The Year-Round Hoophouse: Polytunnels for All Seasons and All Climates - Paperback

by Pam Dawling (Author)

Grow abundant produce in any climate with a well-designed hoophouse. This practical, field-tested guide shows you the best ways to design, build, and manage a productive polytunnel so you can extend your season, protect crops, and harvest fresh food in every month.

A reliable, resilient hoophouse can transform your farm or garden. Whether you're a new grower or expanding into protected cultivation, this trusted guide gives you the confidence and know-how to construct and manage a productive indoor growing environment for year-round harvests.

Grow more food with less uncertainty. High tunnels (or polytunnels) buffer against unpredictable weather, protect soil, extend the growing season, and keep greens thriving through winter. With clear instructions and proven strategies, you'll learn how to create a resilient system that boosts yields and supports local food supply all year.

Inside you'll learn how to:

• Choose the right site, size, and style for your land


• Build durable frames with simple tools and materials


• Create efficient bed layouts and soil systems


• Plan crop rotations for all seasons


• Manage pests and diseases organically


• Prepare for storms and weather extremes


• Grow a wide range of crops--cold-hardy greens, roots, warm-season favorites, and more.

Written for farmers, market growers, professors, students, interns, and urban or rural beginners, this book is an essential reference for anyone moving into protected growing or teaching sustainable agriculture.

About the Author

Pam Dawling brings over 40 years of sustainable vegetable production experience--including 14 years of hoophouse growing. She is the author of the bestselling Sustainable Market Farming, a contributing editor to Growing for Market, a long-time conference speaker, and former manager of the Twin Oaks community farm in Virginia, which feeds 100 people year-round.

Start building a resilient, productive growing space and enjoy year-round harvests--no matter where you grow.

Back Jacket

Design and build a hoophouse or polytunnel, and grow abundant produce year-round in any climate

"I can think of no better introduction to the world of protected growing." --Andrew Mefferd, publisher, Growing for Market

Growing in hoophouses - also known as high tunnels or polytunnels - reduces the impact of an increasingly unpredictable climate on crops, mitigates soil erosion, extends the growing season and keeps leafy greens alive through the winter, enablling growers to supply more regional food needs.

With The Year-Round Hoophouse, best-selling author Pam Dawling brings a comprehensive guide to designing and building a hoophouse and making a success of growing abundant, delicious fresh produce all year, whatever your climate and land size. Chapters include:

• Hoophouse siting, size, style, frame construction, and tools
• Bed layout, soil, crop rotations, and extensive coverage of various crops for all seasons
• Organic solutions to pests and diseases
• Disaster preparation
• Tested resources for each chapter.

The Year-Round Hoophouse is ideal for growers who wish to move into protected growing, as well as beginners in both rural and urban spaces. It is an essential reference resource for professors and students of courses in sustainable agriculture, and for interns and apprentices learning on the job.

"... a must-read for anyone looking to enhance the resilience of their garden or farm." --Laura Lengnick, author, Resilient Agriculture

"Pam's experience in high tunnel growing really shows in her details on crop production. Overall, a great addition to any farm family's library." --Chris Mullins, Extension Specialist, Greenhouse and Specialty Crops, Virginia State University

Pam Dawling has been farming and providing training in sustainable vegetable production in a large variety of climates for over 40 years. She writes and speaks widel, including weekly at sustainablemarketfarming.com and monthly on the Mother Earth News Organic Gardening Blog, and is a contributing editor with Growing for Market magazine. For 25 years Pam was the manager of Twin Oaks community farm in Virginia, which feeds the 100 community members year-round. Pam is also the author of the best-selling Sustainable Market Farming. She lives and grows at Twin Oaks in Louisa, Virginia.

Author Biography

Pam Dawling has been farming and providing training in sustainable vegetable production in a large variety of climates for over 40 years, 14 of which have been hoophouse growing. Pam's first book is the best-selling Sustainable Market Farming: Intensive Vegetable Production on a Few Acres. Pam is a contributing editor with Growing for Market magazine, has written articles and information sheets for various biological farming publications, and is a popular speaker on growing vegetables at sustainable agriculture conferences and events each year. She blogs weekly at sustainablemarketfarming.com and monthly on the Mother Earth News Organic Gardening Blog. Pam does consultancy work for new and beginning farmers, and for 25 years was the manager of Twin Oaks community farm in Virginia, which feeds the 100 community members year-round. She lives and grows at Twin Oaks in Louisa, Virginia.