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Moapa Valley Gardeners Learn How To Build A Hoophouse

By Mike Donahue

Moapa Valley Progress

Workers preparing the UNCE hoop house for the plastic sheeting cover include, from left, Denise Stoesser, David Dewenter, Randy Emm, Carol Bishop, Jeff Meckley, Bill Parson and Brian Grasmick. Photo by Mike Donahue.

In a modern take on an old fashioned barn raising, a group of Southern Nevadans got together last weekend at the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension (UNCE) office in Logandale and, in a few hours, erected a hoop house; a low-budget structure that functions like a more costly greenhouse.

The UNCE hoop house, which gets its name from its shape, was engineered by Utah State University Cooperative Extension. It uses PVC pipe covered by heavy plastic sheeting and is an excellent alternative to more expensive engineered steel structures, though not as sturdy, according to Randy Emm, Indian Programs coordinator in the UNCE western area office who led the construction workshop in Logandale.

Emm, with help from Victor Williams, UNCE Walker River Indian Reservation coordinator, who has built numerous hoop houses in Nevada, traveled south last weekend to help with the Moapa Valley construction.

“We did this as a construction workshop so local residents could learn how easy it is to build their own hoop house and effectively extend the Southern Nevada growing season throughout the winter,” said Carol Bishop, educator in the UNCE office in Northeast Clark County which includes Moapa Valley. “It is really an outstanding, cost-effect project for anyone who gardens in Moapa Valley.”

Materials for the local hoop house ran between $675 and $700, a fraction of what a comparable green house would cost, Bishop said. The structure erected Saturday is 14-by-33 feet, ample room for a large vegetable garden.

“We originally started constructing these hoop houses on Indian reservations in Nevada as a low-cost way to help extend the growing season,” Emm said. “So far in the north we’ve built seven in Duck Valley, two on the Walker River Reservation, two in Ely and one in Duck Water. There are three planned at Pyramid Lake and the South Fork Reservations wants three.”

Emm said that once construction got started around Nevada, “we found there was a lot of interest throughout other areas of the state and we just sort of volunteered to help build them.

“What’s good about this type of event is it’s a hands-on project so people learn as the structure goes up,” Emm said.

Moapa residents Bill and Linda Parson, who had previously constructed two hoop houses that failed because of the high winds in Southern Nevada, attended the workshop to learn other construction methods.

“I quickly learned I made three major mistakes in my hoop houses,” Parson said. “By cutting the PVC and using glued joints, I weakened the integrity of the actual hoop, which adds a lot of support to the structure; I failed to use UV-resistant plastic, and I learned that adding a twine wrap over each hoop helps contain the sheeting.”

Bishop said plans for the local hoop house include a vegetable garden.

“We may also get a 4-H club or two involved in maintenance or in some other way,” she said.

Those who missed the workshop but are interested in hoop house construction can contact Bishop the UNCE office, 1897 Moapa Valley Blvd., or by calling 702-397-2604.

Others who attended the workshop included David Dewenter of Sandy Valley; Jeff and Andrea Meckley; Brian Grasmick who brought sons Elmer, 8, and Vance, 6; Denise Stoesser; Evonne Burris, and Ivan Erwin.

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