a few details
Forgive me going on and on about the hoop, I'm rather excited about it! |
The end panels are going into place. I'm sure we are being a little futzier than needed on doing the ends, but I think they will be very handy since they are small for storage during the summer, and we can play with the amount of ventilation--and/or add screens if needed for pest control. The triangular pieces are done as well, but we haven't installed them yet. The only part left to do is the back center panel, which will include a window that opens with a auto vent.
Yesterday we played with the roll-up sides. We ended up using two12-foot half-round trim pieces for the "pole". They were inexpensive and made it easy to sandwich the plastic. We will work on ways to secure it better, but for now a bungie works. For the closed position, we used wiggle wire to secure the sides down, and for now just have a board to hold the pole in place at the bottom.
I know outside of winter we will have these open almost all of the time, even on a cool day we are already reaching 100 degrees inside with the sides mostly open! I suspect we may need shade cloth too, I know I have a LOT to learn over the next year of experimentation.
I of course do not blame you for being excited.
ReplyDeleteWith the ends completely open (I'm assuming you'll have a screen door in there?) and the roll-up side, I doubt you'll ever need shade cloth. You'll need to switch out the plants is all (no wimpy salads after a while, time for some heat-loving crops instead) and that's already on your agenda. My mom's doesn't get super smoldering hot, although hers has a bit of shade.
I think you'll love the adjustment. Just comparing the cracked (yet still pretty) tops of all my outdoor tomatoes with the picture-perfect hoop-grown ones...it's of course not all about "pretty" but it demonstrates how tempering the elements just a little bit yields different, mostly lots better, results.
It looks great.
ReplyDeleteI used shade cloth this summer, and found it did help moderate the temps, even with the new roll-up sides. I noticed that the peppers set fruit more reliably when I had the shade cloth on. My hoop is smaller, though, so may be more vulnerable in general to temperature swings.
Your posts are reminding me I need to get on the move and find some wiggle wire for my roll-up sides, and get more greens planted. The start of the school year just kills me...
El: I think we're a bit hotter than you in the summer, especially up on that sunny hill. (You're more the seattle of the midwest, ha ha.) I have enough trouble getting spinach to germinate for fall as it is, but we'll see. It's sure awesome now since we're having a very chilly fall here--I just sat out there and had a snack break in 90 degree sunshine, so nice!
ReplyDeleteAli: yeah, we're having a lousy pepper year here because it got so hot right when they should have been setting fruit, and now it's too cold! I'm finally getting peppers now, but it's almost too late. I will have to try those carmen's again because it definitely wasn't the season to judge a new variety!