LFS:UBC Farm Audio Tour Hoophouse

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Hi, my name is Scott and I’m part of the UBC Farm Field Crew. As a component of our production system we use a number of enclosed growing areas such as hoophouses and greenhouses. Our hoophouses are plastic covered structures that trap heat to create a microclimate that supports more productive plant growth. The greenhouses on the other hand are glass buildings that offer superior light transmission to plastic which we take advantage of for seedling germination. We use our hoophouses to grow heat loving plants – like tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers- and for season extension. By trapping heat inside the plastic we can create near tropical conditions during the summer which lets us quickly grow juicy, sweet tomatoes that would otherwise take much longer to ripen in the field. This heat trapping effect also allows us to keep heat loving plants in the ground later into the fall than we could keep them in the open field because of frost risks. In the spring, season extension using a hoophouse allows us to grow plants that tolerate cooler temperatures but would find it difficult to grow if left unprotected outside. Season extension is an important component of increasing food security, particularly in the lower mainland where we experience more temperate winters than the rest of the province. Eliot Coleman, a well known farmer and author, says that every layer of plastic or glass you put over your crops moves your growing climate about 800 kilometres south. That means that our hoophouses are capable of creating a winter environment similar to that of Portland, Oregon. If we were to add a second layer of plastic over our crops inside the hoophouses, it would bring the plants into a climate similar to northern California. If you’re at the UBC farm on even a moderately sunny day, step into the doors of one of our hoophouses and you’ll feel the difference in temperature right away.