deal. That's why the ends are important. The one we built used an old screen door. I personally thought it was too heavy and would rather cut mine out of thin plywood with vents on both ends with solar powered fans as a backup. Sun comes up, fans run. Sun goes down, fans stop. Some designs don't anchor the lower sides of the plastic to the frame but mount the edges to a piece of PVC pipe that can then be used to pull or roll up the sides for ventilation.
The simple "quick" version we did was just 2' rebar driven in to the ground at and angle and the pipe slid over it. Then the pipe was bent and anchored to a couple of 2x's at the top. Expedient but not my favorite design.

I like some of the PVC pipe designs with 4x4's framed as a base and 4 way T's at the top to make the spine. I've thought about doing a build party to gain and share experience with putting one up.

I've heard of some AG plastic going beyond 4yrs. Of course, your mileage may vary.

Tans, the key to selling micro-greens will be marketing. I don't know your location, but I have a contact that specializes in this sort of thing in the Chapel Hill area. They represent a consortium of specialized growers. We once had a plan to do business with them a few years ago, but my circumstances changed and we were not able to buy the farm. Well, now I'm about to close on a farm. So, I'll be revisiting that.
 
shadowsbane said:
Some people also use screen door material to provide shade in the hotter parts of the day.
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Weed control fabric is probably cheaper. Since it goes inside the house it's not a big deal. We covered our carrot containers with an old window and cooked an entire container before we remembered to take it off. Opps. That one was a week ahead of the other, not its a week behind.
 
One of my best friends from the Marine Corp is doing it in Greenville, SC and has been for several years. If you want to make the drive I can set up a meet.

The biggest things he has learned are grow in soil not hydroponic. The flavor of the greens is much stronger and more distinct that way. Hydro grown tend to be watered down and very similar tasting.

And second, he cannot pay the bills with it alone. He poured a lot of effort into it for 2 straight years. Grew the business and has many regular customers. But even though he's still doing it he had to get back to an accounting job to make ends meet.

He said the trick is setting up meetings with local chefs to get them to taste his product. They sell themselves. Farmers markets on the weekends are also a great place.
 
Oh before I forget, he does all of his growing in a storage container to control the environment. He tracks everything with signs and a board.
 
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