Yesterday was a busy, yet productive day. Since it's mid-October and we're not sure when the first frost will hit, we decided to build a hoop house to protect the fall plantings so they can continue to grow (and be harvested) into the winter months. Hoop housing has been something that we've thought of doing for a long time, but today was the first time we actually took on the task. After going to the big box shop to gather supplies, such as five 3/8" rebar pins, eight 1/2" x 10' PVC pipe, one 3/4" x 10' PVC pipe, ten 1/2" Tee PVC pipes, 10'x25' 6 Mil Plastic Visqueen sheeting, and a bag of 12-12-12 fertilizer, we came back to begin the construction project.
I've took photos along the way to show you exactly what is needed and to show you how we did it:
First, using the angle grinder, the rebar was cut in half, and then hammered into the ground half way down (one on each side of the bed) to look like this:
After removing 2' from the 1/2" PVC pipe, they were inserted onto the first side of the rebar stakes. The rebar stakes were spaced about 4' apart. Then the PVC pipes were bent over to the rebar stakes on the other side of the bed to create the hoop.
Clips were created from the 3/4" PVC pipe by using the PVC pipe cutter and creating small rings. About half an inch of each ring was cut out to make it into a clip, rather than remaining a circle. These clips could then be slipped over the visqueen once it was laid over the hoops to ensure that the plastic would be clamped securely onto the hoops. The visqueen was then unrolled and laid over the hoops, clamping it 3-4 times onto the hoops to secure the visqueen.
Once all the clips securely held the plastic down, it was time to take a long shot to show you what the hoop house looks like! Ta Da!
Gosh, that was a lot of work and it was time to make some lunch... Think I'll fry up a batch of today's pickings... since I had to thin some of the plants anyway and the micro greens were turning into macro greens... Boy, did we get a hefty batch today!
After washing them in de-chlorinated 7.0 pH water from our Kangen water machine Click here for Kangen water information , I then fried them in a pan with oil, onion, grated fresh ginger, chopped zucchini, and some black beans... Doesn't that look good?! I also had a pot of basmati rice simmering in a pan beside it.
See how bright green it is, which is a good indicator of its nutrient richness. Tasty it was and I felt energetic and great all afternoon.
When the wind came up in the late afternoon, it was decided that the clips weren't enough. Back to the big box store to get more rebar and 1/2" pvc piping. Seven more rebar stakes and five more pvc pipes since we had two left over from the first run. Cut the rebar stakes in two again. This time on the end hoops, we hammered in a stake on each side of the end hoops and on the interior hoops only one additional set of stakes were needed. By adding the additional hoops to secure the plastic sheeting, we could remove the clips. It stabilized the plastic so it could withstand the winds. The ends were secured by 4x4 pressure-treated wood posts by just laying them over the ends that overlapped the ground. This made for a tight little nest by which the plants would be protected.
All Tucked In
Pretty good, eh?!
The next morning, it was time to roll back the plastic to see how the plantings faired and to let them get some light and heat of the day. Wow, they looked so strong and healthy and I swear the spinach grew two inches over night! Check out these snaps!
It's time for another great growing day! Feel free to ask questions and provide us with feedback and your great frugal gardening tips.
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