Media advisory issued January 21, 2001.
For media inquiries, contact Caroline Booth Lara, Communications Specialist, (580) 224-6379.
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Note: This event occurred in 2001. Please see our news releases section for upcoming events.

Hoop House How-To for Better Harvests

Planning to grow lots of beautiful, healthy vegetables this summer for your family? For your friends? Or are your goals loftier, and you want to raise enough produce to provide extra income over the gardening season?

Gardeners falling into any of these categories should plan to attend the program at 7 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Noble Foundation, "Hoop Houses: Season-Extending Technology for Home and Market Gardeners."

Noble Foundation horticulturist Steve Upson will present the free public program at the NF Kruse Auditorium.

"The primary reason we recommend hoop house utilization is that we can extend the growing season noticeably," Upson said. "If you’re a backyard gardener, you can brag about being the first with home-grown tomatoes on the table. If you’re a market gardener, you’ll be the first at the market and be able to attract new customers.

"If you’ve thought about growing in greenhouses, building a hoop house is a good first step," Upson said. "This presentation should be a great step in learning how to build that hoop house and how to manage plants in a greenhouse-type environment."

No registration is required for the program, and there will be free handout information available.

Hoop houses are greenhouse-type structures that have no active heating and cooling (electrical or gas-operated fans or heaters). Temperature in a hoop house is managed by adjusting vents, Upson said.

The horticulturist also will be speaking about raised bed gardening as it pertains to hoop house technology.

"Raised beds and hoop houses are a great combination," Upson said. "Both growing systems accelerate plant development by converting solar energy into heat. Warm soil and air enhance the growing environment, resulting in faster growing, earlier fruiting crops.

"The management and operation of hoop houses are the same for both home and market gardeners," Upson said. "Whether you have plans to only grow something for your family or to make some money with your crop, this course would be of interest to you."

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Photos: Steve Steve Upson (384 k) | Steve Upson at Hoop Houses (480 k)

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Related articles at:
Horticultural Information Index

(FYI – The Noble Foundation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization headquartered in Ardmore, Okla. The foundation conducts agricultural, forage biotechnology and plant biology research; provides grants to numerous other charitable and educational nonprofit organizations; and assists farmers and ranchers through educational and consultative programs.)