Farmgirl Friday # 46 and THE HOOPHOUSE HANDBOOK Book Giveaway

Dear friends, 

Welcome to week# 46 of the Farmgirl Friday blog hop! Your favorite place to gather with kindred spirits who love to get their hands dirty whether it be working some magic on a trash to treasure makeover, planting food and flowers, canning, quilting, whipping up delicious food for families and friends, or sitting quietly knitting, crafting or reading a favorite homesteading book!

  Inside or out Farmgirls ( and boys ) have the can- do spirit to get the job done! 

Does anyone else have a case of spring fever yet? I certainly do! Part of my garden plan this year is to add a hoophouse to our backyard so I can extend the growing season of select cut flowers and some produce. I got my hands on a terrific resource through Growing for Market ( a monthly newsletter ) called The Hoophouse Handbook and it's companion Hoophouse Update. These books are a must have if you are interested in learning how to extend your growing season for produce and/or flowers. 

 Today, I'm excited to offer both books to one lucky farmgirl/boy just in time for you to consider incorporating a hoophouse into your backyard garden plan! I'm making it simple to enter! Leave a comment telling me are interested in these books!  I'll announce the winner next Friday!

 Growing in a hoophouse has many advantages. Crops and flowers are protected from high winds, and pounding rain which can be harmful to tender young seedlings. Managing soils, weeds, pests and diseases is easier. You can extend the growing season on nearly anything you plant inside on either end of the growing cycle by planting earlier than you would outdoors. If it's flowers you adore, enjoy your blooms later in the season or get a head start with your spring flowering bulbs. This book covers Crop production and recommends the best crops and flowers for hoop house production. It gives suggestions for what to grow in a heated or unheated hoophouse as well as timelines for planting. It also covers siting and building our hoophouse with extensive diagrams and materials list. There are even plans for a * moveable * hoop house in the Hoop House Update book.

These two books together are a 25.00 value but are priceless if you think you might be growing into a Gardner who wants to garden longer, harvest more and reap a profit as well. 

This is similar to  the size and style I'm considering for our backyard. 12 x16. This will give me space for 2 4 x 8 beds down one or both sides of the hoophouse leaving a walkway down the center. I could also set up tables at one end for germinating seeds. Hoophouses (also called high tunnels that are generally UN-heated ) can be designed to incorporate ventilation by allowing the sides to roll up as needed or doors on either end to be opened letting out very hot air in high summer temps.

 There's so much more to learn about growing in high tunnels! I'm excited about the new possibilities in my backyard garden and I can't wait to share them with you as we progress beyond the planning stages. If any of you have experience building and growing in hoophouses please, please, share your garden wisdom with us!

Now it's time to link up for your weekly dose of Farmgirl Soul~food!

 Here are the rules for the Farmgirl Friday blog hop! 

 1.) Write a post about your farmgirl lifestyle and brag a little about your farmgirl talents while your at it! Share what being a farmgirl means to you. Include lots of photos of your farm, crafts, animals, quilts, home decor projects and thrifty make overs, your backyard garden, chicken coop, recipes, studio or workshop. You get the idea!

2). Leave your entry in the Mr. Linky space to your Farmgirl Friday post.

 3). Please include the Farmgirl Friday button ( or link back here ) in your post and remember to share this hop with all of your blogging friends!

This blog hop is co-hosted with my farmgirl pal Heidi of White Wolf Summit Farmgirl blog!
We both appreciate all you share with us each week!
This post is linked to Heidi's Simple Country Living Garden Showcase blog hop!