West Bend, WI – A bit of farming education from Gus Witte, owner of Witte’s Vegetable Market, 2313 County Highway NN, West Bend, WI.
We are often asked about our hoop houses; what are they and why do we grow in them? The hoop houses are visible from County Highway NN.
A hoop house or “high tunnel” is a structure with a single layer of plastic pulled tight around a steel frame with sides that roll up to allow air flow through the building.
These structures sit over the bare ground which is why the vegetables grown in them taste normal and not watery, which can be the case with greenhouses and hydroponics.
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The biggest advantage to growing in a hoop house in Wisconsin is an early start to our season.
Things like tomatoes and cucumbers can find their way into the ground almost a month earlier than the field planted ones.
While we have to wait until mid-August for field tomatoes, our hoop houses usually start producing around July 20.