STORAGE BOX HOOPHOUSE



Mar. 6 Hoophouse - 75 degrees

Broccoli starts in hoophouse box

Well, it happened.  I ran out of room in my one and only hoophouse!  Last year, I had two hoophouses, but the flat-topped hoophouse ripped and I had decided not to replace it.  Over the last two weeks I have been seeding and transplanting seedlings into the hoophouse and now it is finally full.  So what to do?  Well, in the past, I have used clear storage boxes turned upside-down over the soil to protect the delicate seedlings until the weather is warmer and they can go 'free range'.  And that's exactly what I did.  I planted the broccoli sprouts today and they are looking cozy in the box.  The temperature in the hoophouse hit 75 degrees today and they are calling for temps in the 60s tomorrow, so I'll be unzipping the sides so it doesn't cook in there.  The seeds are germinating in the hoophouse and the lettuce that I transplanted on Feb. 17 is growing and looking promising.  I seeded some kale today but probably will have to cover it for the night.  It's still a little too nippy out there for that!  The tomato plants on the window sill are about 8" tall and will be transferred into the hoophouse in early April.  There will be a ton of them and I just might regret not having another hoophouse.  Maybe I'll get a clear painters tarp, drape it over some PVC hoops and see how that works.  

Storage box hoophouse