How To Do it yourself

We found a lot of web sites that talked about hoop houses, but not many that gave you the necessary details for designing and building your own. The two web pages we've selected are at two ends of the size spectrum, and give you loads of information on what you can do with a small bundle of inexpensive PVC pipe and a roll of clear plastic.

A hoop house greenhouse can be as big or as small as you want it to be. There's a hoop house not far from the How-2 Review headquarters in Oregon that must cover at least an acre, but if all you need is to protect a few tomato plants, your hoop house could be as small as a walk-in closet and be plenty big enough.

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Photo: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division,
(LC-USZ62-93779) Pick up just about any gardening book that promises some revolutionary new method of growing vegetables and you may find all manner of glowing promises about the labor-saving wonders or potential yield of the author's pet method. But what many such books don't tell you is that there is no such thing as "one size fits all" where food gardening is concerned. A method that works fine in New Mexico may fail utterly in Idaho, and vice versa. It may work great for your neighbor down the street, but fall on its face in your denser hardpan soil two blocks away. Every method of soil preparation and soil management needs to be tried and tested in your specific soil and weather conditions.

The author of this report, who holds a Master's degree in soil science, compares what no-till methods work and don't work in Georgia and in Minnesota, the two locations where she tested these methods. So before you decide that one method or another is the magic bullet that will solve all your gardening problems, read through this report. If you learn nothing else from it, take away the lesson that whatever methods you choose, you must be prepared to experiment, adapt, and experiment some more to find what actually works in your particular climate and soil conditions.

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Growers often neglect the annual training and pruning of fruit trees. Without training and pruning, however, fruit trees will not develop proper shape and form. Properly trained and pruned trees will yield high quality fruit much earlier in their lives and live significantly longer.

A primary objective of training and pruning is to develop a strong tree framework that will support fruit production. Improperly trained fruit trees generally have very upright branch angles, which result in serious limb breakage under a heavy fruit load. This significantly reduces the productivity of the tree and may greatly reduce tree life. Another goal of annual training and pruning is to remove dead, diseased, or broken limbs.

Proper tree training also opens up the tree canopy to maximize light penetration. For most deciduous tree fruit, flower buds for the current season's crop are formed the previous summer. Light penetration is essential for flower bud development and optimal fruit set, flavor, and quality. Although a mature tree may be growing in full sun, a very dense canopy may not allow enough light to reach 12 to 18 inches inside the canopy. Opening the tree canopy also permits adequate air movement through the tree, which promotes rapid drying to minimize disease infection and allows thorough pesticide penetration. Additionally, a well shaped fruit tree is aesthetically pleasing, whether in a landscaped yard, garden, or commercial orchard.

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