NMU Hoop House

About the Hoop House

The Northern Michigan University Hoop House serves as a collaborative learning center for eaters of all ages who are curious about where food comes from and how it it grown. Through research and education on sustainable agriculture, the project aims to expand our local food system, improve food security and increase access to fresh, healthy produce.

The project aims to help current farmers, potential farmers and the greater community learn more about sustainable agriculture practices and using hoop houses to extend the growing season in a northern climate. It also promotes the full cycle of producing sustainable and locally grown food through educational and research opportunities for students, faculty and staff at Northern Michigan University and the greater Marquette Community.

Starting in 2017, Marquette restaurants and NMU Dining Services purchased herbs, greens and vegetables to incorporate into dishes made with locally sourced ingredients. Since the global pandemic began in 2020, most of the harvested food grown at the hoop house has been donated to the NMU Food Pantry. Each year, some seeds are collected and saved for the next planting, and leftover plant materials are composted on site with the help of worms to create organic fertilizer.

For more information, please email hoophouse@nmu.edu.

Drop Off Your Composting at NMU

Accepted Materials:

Fruit and vegetable scraps (remove the stickers), egg shells, bread, pasta, rice or cereal, coffee grounds and tea leaves, grass clippings, garden weeds, leaves, twigs, mulch, sawdust, torn up paper

Unaccepted Materials:

Meat and fish, dairy, citrus fruits, large pits, salty foods

Storing Scraps:

Keep scraps in a plastic bag or storage container in the freezer until ready to drop off at the NMU Hoop House.

Help us reduce the amount of organic material that is dumped in the landfill! Composted food scraps provide nutrients to crops grown at the NMU Hoop House.

Come Grow With Us

The Hoop House is available to every gardener, community member and student, regardless of experience. Interested in a directed study? Interested in soils and native plants? Have some landscape art you want to display? There are endless opportunities to experiment and learn at the NMU Hoop House! To get involved email hoophouse@nmu.edu or check for updates on Facebook @marquettehoophouse.