Extend Your Gardening Season Up To 4 Months Longer
Would you believe me if I told you that you could extend your gardening season to be 4 months longer? Think of how much more you could grow with 4 extra months!
You might believe that this can be done but when I tell you that you can do this for less than $10, you might be a bit skeptical. I am here to show you how easy it is!
This project will take you 10 minutes to put up, requires little to no watering and will cost you less than $10. Sound good? I sure think it does!
A Little Thing Called A Hoop House
So just what is this? I call it a hoop house. Not sure if that is the correct name or not….but it sounds good. My neighbor and I did this project yesterday in less than 10 minutes. She was nice enough to allow me to shoot some photos while she put hers up! Thanks Tracy! 🙂
We live in Wisconsin and we have brutal winters (with exception of this year). I usually start planting early May and my garden comes to an end in late September. By putting this hoop house up, we were able to plant in March and will extend our season though November! That is 4 extra months!
You will be amazed how easy it is to put up and also how easy it is to maintain. Once up, the hoop house creates its own moisture (humidity) and keeps the soil warm creating a perfect environment for the plants to flourish. The plants are protected from frost and hard freezes in this self made hoop house.
Building A Hoop House In 4 Easy Steps
So lets build this hoop house shall we? Here is what you will need to get started.
- 1/2-inch PVC pipe (they are sold in 10 foot pieces). Depending on the size of your garden/raised bed, you will need one of these for every 3-4 feet. These cost roughly 1.50 a piece.
- cement pavers – you will need about one every 3-4 feet. These will cost you about $.30 cents a piece.
- 1 piece of 3 mil clear plastic sheeting, make sure it is large enough to cover your bed. This will cost you about $3.00
- handheld saw to cut the pipes. You can also have your home improvement center cut them for free.
Step 1 ~ The first thing you want to do is saw the PVC pipes to 7 feet long.
Step 2 ~ Next put the PVC pipe into the soil and bend it to the other side. PVC piping is very flexible. This will make a dome like shape.
Step 3 ~ Drape your plastic over the PVC creating a dome like structure.
Step 4 ~ Place cement pavers or bricks around the perimeter of the bed securely holding the plastic down. You should place enough bricks around the hoop house so that cool air stays out and the air in the hoop house stays in to create the proper humidity.
The Finished Product
Once you are done, this is what your hoop house should look like. I know, how simple was that, right?
Look at these two photos. The plants were grown in the hoop house here in Wisconsin. The average temperature has been around 45-50ºF and the evenings have been in the low 30’s.
These were planted last month and are ready for harvest already. Pretty amazing how these hoop houses create such beautiful healthy plants that thrive in this environment.
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Jan you know us Cali folk go from crazy cold windy rain right into summer, I was dying today it was 88 here but the sun makes it feel like high 90’s
Tina, still really windy here from the weekend… Allergies are crazy!
Our wind died down last night & I’m just east from you, next time I come to the bay area we need to connect 🙂
Hope it’s soon, Tina! That you come to the Bay Area… AND that the wind dies down! 😉
You know it’s only a 2 hour drive
Where do you buy the sheeting??
Do you take the plastic off in warm weather?
Can seeds be started in this in April in Pa.?
Absolutely! Warm the soil first, then plant the seeds and cover.
Do you mind iif I quote a couple of your articles as long as I provide credit and sources back tto
your weblog? My blog is in the exact ssame area of interest as yours and my users would genuinerly benefit from some of thhe information you present here.
Please let me know if this alright with you. Thankss a lot!
I was wondering if the temperature drop in 30s, will the plants survive by only covered with plastic? Or should i covered with something else to make it warmer?
Yep they will survive. My temps dropped below 0F and they did great under the plastic.
Please let me know why you specified the pipes need to be cut at 7 feet? Was it to make the hoops higher or is that the minimum required for flexibility? Many thanks!
Hi akhila! 7′ was just the height that I prefer to make a hoop house that is high enough for the plants to grow and thrive in. You certainly can make them smaller a bit if you’d like, but I wouldn’t go too much smaller.
I have the same question as akhila. I live in southern OR
Hi! I have a question were these planted directly into the beds as seeds? Or were they grown indoors and transplanted? If so when did you move them into the beds?
Hi Meg!
These were planted directly in the soil as seeds. Look to plant cool weather crops when you are extending your seasons. Hope this helps!
Thanks so much! I live in NJ and have a similar growing season