Hoop House Build

Yesterday, while Arthur was in DC, I volunteered on a hoop house build. What is that you may ask? It is like a green house but is made out of metal and plastic and is used to extend the growing season. They are becoming more popular in Michigan because they allow a farmer to grow year round (without heating) and extend the growing season on either side. This means more greens in the farmers market year round (local lettuce in the winter, yum) and winter CSAs (community supported agriculture). But they are expensive, ~$10,000 plus labor, and most banks are not willing to lend to small farmers. To step in and fill this gap SELMA cafe (the local community breakfast where we volunteer at and have written about before) uses the proceeds from the breakfast to give loans to local farmers. A farmer can apply to the program, and if they are accepted they get a loan for a new hoop house and a crew of volunteers to help put it up. Jeff and Lisa organize the whole thing, so no skills are needed, and they provide wonderful food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

So yesterday I spent 12 hours out at Sunseed Farm right outside of Ann Arbor. The day started off raining and knee deep in mud. Our bo0ts were coated with an inch of mud that wouldn't budge, it felt like you were walking around with 10 pound weights on each foot. But by lunch the sun was out, it was 80 degrees, and the mud was still there! 40 of us spent the day mucking around to get the hoop house built. By 7:00 we had everything done other than pulling the plastic, which would have to wait until the next day. We ended the day with a BBQ under a tree in the middle of the farm. Tried and muddy, what could be better!

Here is a video taken yesterday, check out that mud! And yes that is me sitting on the back of the tractor, I was using the tractor as a ladder to attached poles to the top of the hoop house and the tractor needed to be moved every few minutes, so no, I am not sun tanning!

Check out some pictures from the day.
This is how the day started!














10:00 am: Starting to put up the braces

1:00 pm: putting up the end walls















7:00 pm: All braces are attached, trenches dug, ready for plastic!














This is what it will look like when it is done, they built this one last August


















This is some of the greens growing in their first hoop house