"SteveB" wrote in message
...

"gunner" wrote

Gunner, I'd like to hear your thoughts on a greenhouse versus a hoop
tunnel, as I don't want to make this a big deal and then find out it's all
wasted.

Steve

Until you can tell us what your goal is Steve, any Internet advice it is a
crap shoot of best intended, oft misguided information. billy and Sheldon
have actually given some good advice, past and present (don't ever tell
them I said that) if you can get through their BS and put into your
situation. Yet, as you may have noticed you get a lot of distractive loony
tough talk from the little boys in the back of the fight crowd. Ignore it as
the old "don't wrestle with a pig" story.

Are you sold on using dirt?

S. Utah wasn't it? Four Cornors or Western side? High coutry or desert
floor?

Ever do a soil analysis? Water tests? If you can't get soil done locally or
it is costly try UofMass:
http://www.umass.edu/plsoils/soiltest/services1.htm

It is important if you are running a green house to know a bit of these
factors, any growing actually, but you can wing it a bit better with dirt.
At the very least ask your local Ag Ext guy/gal what the ave.. composition
and ave. pH is. Other things you might want to know are a bit of climatic
data; monthly highs and lows, ave. rainfall, humidity, Sunlight ( PAR,
length of day, etc.). http://tinyurl.com/y2bho9 many other resources,
search them out!

I remember the melons, but what about tomatoes/peppers? lettuces? herbs?...
Give a quick who, what, why.... It can be broad; I want to feed my family
of x with x.... I can devote x time to my garden, I want to grow x... I
have x $s budgeted.

Meanwhile, here is a short link on the basics of high/low
http://plasticulture.cas.psu.edu/H-tunnels.html
go through the left hand side to read more general info.
another:
http://www.noble.org/Ag/Horticulture...use/index.html

if you like that one, adapt this longer version here to your situation:
http://www.noble.org/Ag/Horticulture...roduction.html
again, the left side.

There are plenty of free plans/material lists for tunnels, GHs, cold frames
etc.available. depends on the size you want or can manage

My initial recommendation for you is to try hoop on raised beds first to
see if this is for you and then move up. You can easily extend the season
and fix those cold desert nights but I feel the biggest problem you will
face is ventilation ( GH or Hoop). Like a car, the temps inside a CEA
structure can jump up real quick with a bit of sun. You will be rolling
those windows up and down alot. When the hot summer sun
hits you will want to switch to shade cloth and maybe misters to cool it
down, then back to plastic when the Indian summer wanes.

Now lets go to "Hooked on 'ponics" Light is what you need most, you don't
need much water and you don't need dirt.

Do understand the protective structure and the growing method are separate
entities. Build a structure to extend your seasons and consider moving
towards one of the Hydroponics methods, especially in your arid
environment. Hydroponics can be simple or highly complex. Hell, I bet I can
even teach Charlie to do it. A 2004 Sandia NL project has showed that
Hydroponic GHs in NM could reduce 800,000 acre-feet of water to 1,000 to
produce the equivalent livestock crop production and do it on 1,000 acres
instead of 260, 000. 80% of water use in NM is for agriculture and over
half of NM is Federal land so there is not much to grow and build on.

Being Organic is a good back to the basics concept but you can go a step
further and really help the world's future with 'ponics. Let me know if you
want to consider this area because you should design it first rather than
retrofit it in.

Gunner