Wednesday, January 12, 2011

January Blizzard

January Blizzard
It has finally stopped snowing. This latest storm started around midnight last night and continued throughout the day. My company had put me up at a downtown Boston hotel last night so that I wouldn't have to brave the early morning commute into the city. Indeed the drive home this evening was anything but easy. When it was all over, our town received about two feet of snow.

I was anxious to see how my hoop house had fared through the blizzard. It seems to be holding up well despite the fact that there's about a foot of snow on top of it. I'll wait a day or two before brushing it off as much of the snow will naturally drift off and the added layer will also help to protect the hoop house plastic against high winds, which tend to linger around following a storm like this.

To all those currently digging out from beneath this January blizzard - May your feet stay warm and your backs stay straight!

21 comments:

  1. Awesome photo...snow just stopped here in our neck of the woods in Nova Scotia. My..your hoop house looks so beautiful in the snow...

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  2. it's been so beautiful and quiet today. just lovely.

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  3. Might I suggest that you clean that hoop house. The plastic is not rated for that type of weight and it may collapse or sag. Many people lose theirs that way. We clean ours every few hours during a heavy snow and the plastic will last for years beyond the recommendation.

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  4. The snow is still swirling around tonight, but the majority of the snowfall seems to have ended for us now. It was quite a storm. I hope everything in your hoophouse fairs well.

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  5. Do yo mind sending some of that snow down my way? There's a complete dearth of snow in Montreal , and it's beginning to get depressing. I'm worried that the mice will get at my asparagus this year again.
    If I don't get a good snow storm sometime soon, I'm moving to someplace else!!

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  6. We didn't get that much snow this year in total.
    I would also consider brushing the snow of the hoophouse. Not maybe because of the weight so much, but because the plants are in the dark.

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  7. I am impressed, the hoop house is working out beautifully. Now you have the big job of digging out! Be careful.

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  8. I can't believe they put you up just so you could show up for work, what ever happened to a freakin' snow day!?! Glad you made it home safe and sound, it seems to be an 'all or nothing' kind of winter doesn't it?

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  9. I think it was nice of your company to put you up. We had several people here trapped wherever they were because we're not equipt to handle snow/ice removal. The snow here iced over so badly that the kids couldn't crunch through it to walk yesterday. They ditched the snow boards and just slid down on their backs.

    Hope that hoop house holds up!

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  10. Unfortunately, we did not get much snow. I have been looking forward to one big snow. The storms keep tracking about 20 miles east of us, which is unusual.

    Stay safe driving to work today and let us know how the hoop house is doing.

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  11. Thanks for your comments everyone.
    Jane, thanks for the advice. I'm planning on removing the snow when I get home today. We're expected to get very high wind gusts today. The plastic that I have on it is the cheap stuff you find at the hardware store. It's not completely sealed so I'm more concerned about the wind ripping it open on the side. I'rm really looking forward to getting some real heavy duty greenhouse plastic on it this spring or fall. For now, it's just sitting in my garage.

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  12. Nice job on that hoophouse! I think you are right about that extra layer, the winds were what shredded mine, not the heavy snow oddly!

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  13. That looks so pretty. While I am not a big fan of winter - I do love the enchanted look of trees laden with snow and an untouched field of fresh snow.

    I would second Jane's recommendation to clear off the snow. As the snow melts it also gets denser and wetter - and heavier as a result. I always clear off my grow tunnels and the greenhouse roof to keep too much snow from accumulating.

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  14. Thomas, are you planning to leave that hoop house up all year? Anna

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  15. Wow! You did a great job with the greenhouse! We also got a lot of snow. I had to shake the snow out of my new trees. They had so much snow on that the branches were burried in the snow (touching the ground). Only my Rhododendron lost a big branch.

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  16. We've still got snow going here, but that's what I get for living where there's lake effect snow. But we only got 3-4 inches yesterday and maybe 3-4 inches overnight and this morning.

    What are the hoops made out of in the hoop house? PVC? Seems to be standing strong against all that snow!

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  17. What have you got in those hoops? Steel? Best clear the snow off, Thomas. I've seen a lot of damaged heavy duty fruit cages this year.

    But I'm relieved to hear you have a hevy duty replacement at the ready!

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  18. Anna - I'd like to leave the hoop house up all year round with the doors off during the warmer months. I finger some of our heat loving veggies like tomatoes and peppers would enjoy it.

    Kaytee and Mal - The frame is PVC but held up by heavy duty metal poles.

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  19. Glad to see your hoop house survived the snow!

    It is a lovely picture to look at. So far we've escaped the big storms this year and quite frankly, I'm glad. We had enough last year!

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  20. Wow, I can't believe your hoop house has withstood the snow. Great picture!

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  21. Oh, my gosh. 2 feet?! I am so glad your hoop house is still up. It gives me hope that I can put one up next year. I have been worried about building one for fear it would just topple at the first sign of bad weather.

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