Movable Greenhouse Building Workshop Series

Movable Greenhouse Building Workshop Series

MOVABLE GREENHOUSE WORKSHOPS
First-of-its-kind greenhouse to be built in Spokane County.

Picture a large greenhouse that rolls along rails so that it can be
moved over different crops throughout the year.  This allows for early
season protection of hardy plants started in late winter. Later the
greenhouse is moved off the early planting when the weather warms in
order to start tender annuals early. Then once it is safe for the
tender plants to grow uncovered, the greenhouse is moved over hardy
annuals that are started uncovered in late summer to protect them as
the weather cools.

The idea was recently made popular by Maine organic farmer and author
Eliot Coleman who has modernized the old French concept of greenhouses
on rails by using contemporary materials. He has experimented extensively
with movable hoophouses in a modern, short-season organic farm environment.

P.e.a.c.h. Community Farm has a contract under the USDA Natural
Resources Conservation Service's Organic Initiative to build one such
hoophouse and will demonstrate how a local grower can save thousands
of dollars building a mobile hoophouse from scratch rather than buying
a kit from a manufacturer.

The workshops will begin on Thursday, September 8th, 6-8pm with a
lecture on the concept of movable hoophouses and the basics of the
engineering. Saturday, September 17th, 8am-5pm: Leveling the ground
and installing the rails. Saturday, September 24th, 8am-5pm: Pipe
bending and assembly of hoops. Saturday, October 1st, 8am-5pm: Framing
of the hoophouse ends. The total cost for all four workshops is $150

Participants must preregister by contacting Bryan Brown at bryan@peachlocal.com
509-216-9273.

P.e.a.c.h. is offering  three full scholarships to low-income folks who commit to attending all four workshops. Contact Bryan to apply (contact info for Bryan is below). If you can afford to pay for the workshops, please don't apply for the scholarships.