Taking the Hard Path
Time and time again, I am asked what Frank and I do during the winter months. I know that the majority of farmers living in a cold climate experience this as well. First off, there are a multitude of duties to perform while our soil rest. We have seeds to start, dahlias to bring back to life, plugs to tend to, and not to mention maintaining friendships.
Currently, we are dealing with one of the most grueling winter tasks: protecting our low tunnels and hoop house. Yesterday we woke up to a collapsed low tunnel. We got our snow pants on and got to work. With the low tunnel’s hoops being made of PVC, the house bounced right back up as we removed the snow. One piece did snap, but that is an easy fix. Our low tunnels are 3 years old and this is the first problem we have had! After shoveling the wet, heavy snow, I knew that my hilltop hoop house could be in peril.
We built our hoop house this past summer in a recently logged spot at the highest point our family’s land. The hoop house was not a kit; it came in a million pieces from a fellow Westmorelander for $300. We had no instructions to go by, just the information my farmer friend volunteered. The final outcome is in fact a working hoop house, but I will admit there are a lot of mysterious extra pieces still lying around. So here we are, our first winter with a hoop house, in a location with no road access, surrounded by trees.
I took a video to show you my journey up to the greenhouse. In the summer months, the hike leaves me gasping for air. Yesterday, I did this trek in snow gear, through 18 inches of snow. I am glad I did, though! There was heavy snow building up on both ends of the hoop house’s roof. The sides of greenhouse were piling up as well. The weight of the heavy, wet snow was pushing in on the greenhouse plastic.
End result: The hoop house lives to see another day! But I must remember, while I won this battle, there is no certainty that I will win the next. I will remain vigilant and guarded as I await the next storm’s arrival… which is tomorrow.
