More buildings are sprouting at Growing Hope near downtown Ypsilanti.

The non-profit is set to build its first hoop house on the weekend (Friday and Saturday) of Aug. 23. What's a hoop house? A green house that looks like a half moon. This structure will be the main building for the local agricultural organization, measuring 30 by 96 feet and provide nearly 2,000 square feet of growing space.

"It's really, really big," says Amanda Maria Edmunds, executive director of Growing Hope. "It's gianormous. That would be the accurate term for it."

The $9,000 structure is being paid for by the Ann Arbor branch of the Woman's Farm & Garden Association. It will go up next to Growing Hope's newly acquired home, 922 W Michigan Ave., and will be the first of several on the property.

The volunteers behind Growing Hope are also beginning the green restoration of their 1930s Tudor-style home. The surrounding  1.4-acre property will serve as an urban garden base to grow healthy food and provide education about growing food.

Volunteers plan to start replacing the plumbing and electrical in the once-vacant home, four blocks west of downtown, this fall. They are also working with the Washtenaw Community College's Residential Construction & Design program to make the structure is as environmentally responsible as possible.
 
The group is also working to raise enough money to stay one year ahead on the mortgage while seeking enough funds for the home's renovations. To learn more about helping Growing Hope plant roots in Ypsilanti, click here.
 
Source: Amanda Maria Edmunds, executive director of Growing Hope
Writer: Jon Zemke