Cost Effective Hoop House Greenhouse for Gardening

What is a Hoop House?

A hoop house is a simple greenhouse structure that holds soil and plants together. The hoop house is typically covered with a plastic covering and can be used as a garden box, a growing bed for plants, and for growing vegetables. You can also use it for propagation, as a place to start seedlings. A hoop house is also known as a hoop-growing greenhouse or a hoop house greenhouse. The hoop house is a very old technique, but with modern materials, it’s become a lot easier to build. Hoop houses are made of steel hoops that are covered with either plastic or row cover fabric. The hoops are usually 36-48 inches in diameter and are attached to a wooden frame. The advantage of a hoop house is that it requires less skill than other types of greenhouses, such as a cold frame because it uses hoops and a plastic covering, which makes it easier to set up and take down.

Why Should You Build A Hoop House?

A hoop house is useful for extending the growing season, protecting plants, and getting a head start on the growing season. If you have a hoop house in your backyard, you can start growing your favourite vegetables 6-8 weeks earlier than normal. Also, hoop houses keep plants warmer, which can increase your yields substantially. As a bonus, hoop houses also help keep away pests and other garden pests. If you live in a cold climate, you can use a hoop house to start your plants indoors and then transplant them to the ground once the weather warms. If you live in a warm climate, you can use a hoop house to extend the growing season. You can also use a hoop house to start your plants indoors to get an earlier start on the growing season. You can grow crops such as lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, and other greens that don’t do well in the heat. You can also grow root vegetables such as carrots, beets, and radishes.

Prepare the area where you want to build your Hoop House

First, you need to decide where you want to build your hoop house. Make sure you have plenty of space since the hoop house is typically around 5-6 feet wide and 10-15 feet long. You also need to make sure you have power nearby since you will need to plug in the PVC arch and the lighting system. Once you have decided on a location and marked it, prepare the area by removing any weeds and stubble, as well as any stones or other debris that might hinder the hoop house. You can either till the soil or add a layer of compost to enrich the soil. Finally, you need to decide on the layout, including where you will place the hoop house and any pathways. You might want to include a bench or a small table inside the hoop house, depending on how big of a structure you build.

Install Rebar and Create a Frame

The next thing you need to do is install the rebar and create a frame for the hoop house. The size and shape of the frame will depend on how large you want your hoop house to be. In general, the frame should be around 2-3 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide. You can use wood, metal, PVC, or another material for the frame. Once you have decided on the frame, you need to create holes where you will put the rebar. Normally, you should have around 6-9 holes per square foot, so for a 10-foot-long hoop house, you will need 15-22 holes. Once the holes are ready, you need to put the rebar through the holes and bend it in the middle to hold it together. You can use wire to secure the bent ends of the rebar. If you are using metal for the frame, you can skip this step, since metal is strong enough to hold the hoop house together.

Install the PVC Arch

Now that the frame is ready, you can install the PVC arch. Cut the PVC pipe to the correct height and length, making sure it’s a bit longer than the frame. You can use PVC glue to secure the PVC pipes to the frame. Make sure you leave around 2 inches of space between the PVC pipes and the frame to avoid any damage. Once the PVC arch is installed, you can add the greenhouse covering. You can use either plastic or row cover fabric. For warmer climates, you can use plastic while for colder climates, you can opt for row cover fabric. Make sure you get the right size covering for your hoop house.

Add soil and plants

Once the PVC arch is installed, you can add the soil to the hoop house. You can use a standard potting mix or add compost to enrich the soil. You can also add fertilizer at this time. You can also add gardening tools such as a gardening spade and hose. Now you can start planting your favourite vegetables and herbs. Make sure you follow the instructions on the seed packets to avoid mistakes. You can also use pots to start growing a few plants indoors. Once the seeds have sprouted, you can transfer them to the hoop house.

Conclusion

A hoop house is an easy and inexpensive way to extend your growing season and protect your plants against harsh weather. You can use a hoop house to start plants indoors in early spring and to extend the growing season in the fall. A hoop house is a simple greenhouse structure that holds soil and plants together. It can also be used as a garden box, a growing bed for plants, and for growing vegetables. A hoop house is made of steel hoops that are covered with either plastic or row-cover fabric.