From Winter Cabbage to Summer Tomatoes - We Love Our Hoophouse!

It’s no secret we love gardening and are growing something year-round, even if it’s only microgreens in the kitchen.

We (Daryl & Patty) grew up in families that had gardens that were our primary source of fresh food. We wanted to do the same. Our first gardens were small, but we were always looking for ways to maximize our growing season.

To maximize our harvest, we used season-extending methods, such as cold frames and frost blankets. These helped, but they were small-scale. Once we had the space, we wanted something bigger. We considered building a greenhouse. We researched, planned, and decided a hoophouse made the most sense for us.

The main difference between a greenhouse and a hoophouse is that a greenhouse is heated. To have a heated greenhouse, you need a source of heat, which usually requires electricity. With a hoophouse, we could build without needing to run electricity to it. An actual greenhouse that can be heated and cooled can be expensive to build and is often beyond what a backyard gardener can do.

We decided to enjoy the benefits of the hoophouse without the extra expense of heating and cooling. For now, this meets all our needs without extra upkeep.

Our current hoophouse has made a huge impact on our gardening schedule. We can grow longer into the fall, and we can start planting earlier in the spring. In December, we are still harvesting salad greens. In February, we’re ready to plant cool-weather crops like broccoli and cabbage.

A hoophouse also gives us a place to harden off seedlings before transplanting them into our other garden plots.

A hoophouse can refer to all kinds of hoop-shaped structures that are covered in plastic. So “hoophouse” can also refer to coverings over a raised bed, also called low tunnels.

Our hoophouse is large enough to run a tiller through it and could also be called a High Tunnel. 

High tunnels are more specifically designed to be large enough to walk around in. We use the terms interchangeably when talking about our hoophouse.

There are many reasons why a hoophouse is worth the initial work and expense. Here are the benefits we enjoy by growing in a hoophouse.

The weather can be brutal here in the Midwest. An early spring storm will quickly destroy your thriving crops. Our hoophouse protects our plants from hail, windstorms, and heavy rain. If you’ve ever had a beautiful spring and your plants are taking off, then a spring storm comes through and knocks everything over, then you know how important this is.

Inside the hoophouse, it’s a few degrees warmer than the outside temperatures. This means we can put out tomatoes and peppers earlier. This also protects our plants from early frosts, allowing us to grow a little longer.

It’s a little more difficult for weed seeds to blow into the hoophouse. This results in fewer weeds for us to pull.

With a hoophouse sheltering the plant leaves from rain, the leaves stay dry, resulting in fewer diseases as long as there is good airflow.

The best thing about gardening in a hoophouse is that it creates a microclimate that allows us to grow things at times we otherwise wouldn’t be able to. In December, we are still harvesting kale and other salad greens. Our hoophouse extends the growing season for 2 or 3 months.

You can buy kits, and there are lots of helpful videos. Here are the main tips we’ve learned that you will want to know:

• Make a way for water to run off. A trench or berm can direct water away and prevent water pooling around the perimeter.

• Start with nutrient-rich soil. Good soil is always the foundation of a healthy garden.

• Use drip irrigation. This is the easiest way to keep the plants well watered.

• Use high-quality UV-stabilized plastic. The right kind of plastic will last longer and allow the right amount of light through.

• After your 3rd or 4th year, you may need to replace the plastic.

• Keep some sides open when it starts to get too hot.

• Keep it open to allow pollinators to come and go freely.

• Make it big enough to walk into and move around.

• Build it sturdy enough for strong winds.

• Use metal supports if you have heavy snow.

• Maintain the soil. We add compost early, but we don’t need to do it every year. You don’t have the same nutrient loss inside a hoophouse because it’s not raining and snowing.

• Grow cover crops inside the high tunnel. Cover crops keep the soil healthy and replenish nutrients.

• The temperature near the doors is going to fluctuate the most. Plan your crops accordingly.

Our hoop house is fairly large. It’s – wide and – long. And – feet tall. We can grow a lot of crops in this space. Our favorites are tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and salad greens. Some of the best cabbage we’ve ever grown has been in the hoophouse.

We keep the door to our hoophouse open in the summer and close it when temperatures cool off. In the early spring, we keep them closed to keep it warm. The plastic diffuses light, helping to counteract the intense afternoon sun in the summer. That’s why everything grows better in the hoophouse.

Heirloom lettuce grows really well in the hoophouse. We enjoy the varieties of leaves and love to eat fresh salad even when there’s snow on the ground.

Mustard greens are so easy to grow. We harvest the leaves when they are still small and the flavor is perfect.

The hoop house extends our growing season by 2 months in the winter.

Depending on your location, you could grow year-round. We usually are too cold to grow anything in January. We can start some things at the end of February.

Yes, you need pollinators inside the tunnel. We’ve found that pollinators naturally find their way in during the summer months when we need them to do their work. During these months, we keep the front and back open. In the cooler months when we are growing cabbage, lettuce, and other cole crops, we don’t need to have pollinators.

Greenhouse-grade polyethylene film typically lasts 4–6 years, depending on UV exposure and weather. It’s worth investing in UV-stabilized plastic made specifically for high tunnels instead of construction-grade plastic, which breaks down quickly.

We love having a hoophouse as part of our garden plan. In the summer, our tomato plants are protected from hailstorms, and in the winter, we are harvesting lettuce and cabbage.

Are you considering a hoophouse? Let us know what questions you have about hoophouse gardening.