Upson, who was among the speakers at the annual Central Texas Vegetable Shortcourse in DeLeon last month, cited the advantages of the hoop house over other season-extending technologies. A hoop house has no permanent heating system or electrical connections. The only external connection is the irrigation supply line. The ends of the houses are framed and covered with polyfilm or a rigid material such as fiberglass. Hoop houses range in width from 14 to 20 feet and up to 96 feet in length.
Hoop houses can be permanent or moveable, enabling more efficient use of land.
Traditionally, high value crops such as tomatoes are grown in hoop houses to justify the additional expense. Other crops being grown include strawberries, raspberries, cut flowers, melons, eggplant, peppers, and summer squash. Cut flowers make more money than anything else. Hoop houses should not be regarded as freeze protection devices, although they can provide limited protection. They do provide storm protection, and, because crops are sheltered from rainfall, there is less incidence of foliar disease in hoop houses.