Stretch out your season with hoophouses
A series of tip sheets on labor efficiency for
vegetable and berry growers.
Astrid Newenhouse
Bob Meyer
Marcia Miquelon
and Larry Chapman
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Healthy Farmers, Healthy Profits Project
Why
consider a hoophouse for berries?
If you want to extend your harvest season and improve your work
environment, consider using an unheated, plastic-covered hoophouse for
raspberries and strawberries. In addition to increasing your profits by
giving you a longer market window, hoophouse berry production can benefit
your health and increase your work efficiency. Farmers and researchers
in several states are growing hoophouse berries. In Holland, Great Britain,
Japan, China and other countries hoophouse berry production (also called
high tunnel production) is popular. Some farms in Japan and Great Britain
are also growing PYO berries in hoophouses.
Raspberries growing in pots inside Dan Deneen’s hoophouse in Mazomanie,
WI.
Mike Finley of Janesville, WI grows early-season strawberries in these unheated hoophouses.
Benefits:
Season extension.
Hoophouse grown berries will ripen earlier than field grown berries, allowing
you to get a jump on the market and extend the amount of time you have
to make money off your crop. By spreading out your workload over a longer
harvest season, you also reduce your stress and bodily fatigue.
Controlled environment.
In a hoophouse, you don't have to worry about rain splashing fungal spores
up from the soil onto your berries and hastening rot diseases. Using drip
irrigation, you can add water and nutrients with precision. You may not
need to use as many pesticides, which can reduce your own exposure to
these chemicals.
Easier on your body.
You can use raised beds, bags, or bench systems to create a more convenient
height for your plants. This reduces the amount of stooping you and your
workers do to harvest berries and to tend plants. In a hoophouse, rain
won't keep pickers away, and you are also protected from wind, cold, and
UV rays.
Is hoophouse berry
production cost effective?
The startup costs of hoophouse production can be high. However, you may
get a higher price for your berries if they are early season, off-season,
or organic. You will need to analyze your own situation and compare expected
yields and market price with the cost of production. It's possible to
bend your own pipe framework and make a simple unheated structure cheaply.
