Local arugula in the winter? Thank a hoop house.

The shelters help extend the growing season in early spring and late autumn
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Hoop houses
Photograph by Mitch Lawson

Ever wonder how locally grown spring produce like arugula and turnips ends up in winter markets? We owe that bounty to the hoop house, a shelter made of polyethylene walls designed to capture the sun’s heat. For farmers like Mitch Lawson of Rise ’N Shine Organic Farm, the structure has extended the growing season in early spring and late autumn.

This article originally appeared in our March 2016 issue under the headline “Hoop Time!”

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