DIY PVC Hoophouse for your Garden-instructions

[Kathy]

"An unheated PVC hoophouse can be a useful addition to your garden. It keeps excessive rain off the plants, blocks the wind, raises daytime temperatures 5-10 degrees (and often much more), and keeps frosts and heavy dew off the leaves. This can extend your warm-season gardening a month or more at both ends, and makes it possible for year-round gardeners to grow a wider variety of plants through the winter........."

www.westsidegardener.com/howto/hoophouse.html

[Deleted]

So this is what a hoophouse is!! I have heard the term and seen the structures but never put two and two together.

This looks really easy (I especially like the little girl posing in all the assembly pictures) and cheap to make.

One question (please forgive me if this is stupid): The FAQ page said the hoophouse cannot be heated...I'm not sure exactly what the benefit is for using one, especially if you choose one without end coverings. Do they stay up all year long or are they just used in the spring?

/VM

[Kathy]

I think they're to get a head start or prolong the season when you only use plastic on the ends.

One way to safely heat a hoop house is to use filled water barrels painted black or a really dark color. They'll absorb the heat from the sun and radiate it out after dark to keep the temps more consistent. Plus you have a water supply handy!
Used pickle and olive barrels sold for $5 each when I bought mine. They each held 55 gals and were the perfect height for a shelf.

via, that site was one I found while looking for botany projects for homeschoolers! I figured if a child could assemble one-then a novice homesteader should have no problems.

[Deleted]

Thank you for the info

I like the idea of using the water barrels!

/VM