A 2-acre farm in Frederick, MD, Doce Lume Farm grows certified organic herbs and vegetables. They received a $1,735 grant to build hoop houses and establish a system to test the health of their soil.
Despite experiencing flooding this season, they were able to construct four 10×13-foot hoop houses and begin growing greens, herbs and red onions in them. They also tested three batches of aerated compost. They hope that their easy-to-construct, small and mobile Damrosch Hoop Houses will be utilized as part of the Youth Gardening Committee public schools garden program they’re promoting with the University of Maryland Extension Master Gardeners.
“The generous support provided by The FruitGuys Community Fund allowed us to extend our growing season into cooler weather by building hoop houses and initiate a soil/compost/crop tissue–testing regimen to understand our soil health and ultimately our crop health.” —Janice Wiles, producer
