Our major concern with all this snow is the possibility that our metal-framed, plastic-covered greenhouses will collapse under the weight. We worry about this because our primary greenhouse did get destroyed in 2003 with that winter’s major snowstorm. This year, just like all the other farmers in the area, we put in the effort, throughout the storm, to make sure not too much snow accumulated. Of course, we don’t know how much is too much, but we knew the more often we did it, the easier it would be. But still, it took quite a bit of effort, and the generous help of our neighbors, to keep them clear.
Blueberry Hill volunteers help clear the snow off the top of one of the hoop houses.
It takes a lot of sliding, pulling and flapping to move the hose over the ribs on top of the plastic.
More volunteers help coax the snow off the very top.
We used bamboo poles with tennis balls attached to the ends, but still, occasionally we poked some holes. Much easier to patch small holes in the springtime than to rebuild the whole hoop house…
Potomac Vegetable Farms 