How to Make a Hoop House or Green House for Cheap.

[jethromayham]

too weak for my area

[abuelita23xxx]

I was so ready to buy a "$120.00 4 tier extra wide hot house" from a local hardware store. (The sale ends the 12th). Then I saw your video. Thank you so much for the post. So simple, so inexpensive. We live in Eastern Iowa and I can't wait to try starting some plants outside in a hoop house. We are planning a rather presumptuous garden this year (5 raised beds 3.5'x8') and it sure would help to get a step ahead. This was just what we needed, at the time we needed it.Thanks again.

[BuddyClubGardening]

@abuelita23xxx

I'm happy to hear that. Rachel and I hope this idea works out well for you guys.

[seocom]

Those are awesome, we have some in our garden.. thx

[BuddyClubGardening]

The plastic was from a hardware store. I don't remember the size, but it was kind of thick. (If I remember correctly it was on sale for some reason). Otherwise, large home centers should have it in their paint departments. Someone left a comment on this video somewhere that they used plastic bags from mattresses they got from a mattress store. They were free.

[caisha1]

@BuddyClubGardening Wow. A whole $15. Where did you get your plastic covering? I already have a 4x12 bed that I want to cover but am not sure what to get or how wide the plastic should be. Thx!

[caisha1]

Thanks for this! Its just what I was looking for. About how much did this cost you?

[BuddyClubGardening]

@caisha1 Glad you liked it. I think it cost about $15 to set up.

[KnowYourRealEstate]

Great video! Hey, just curious - Have you noticed any yield differences between crops grown under the hoop house versus crops that were not?

[BuddyClubGardening]

@KnowYourRealEstate

The only yield difference is related to time of harvest. Our crops grown with aid of the hoop house are ready sooner. We have not however, gotten a -larger- yield that we are aware of.

[MadWorldRadio]

Ahhh... like your 'roll up' 2 x 2! :) Check out mine in Texas on my channel. :)

[BuddyClubGardening]

Thanks folks. We appreciate all the kind words.

[jadasic]

a cool guy

nice hoop house

[mermaid3152]

Hey nice job.. thanks for sharing.

[mobafrontosa]

you're very detailed about how to build this greenhouse. I live it.

thank you very much

[mountainhike100]

did it the same as you show,but later wanted it stiffer.the 3 long boards was not good enough,it was still moving to much in the wind and heavy rains.so I went and got joints and glued it altogether.my next one I want higher and with better grade plastic.I have to think of a better way to lift it or open the ends.hoping it last the entire winter here in upstate new york. thx for such a simple and cheap green house.

[MarshmallowVogt]

Wow you have a ton of great videos I can't wait to see the rest keep em coming

[Msrockinrobin03]

I have a raised bed 2 ft high out of cinder block. I like this idea now I can get earlier start out of garden w/o expense of greenhouse. I have invested a bit to build raised bed 4 x 16 " but love the results. have never walked on dirt. Will be going to builders supply to get items. Thanks great job and demo.

[zachmillerVS]

i think that may be mold on the plant honestly.. at around 85 to 95 degree temps especially when the air is very humid and still, you will see m old on your plants.. it can actually make ya feel kinda sick.. at least thats how it worked with the plants i grew..

[annetomsik]

Try using zip ties instead of wire to connet your top pipe.. It's easier and can be trimed to save your tarp. Connect underneith the pipe, so no rough edges. Great job!

[alphacat1]

One additional use of the hoop house. I live in Jefferson County, WI which I'm sure has the exact same weather as you. I plant spinach in one of my raised 4x8 beds towards the end of August. When the weather gets cold in November I use a lot of straw for mulch and protection and set up my hoops and plastic. I literally have fresh spinach all winter, and come early spring will harvest and can what's left over before it bolts.

[BuddyClubGardening]

@alphacat1

I was going to start some spinach and lettuce tomorrow in seed trays and get them into the garden shortly after. I've not taken my spinach past November. You have given me inspiration.

[Xblade1314]

@alphacat1 You put straw all around your plants while in the hoop house and it keeps them warm enough in the winter time? When you open up the hoop house to water the plants in the winter, is there risk for frost or maybe the water freezing?

[alphacat1]

@Xblade1314 In my climate the spinach has always made it through the winter. I usually stop watering in mid-Nov. when hoses freeze up. I don't water until early spring. I haven't had problems with die off, but the plants become essentially dormant and stop growing. Not a problem since I can cram a fair amount of spinach in a 4x8 raised bed, and have plenty to munch on throughout the winter. - I've tried this with chard without success. I think I'll try kale since that seems pretty tough.

[alphacat1]

I also have a similar hoop house for a 4 x 8 raised bed, but do things a bit different. I use 2 x 4 fencing wire over the hoops. This gives it great support. Also, when the tomatoes, cukes and peppers get larger the fencing adds additional support to the plants as they grow through the fencing. The length of each set of hoops is 3 feet, because this is the width of the fencing. I can move the whole setup pretty easily to weed/mulch etc. Like your idea of the spring clamps.

[ladysurvivor7]

It looks like your tomato plant have been eaten by some sort of pest. Try planting basil around your tomato plant. Also, if you're growing organically, use Neem oil as a pesticide. It is organic.

[ladysurvivor7]

This is a great idea. I just built my raised garden. And now I know how to build the hoops for it. Thanks for posting.

[maxdecphoenix]

when i was about 10 years old we used to make chicken/guinnea coupes out of pvc. just made the entire frame (hoop style) was a good 20ft by 12o15ft , skinned in chicken wire (a 2nd skin on lower 2-3ft was a denser weave to protect against scavengers, or chicks getting out). think we used zipstrips & twistties to secure the skin. staked it into the ground. even the doors were PVC

[spwebb924]

Thanks the design fits well in my back yard and fits my budget. I live in central Florida and it can get cold at night during the January months. I will be experimenting on how long to keep my green house top on. Thanks for the input.

[MrDrBud420]

dont use wires use....DUCT TAPE!!! got a million uses plus it'll hold the pipes in place better.

[yoseph89]

what kind of plastic?

[RDLONG30]

GOOD TIPS 

[GNYBerlin]

Thank you for the great tips. 

[Vectorwoman7]

Great idea. I have a new project for my husband. :)

[WiseLove75]

WOW, THANK YOU SO MUCH!! THIS IS FANTASTIC, JUST WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR! ;)))))))

[Angely1914]

I liked the video very much the slidding wood on the pcv makes it easy to work in that small space. All the materials you used were low cost ,you shouldn't have to spend alot to accomplish the same results you see in a bigger greenhouse.

[tosendprashan]

plants r not luking good than normal plants

[crysta555]

if you run out the 3 mil plastic sheeting, for the ends you can tape on the thin plastic drop clothes you can buy at any discount store or dollar store. It does not have to hold up snow like the plastic over the roof does and so it last a full season but you'll need more of it the next year as it will break down after a year normally.

[orvillebach]

I built mine today and things went great except for one major problem. I bought a roll of plastic tarp that measured 10 by 25 feet. Since the bed measures 4 by 8 feet, I thought 10 feet would be enough, but it is not. I did not have enought plastic tarp in the front and back to completely close off with the spring clamps. So now I'm not sure what to do. The plastic is expensive. I wonder if I got some heavy duty tape and added some plastic on to the front and back if that would work??

[BuddyClubGardening]

@orvillebach

I believe that duct tape would work well. If you are worried about that, I'd surely imagine that most stores would allow you to return the roll of plastic you bought and/or exchange it for a larger sheet. Thanks for watching us!

[chmellen]

What part o the country do you live?.

[BuddyClubGardening]

@chmellen

south east wisconsin

[tugrot]

the spots on your tomatoes is gray leaf spot :small brownish lesions becoming irregular and often surrounded by chlorotic areas; lesion will dry up and develop cracks; southern states is where you see it most use anti-Fungal on the tops and under side of leafs

[satellitetune]

Good job on your video I liked it very much!

[gwk4657]

Good job on your video I liked it very much!

[lrambach]

Thanks for the post, it was a big help.

[zonkozonko]

@mattyfresh999 The rule here in England is do not feed your tomatoes, until the tomatoes start to form. Or else all you get is healthy leaves and little fruit! We do not normally grow our tomato plants in the ground we put them in pots with sterilised soil or compost.

[BuddyClubGardening]

No problems with wind here in SE Wisconsin, but I did have someone from Oklahoma tell me theirs was crushed by winds.

[lovethotna]

Great idea. I am looking to build something like this just until my seedlings get going and until the threat of frost is gone. 2nd week in May for NW Indiana. How does it hold up to the wind? I figure mine would only be up for about 2 months in the spring.

[jmw102667]

Very Yankee. Good job!

[kctpac]

Why not go one step further and build your own solar hot water collector for better winter growth to heat the root zone !!! kevin

[con8iv]

@kctpac

If you made a solar hot water collector, would it be too warm for the roots? I guess my question is, how warm of water can plants stand?

[MamaOkie]

great idea -but not for the wicked winds of Oklahoma! It lasted about 15 minutes! Another ideas for wind areas?

[rfl3232]

Nice Job you made it look so easy I'm gonna try one myself.

[Dimecat]

If you really need warmth for your cold frame, you might consider rabbits. They give off lots of heat. Their hut could be incorporated into the frame so that they are separate from the veggies but still contributing their heat...

[jv373]

Thanks for the video. You solved our problem of how to close off the ends of the cold frame. Simple and effective.

[TheUnknownGrower]

grow your own weed!

[coachsamgymnastics]

Thanks sooo easy!!!!!

[BlizzardGirlOfSpring]

For a free source of plastic for your hoop house, check your local mattress store. Whenever they put a mattress on display, they take of the thick plastic that mattresses are wrapped in, which we find perfect for covering the garden! If you ask, you can pick up for free the plastic that they would normally throw away.

[BuddyClubGardening]

@BlizzardGirlOfSpring

Wow. Good idea.

[one4all1000]

@BlizzardGirlOfSpring That's what I always do for my plastic. Though mine are built wigwam style with the large bamboo, then I use garden twine at the top to hold it together, been doing it this way for years and haven't had one collapse yet. Have three really large ones atm, that I can actually walk into and work on plants.

[merseyallot]

This is a really well built polytunnel. I've made one on a larger scale myself- about 20 metres long, but still essentially the same- you can see it on one of my videos- and it's stood for three years so far, but you do need to use the proper horticultural-grade cover.

[lildinks02]

use zip ties- insted of wire ,they work great for this project

[rogersantiques]

They have a diagram of how to make a greenhouse at north carolina agriculture center.The problem with this ground level greenhouse the insects easily attack the plants so I switched to auquaphonics and I grow everything in 10 gallon fish tanks in my house basement.It is better to use white TARP than plasic that rips off in winter and high wind.

[asdfpslund]

Great! Easy instructions, natural speaker and fun to watch. Thanks for sharing!

[ramtes1971]

Ups, good stuff, thanks for sharing.

Question: Any idea how to use rainwater while the plastic is around?. A sort of piping that go from sky to plants without need to add tap water.

Downs: Dont clean the soil, put the food scraps around and grass clippings on top. Composting is a waste of time, nature doesnt have compost bins.

Try to learn about mulch sheets, is more efficient than composting.

[ramtes1971]

Ups, good stuff, thanks for sharing.

Question: Any idea how to use rainwater while the plastic is around?. A sort of piping that go from sky to plants without need to add tap water.

Downs: Dont clean the soil, put the food scraps around and grass clippings on top. Composting is a waste of time, nature doesnt have compost bins.

Try to learn about mulch sheets, is more efficient than composting.

[808hawaiimade]

You did a great ob...

[blue222blue]

Thanks for explaining the small details... helpful for us non-handy types.

Good job Rachel!

[energymarketchile]

Thanks for your contirbution. Good Job.

[LivedRevoDog]

if i made a bigger version of your green house how could i increase humidity and heat? also how much did your project cost?

[MrJrodforever]

has this worked during the winter?

[BuddyClubGardening]

@MrJrodforever

Not for winters by me, waaay too cold right now. I'm in zone 5, south east Wisconsin so temps are frequently below freezing if not below zero.

[Merchantwun]

@BuddyClubGardening thanx for the inspiration

[venomousbird]

@BuddyClubGardening my dream is to have a huge greenhouse with a woodstove, and a fish pond using aquaponics to grow a tropical paradise inside

[BlizzardGirlOfSpring]

@MrJrodforever - I know of 2 farms in Ontario (Zone 6a) that are successfully growing greens through the winter in their hoop houses. No heaters, but they use a layer of material 30cm over each row of plants to trap more heat.

[ArizonaAdventures]

nice job

[shedcityusa]

Great job. If anyone is less capable of building one on their own. Check out BetterGreenhouses on the web. There are dozens of affordable kits for any level of gardener.

[valentine257]

WHEN USING YOUR 10' SECTION ON TOP I USED ELECTICAL TIE WRAPS.

[dacddyguy420]

how do i keep it heated at night

[seebabsee]

#

seebabsee

20 seconds ago

Very nice, thank you. I think we are going to try this weekend. A few questions.

What zone are you? We want to use for greens in zone 5b this winter. How do you water this? We put our hoses away and can't use spickets in the winter. Did you start from seed inside and transfer to hoophouse? I am assuming any snow falls off the plastic? What have you found best to grow in your hoophouse? thanks. PS> from the quick pick on the tomato leaf, it looked like frost damage?

[kirklandcook]

Thanks so much for posting this...we made one this weekend!

[BuddyClubGardening]

@kirklandcook

You are very welcome. We hope it works out well for you!

[kevdarke]

Great idea I will use this method next year using fine mesh to protect my cabbages from butterflies.

[johnnyMOEE]

i was wondering is your greenhouse still up and have you changed out the pvc for cracks or any breaking. i really like how you did this. i plan to make one for this winter in cali.

[BuddyClubGardening]

@johnnyMOEE

My greenhouse just went back up for Autumn. My PVC has not cracked at all, and the plastic is in fine shape. I dry it well when it's time to put it away for summer and store it in my garage.

I've used the same pipe and plastic for three years now.

[johnnyMOEE]

@BuddyClubGardening

that is good to know, thanx alot. nice i will def try the pvc greenhouse

[BackItUpProductions]

The tomato plant that has the blemishes and such on leaf could be a sign of a fungus called "blight" it is common among tomatoes, and quite fatal to them. This fungus killed a lot of my potatoes and tomatoes.

You might not have it though. Just a thought. Watch it closely. Info on blight.

en . wikipedia . org / wiki/ Blight

[nicholaswest8]

i think its eggplant

[76RBK]

What a great system! A person could garden in very small backyard with that, at a fraction of the cost of a pre-fab greenhouse from mail order.

[EarthElla]

Are bugs a problem in the hoop/green house?

[BuddyClubGardening]

@EarthElla

To this point, bugs have not been a problem at all.

[EarthElla]

@BuddyClubGardening Cool went out yesterday and bought the tubing. Want to get ready to pop it together next spring. Featured this vid on my accounts. It is excellent.

Thank you for this post.

[paulrpmg]

what is the type of plastic you used? ( i dont have audio) i got some vaporbarrier at rona but it says right on it do not expose to sunlight. any help would be appreciated.

[BuddyClubGardening]

@paulrpmg

I used some 5 mil plastic sheeting I got from the paint department at a home center.

[weavermama]

Good work! The simplicity is much appreciated. I have heard a good material to tie the horizontal supports with is strips cut from old bike tire inner tubes. They won't create the punctures. HAPPY GARDENING!

[bankruptstate]

Great ideas and a great video.

I mad a much cruder poly greenhouse and the results are amazing....llove your hoophouse.

[miasmama0225]

Just a great video, and a welcome resource!Your raised beds are lovely.

[BuddyClubGardening]

@miasmama0225

Thanks to all of you folks for the kind words. It's completely amazing how much fun this has become.

[velvetlace]

Thank You!....Thank You!...Your video is awesome..... You made it Easy, So Informative, Great video shooting.......I will build one just like that...(Thanks for keeping the cost down).....

[BuddyClubGardening]

@velvetlace

Thank YOU for the kind words. 

[oeljan1]

Hi, I almost made the same hoop house and have been very succesful to get crops to grow very early. To fix the plastic I used velcro on both sides (I made a wooden frame first), but the storm of end February blew some holes in the plastic, I'll get your system in place for next year, which seems more stable and wind resistant. So tx for your explanation!

[BuddyClubGardening]

@oeljan1

I hope it works out for you. We had fun making it at the time, and used it again this year. Still working well.

[anandsny]

perfect....n thanx 4 sharing ...i was really looking for some DIY and cheap green house ..

[bob68587]

great job :) I been thinking of a green house! I also have some tomatoe plants. About the leaves if they look like that i just pinch it off! oh instead of the staples on the 2 by 2 i think I will nail the plastic in! Well great idea and hope everything gose smooth for u! :)

[DBSpy1]

Nice job,and TY for the info.

[nicpey]

great video!

[cortezcortez007]

nice! just getting into the grow my own food mindset and saw the hoop houses in a lot of videos and was wondering how to put them on my raised beds. Thanks for sharing.

[ValyTraveler]

Thans for the vids...This will definatly make gardening easier. I just wish I did container gardens instead. better on the lower back...

[Nubster12]

Great video...I think I am going to do this to finish off my tomatoes and peppers before planting in to the ground. Thanks for the info and tips.

[HackerGuitarist]

the tomato leaf looks like it was simply cut or torn at some point , nothing to worry about

(as much as it looks from the video atleast)

[seanschroder]

I like this a lot. Thanks for sharing.

[HomesteadAcres]

Love your hoop house! I'm hoping we can add them to our raised beds eventually.

[stormbytes]

Wow! What a terrific video! THanks so much for sharing! What holds your wooden base frame together? I'm wondering how the torsion from the bent pvc isn't plying your frame apart.

Cheers!

[ihavechosenmygod]

Thnx for responding to my comments. I noticed in ur video u had a lond bed but only part was hoop housed how long is the whole bed. I am starting alot of plants, and about how many plants can u fit in ur hoop house cause I might need to make it the whole length of your garden bed and hoop it all.

Thnx again,

God bless your gardening!

[researchmug]

thanks. and no cheezy music either! which is always a bonus.

[ihavechosenmygod]

Thnx so much for sharing. I am in Newfoundland Canada and have never gardened b4. I believe the temp is about 15 to 20 degrees. i hope gardening works out for me. I will have to build up from the ground because i live right on the ocean and the ground is full of rocks. how deep should i build the base to allow for potatoes, carrots, etc? thnx again for sharing ur knowledge thats what life is all about1

[BuddyClubGardening]

I hope things work well for you. I'm not exactly sure of planting potatoes, but carrots like a nice deep soil that is loose. Our beds are now at 20 inches deep which is about 50cm. This depth is generous for almost anything, and is high enough off the ground that my back won't hurt when tending the garden.

[xxnoangelxx]

Thanks iam going to try this

[pcharles67]

I'm just about to start building mine, I have the parts, and was wondering whether you had thoughts one whether to attach the pipe to the inside or outside of the bed. I bought two loops for each end that screw to the wood and then I can push the pipe ends in. I am sure there are pros and cons to each, but I am not sure.

[BuddyClubGardening]

Hi. I decided to put ours on the inside of the bed for more strength and stability. I was also able to form the pipe better since attaching the pipe to the outside would have required more length to the pipe, and made arching more difficult. Inside mount allowed me to terminate about 4 inches down and rest on the soil, whereas out side mount meant I'd have to somehow stop the pipe from slipping downward. Hope this makes sense to you. If not, let us know.

Take care,

BuddyClub

[beatle0922]

followed your video and gardenfork and i was very successful! thanks for the video,I finished mine yesterday and it works great,I had so much fun.I will definityly post a video responce.

[BuddyClubGardening]

Excellent! We are glad to hear it.

[100139509]

hey thanks for the reply i just built two little hoop houses for my wife and they came out looking great. ill try uploading a video response so you can see them . never have uploaded videos on you tube but this will be a good chance to do so. what do you think is a good temperature inside a hoophouse for tomatoes???

[BuddyClubGardening]

Mid 70's to lower 80's. If it gets warmer than that, you will want to open the hoop house all the way or take it down.

[100139509]

hey great video!!! i live in Arizona and wanted to build a hoop house for my wife will it work out here in the desert??? Cause i see all these videos of hoop houses and they seem to be in colder weather states.

[BuddyClubGardening]

I'd guess it would work in the desert, I am not too sure how much additional heat you'd get as a result of desert sun so you would want to use a thermometer and maybe create ventalation.

[cbrenc007]

ps..how much earlier can you set out the plants. I live in Pa and uaually plant around May 9th

[BuddyClubGardening]

In the hoop house, I was putting cold weather crops in the garden (zone 5) in April. I waited a while for tropical stuff (tomato, peppers,etc) around the second week of May. I heated the soil well though. You can lay black plastic sheeting on the ground for a few days and that will help drastically.

[cbrenc007]

Hi...can you tell me how you transition (harden off) your tomatoes from indoors to the hoop house. Does it need to be a gradual process? We don't know how to harden off our tomoatos properly. Also did you find out what those spots were on your tomatoes? I have gotten those in the past as well.

[BuddyClubGardening]

Hey, thanks for watching. It's appreciated. Hardening off tomato plants is easy. All you really need to do is acclimate them to cooler temperatures and different sun exposure by taking them outside for gradually increasing amounts of time. I start off with all good intentions at around 2-3 hours the first couple days, and going up an hour or so in stages. I end up losing patience after a week and just plant the things though. One problem could be sun scald, so I need to be better at gradual sun-

[BuddyClubGardening]

exposure. Put the plants in the shade while acclimating to temps and slowly expose them to the sun.

As far as that leaf I pointed out, I got a lot of great advice from folks posting here. I'm not totally sure of what the problem actually was because I cut the leafs off, increased nitrogen, and the problem went away. Good luck!

[cbrenc007]

I guess I was hoping that if I build the hoop house I could just set them out and leave them there until I plant in the ground. Maybe with using an extra layer of landscape fabric (?)to protect from the sun. With working it's hard to be around to keep bringing them in and out and I usually have about 30 tomatoes in pots and select 20 for planting.

[vhbeazel]

@cbrenc007 not sure if there are a lot of landscape gardeners in your area like in Souther Cal...we are training landscapers to tend and maintain veggie gardeners for their existing customers. contact ApprenticeTeacher on Facebook.

[suegee1950]

Thanks for the nice vid and tips. Want to start indoor seeds and have a hothouse this spring. Wonder if there is a way to put the plastic on a curved support that will pull up and over the hoops and down the other side, like a roll-top desk effect, similar to your wooden support you were moving up and down. hmmmm

[MuskokaBarbie]

I think that may be a potato leaf tomato. I believe they are heirlooms. Great idea on the hoophouse...will try it in the spring..thanks.

[merriheartist]

Thanks so much! Very helpful. I just thought I would throw in there that I learned from another video that you can use duct tape to protect the tarp from tie tears if you do not have another way to do it.

[BuddyClubGardening]

thanks for the tip. We didn't have any problems with tearing really, we're always looking to make improvements though. Tape is a good idea, but wouldn't it kind of dry out in the sun?

[brown55061]

How's it handle high wind?? The wire holding the hoop sections together at the top looked risky. Just curious, looks great!

[BuddyClubGardening]

Sorry for the extended delay. We have not really encountered problems with tearing in the wind. We can always make some improvements, so maybe next year we'll try something a bit different.

[captainron60]

Great bit of engineering! Thx for the video. You might try using strapping for attaching plastic onto the 2 x 2 instead of using staples. This way it won't tear so easily.

[gardenlady45]

could you please tell us where you got your plastic? and what size was it? also I did a hoop house this spring and the wind keep ripping off my plastic I love how you you used your board i'm going to try this this winter...

[BuddyClubGardening]

I got the plastic at a home center. Home Depot I think it was. The plastic came in a roll, it is 5 mil, I can't remember the size, but it cost around $13.

[Seniortrends]

helicopter thing-a-ma-bobs?! Too funny. Very nice vid and hoophouse.

[RevAllyson]

My partner says that your tomatoes look that way because of a lack of boron, which you can get by sprinkling a little bit of borax around (about a teaspoon per plant, maybe even less). Looks great!

[BuddyClubGardening]

I'm going to try that. Thanks for the tip.

[eldrama1]

your "partner?" What, are you a cowboy?

[happygameshow]

looks good

[BuddyClubGardening]

thanks a lot!