In the City of Petaluma, we are converting a 1950's tract home into a productive and sustainable food source. Packing the yards with gardens, fruit trees and bees and doing away with the front lawn, we hope to be part of the solution and an inspiration to passers by.
OK, it is not a hoop house, it is more like a rectangle. I thought I was really smart, making this mostly out of scrap PVC pipes. I covered it with Agribon fabric and put my starts in there. It was noticeably warmer inside immediately.
But then the rain and wind came and it all came crashing down.
I have switched back to a tented garden shelf for my tomatoes and eggplants.
And inside, things are growing and staying warmer.
Well, we all heard about Michelle Obama and her White House victory garden. I am very proud of her and that. Now they have put up hoop houses for the winter garden. We stumbled upon this because we want to build hoop houses for our summer garden to get better success with tomatoes and okra. We may very well go for winter ones as well. I have a bunch of scrap conduit and PVC pipe. I just need to sort it out and see how much of which I have and then come up with a durable cover material (not clear plastic). If you are curious about the White House hoop houses, here is a video about it.
I am glad the USDA is promoting this idea along with soil conservation, but I keep having these sinking feelings about the Obama administration. Besides the war and the drones and the airstrikes and the lack of leadership on healthcare reform and the coddling of the banks and financial services industry, the food related disappointment is the nomination of Islam A. Siddiqui, a former lobbyist for CropLife, as the Chief Agricultural Negotiator for international trade. This happened a couple of months ago and as near as I can tell it got stalled in the Senate.
Keep an eye on this and remember, the revolving door between industry and government is still very much alive in Obama's America. Don't give up, though. Get active.
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