Protective Growing (simple/easy)

[digitS']

Here is the start of what I call a hoopie. Short pieces of rebar are driven into the ground. The hoops are 1/2" pvc pipe.


These go on the lawn to protect plants coming out of the heated greenhouse as they begin the hardening off process.


The temporary hoop house is larger but an excavated path about 18" deep is necessary for me to be able to move around in there. The path is covered with the flats of plant starts in this picture. The beds on both sides are planted with early crops of veggies. There is a door at one end and a window at the other for access and ventilation.


I will put a fan and an electric heater in the hoop house on real chilly nights. The shed-attached hoop house does a little better with retaining heat. The hoops are 3/4" pvc and attached to a 2 by 4 that runs across the top. Also temporary, the hoops and plastic come down and the open beds can be used for crops during the growing season.



My "greenhouse" is more of a sunshed. It has a concrete foundation and has a framed and insulated north wall and roof, it still makes use of plastic film but the more expensive UV-resistant type. I won't include it in the simple and easy group .

 

[so lucky]

Looks good! I made what you are calling a "hoopie" a few years ago. It was mostly to keep already growing greens growing through the winter. Worked pretty well, but voles loved the heated salad bar I had provided for them. I had just read "4 Season Garden" and had some enthusiasm worked up. It was kind of fun harvesting while snow was on the ground, and maybe if I had anticipated the vole issue beforehand, and prepared for them, it might have been more successful.

You say the middle of the temporary hoop house is excavated 18" down to make a path? That is an interesting idea. I guess your area is dry enough that you don't have a mud problem, with moisture seeping in from the sides.

 

[digitS']

It had to be excavated, @so lucky and yes, the water drains downwards very quickly. The hoop house is so very close to the greenhouse south wall that it could shade the low bench just inside the wall during the spring.

And, an 18" depth is really just the depth of the "vestibule" for the door. Inside, there has been too much cultivation activity over the 20+ years including replacing the boards lining the sides of the beds spilling dirt. Anyway, the structure is only about 5' about grade.

Steve

 

[flowerbug]

...Anyway, the structure is only about 5' about grade.

"about" == "above"? not sure i comprehend but perhaps it is just because it is late...

 

[digitS']

"above!"

Ha! And, I have wondering how much without going out and assembling at least one hoop, then checking with a tape measure .

There are 3 beds south of the greenhouse. It is disassembled in June but I was entertaining an idea of covering all three in 2023 a couple of months ago. If I used 20' hoops instead of 15', would that reach far enough, be high enough? Ain't so simple and easy!

I figured that it would be lower but how much? Actually drew a little arc on some graph paper but the geometry was beyond me. It's not a half circle so, what fraction of a circle is it? How do I divide this pi ?

Realized that I would have to enlarge the vestibule to be able to walk to both paths, with a second path to dig out. Oh boy. Lots of dirt to move ! Really expand our production of early Asian greens and the 20' wide plastic film could cover it, buuutt - at 9' by 20', it's already fairly good size. Best forget about enlarging it.

below grade digitS'

 

[Phaedra]

Hi Steve, I am planning for a similar hoop tunnel. For your current design, will the structure be strong enough for carrying days of snow?

My one built earlier this year survived the last snow; however, the same structure (but much fewer pipes were used) to support the bird nets above the chicken run failed, kind of crushed by the weight of the snow.

I am going to remake the one for the chickens based on this one - adding a wooden structure on it might be also potential.

 

[Dirtmechanic]

Hi Steve, I am planning for a similar hoop tunnel. For your current design, will the structure be strong enough for carrying days of snow?

My one built earlier this year survived the last snow; however, the same structure (but much fewer pipes were used) to support the bird nets above the chicken run failed, kind of crushed by the weight of the snow.

I am going to remake the one for the chickens based on this one - adding a wooden structure on it might be also potential.

View attachment 53939

That looks very effective! I would need a taller one myself! I could see filling the pallets with something like hypertufa or vermiculite concrete but that would be quite a messy project!

 

[digitS']

For your current design, will the structure be strong enough for carrying days of snow?

For the hoopies and temporary hoop house - absolutely not.


The door frame for the temporary hoop house is there beside the shovel. With the greenhouse, in the photo, there is little need for extra Winter protection.

Okay , the pile of snow is from what slid off the carport roof. Nothing, however, had fallen off that roof the 3 times the hoop house did a partial collapse after March snowstorms .

The shed-attached hoop house never experienced a snowstorm but it would have been somewhat more secure during those events.

Steve

 

[Phaedra]

That looks very effective! I would need a taller one myself! I could see filling the pallets with something like hypertufa or vermiculite concrete but that would be quite a messy project!

I guess, my current one can be upgraded with some wood and metal. I got more ideas from this photo from the internet.

 

[Zeedman]

Since my greenhouse now needs repair, I might consider a hoop house as a temporary alternative. No chance of me excavating a central pathway 18" deep though... in Spring, my water table is well above that. The open water would be good for neither my plants, nor my feet.