Hoop Houses

Hoop Houses

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
High Desert Farming Initiative hoop house construction begins.

Construction is underway on six hoop houses at a University of Nevada, Reno farming demonstration project. I talked with project director Gina Ott: "What is a hoop house? It is just like a greenhouse where you have grown commercially. The difference between a hoop house and a greenhouse is that hoop houses are made with plastic. Thus you can grow things through the winter. The special plastic over them does not allow in the UV but it lets in the light. You have to be careful when it gets really warm. You have to put the sides up so that your crops doesn't cook. It allows you to extend your growing season. We grow melons, tomatoes, peppers, squashes and cucumbers and they are all grown organically.

The business-oriented collaborative will provide applied research and demonstration in hoop-house, greenhouse and organic farming in high desert climates for local growers and the agriculture industry, as well as assessment of various options to support economic development – primarily to support agriculture.

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