The hinged hoop house version 2.0. Bigger and better than before.
Skip right to the instructions.
If you were hanging around here a year ago you saw me give birth to my original hinged hoop house. I say give birth because I was as proud of it as most women are of their first born. Also it took around a day and a lot of grunting to bring it into the world.
But as one does with their first child, I made a lot of mistakes. Mistakes I was able to rectify with the second! Version 2.0 of the hinged hoop house is very similar to the first, with a few changes. Last year I found my original hoop houses weren't quite tall enough to accommodate a full grown black kale or Brussels sprouts plant. Not that I really care about the Brussels sprouts, I hate them, but I grow them because they look pretty and it's hard to look pretty when you're all hunched over and bent.
I also had some holes chewed into the netting over the winter by delinquent voles or mice and to replace the netting I would have had to unscrew all kinds of wood pieces that I had used to secure the netting in the Hinged Hoop House version 1.0 So I rethought that and came up with what I think is a really good solution.
The original was also a tiny bit wiggly so I beefed it up a little and improved on the top cross bar that holds everything steady.
All of the materials I've listed are available at a regular hardware store, other than the extra wide insect netting, which I've linked to on Amazon.
Hinged Hoop House 2.0
Materials - (For an 8'x4' raised bed.)
8' lengths of 2x4s, (3)
4' length of 2x2, (1)
10' lengths of ½" Schedule 40 electrical conduit, (6)
Clamps for ½" conduit, (12)
3-4 hinges
24" lengths of chain, (2)
½" PVC "Ts", (2)
½ " PVC cross, (1)
Insect netting, (wide and long enough to cover completed hoops)
Handle
Variety of screws
Screwdriver or drill
You'll find the white PVC fittings in the plumbing aisle of the hardware store and the grey, conduit and fittings in the electrical aisle.
I need another hinge, because you should really use 3 or 4 but I only had 2 in my stash so I'll add another one when I go to the hardware store and pick another couple up.
Instructions
- Cut your 8', 2x4's to the length and width of your current raised bed.
2. Lay all your cut 2x4 pieces on your raised bed and screw them together.
3. For added strength and to prevent any warping screw a 2x2 into the centre of the frame.
3. Screw in your hinges.
4. Cut 3 of the electrical conduit into 57" lengths. This will create hoops that are tall enough for kale, pepper plants and brussels sprouts. If you're growing lower things like cabbage, you can shorten the lengths of your conduit for lower hoops.
5. Screw the plastic clamps to the inside of the 2x4 frame. Each section of pipe will have 2 clamps holding it in place. Screw the top clamp in first. To get a straight line between two clamps, insert a piece of pipe into the top clamp and then screw in the bottom clamp around the pipe, like you see below.
6. Once all your clamps are in, attach 2 pieces of your 57" pipe at the centre using a PVC T. You can glue these, but I didn't in case I wanted to change things. Stick one end of the pipe into its clamps then slowly and carefully bend the pipe to fit in the opposite clamps. Pay attention to your PVC T and make sure it's sitting straight, ready to accept the top horizontal rail later on. (you don't want it pointing up or down)
7. Screw the pipe into the frame to keep it from slipping up or down.
8. Continue doing this until all your hoops are built and secured. For the middle hoop you'll be using the PVC cross, as opposed to the PVC T.
9. Measure the space between the top of the hoops and cut 2 lengths of conduit to create the top bar across the hoop house.
10. Insert the 2 pieces of newly cut conduit across the top of the hoops, inserting it into the PVC Ts and PVC cross.
11. Cut your final 2 lengths of conduit to 8' long (or however long your frame is) and screw it onto the outside of both long ends of the frame like you see above. You'll use these to clip the netting to once it's on.
12. To hold the bunched up sides of the net in place I used a piece of 1" conduit and a piece of old garden hose. You'll see how it holds the netting in a second. This is the one area of the hoop house that could be improved upon and probably will be. I just used the spare materials I had at the garden to make it work.
***I've left these things out of the materials list because they were weird random things I found and I'm sure you can make something similar work out of your own garbage***
13. Drape your netting over the hoop frame. Do NOT attempt to do this on a windy day by yourself; it will end with tears and parasailing.
14. Clip the netting to the lengths of conduit on the outside of the frame. I just used plant clips that I got at Dollarama but I've ordered these clips from Amazon which will be a bit more discrete and a bit stronger.
I could have used this same technique for the sides of the hoop house instead of what I scrabbled together but I was worried that becaase there's so much extra fabric on the ends of the hoop house that it would be difficult to fold it all together neatly. I think I was wrong. I may still try to do the ends the same as I did the sides.
15. Twist the netting together tightly on the ends and slip it through your small piece of 1" tube (or whatever you decide to use). You'll have to pull it tightly and work it through. Once it's through, pull the netting so it's even and then tie the end in a knot so it can't slip out.
This is the side section I mentioned could be improved upon for holding the side of the netting. It's a bit inelegant but it works. The fabric has to be held tight but I wanted something that was also easy to remove if I have to change out the netting.
14. Attach a length of chain between the raised bed frame and the hinged hoop house. This will hold the lid open when you lift it and prevent it from tipping all the way over to the ground.
TIP: You can also get fancy and use gas struts. I may do that in the future.
15. Add a handle for opening and closing the frame.
Your hinged hoop house is built!
Now all that's left to do is fill it with vegetables. Pepper plants will be going in this one. Have you ever grown peppers that you thought were perfect, but when you cut them open you realized they were rotted on the inside and mushy? That's from the pepper maggot. A fly lands on the pepper plant when it's very young and lays an egg under the skin of the pepper. That egg hatches into a maggot which lives in and consumes the entire inside of your pepper until it rots, and the maggot eats its way out of the pepper. This hoop house prevents all that.
This hoop house is much heavier to open and close than the first one was because it's made with 2x4s instead of 2x2s, plus it has the wood cross bar. I'd estimate it weighs about 20 pounds.
To prevent critters from gnawing away on the netting in the winter it's very easy now for me to remove the netting for the season. It wasn't easy with the first version of this hoop house. I can also, if I want, just prop open the lid so any critters can come and go easily without chewing through anything in the winter. I wasn't smart enough to think of that logical solution myself, an Instagram reader said that's what I should do.
Otherwise leaving the netting on wasn't a problem. Snow just slid right off of it.
Oh. And because I'd done it once already it took a lot less grunting and time to bring this second one into the world. As is often the case.
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Karen, after a year of use, would you change your design or any elements? My beds are longer than yours so I’m thinking the 2x4’s would make frame too heavy for me to lift. Do you feel that your original 2x2 framing would work with the 2.0 version upgraded elements?
Also, thank you for all the laughs and encouragement along the way!
Hi Lindy! I think you'd still be able to lift the hoops at that weight, but I'm worried they wouldn't be very stable. I suppose if you used a lot of hinges that would help a bit. The 2x2 framing is less stable so I'm not sure if that would be a solution. If you could figure out a way to do a better job of bracing the frame it could work. The only thing I would do differently (and I could still do it) is to make a little lock or hook and eye at the bottom of the frame to lock it into place because if you bump it just a little bit it can shift the top slightly enough for voles etc. to get in. ~ karen!
Might be a crazy thought, and a bit late, but, why not make 2 lids for a longer bed? You might lose a few inches of garden space in the middle, but it'll probably be easier to open and handle. In my head it looks good. Lol
These are exactly what I need! But our beds are way bigger. How do I do the math to calculate the height of the hoops?
13 - "Do NOT attempt to do this on a windy day by yourself; it will end with tears and parasailing."
Tears.... flowing down your face or ripping your netting asunder? Both?
Parasailing..... if you were to quickly grab the ends of your traveling netting, you could have birdseye view of the gardens. Be a drone. You can do it, Karen.
Great job on the hoop house. A facsimile will be in my garden within the week. Thank you.
"Be a drone." LOL! Good one!
Brilliant. If it were taller you could use it as a wedding tent.
That thing isn't a hoop house - it's a hoop cathedral! I love the, um, ruching? Whatever, it's brilliant.
Hey Karen, I am going to make one of these to go over the lettuce mixes this year. I hate picking out worms. I'm building it according to your plan so thanks for continuing to improve each year. I found some PVC clamps I might try on a website called Charley's Greenhouse & Garden that I'm going to order. They are a bit more than the ones from Amazon but I like the look of them. 1725 Medium Snap Clamps 10 per pak - for use with ½” Black Poly or PVC Pipe (B7725 0.5). They come in 3 different diameters. Keep up the good work, we all depend on your knowledge.
Hi Vicky. Yes, those are good looking clamps! There are even nicer ones, but I don't have a link for them. The problem was to find them in Canada they were just way too much money for how many clamps I wanted. Those ones are probably particularly good because they probably have a bit more flexibility than the ones I ended up ordering. ~ karen!
at one point in time my (now-ex) partner made a greenhouse using a carport frame (you know the kind you can get at Canadian Tire for storing your spare car). He covered ran some extra wires along the top from end to end, and put greenhouse plastic over it. He bought plastic pipe just a bit bigger than the metal pipes of the carport frame, and cut it into 6 or 8 inch lengths - and cut a slit down one side. he put the plastic on the frame, then clipped over the plastic with his homemade clips. Worked like a hot damn.
I've seen those, they're great! (I mean not his specifically but car port greenhouses, lol. ~ karen!
Karen, I don't often comment but I think your 2nd born is a thing of beauty. Congratulations!
I'd be soooo tempted to build one of these, I think it looks fab, especially the bunched and pleated netting; I really like the effect of it.
If you want to further deter critters, just add a few drops of peppermint essential oil to the soil before you come over your netting.
Hmm, I wonder if I could modify your design - metal mesh instead of netting - to keep the rabbits from devouring my beautiful dwarf sumac over the winter. They very nearly killed it this year.
Hi Lesley. I have two other hinged houses (which you might be able to see a bit of in this post, but definitely in other garden posts. They are triangular as opposed to round. It's much easier to work with the straight angles of a triangle when working with wire mesh. I made my triangular houses with brackets that I got at Lee Valley but they don't carry them anymore. You should be able to make it without the brackets though. ~ karen!
Ooooh, thank you, I will look for those!
Hi Karen: Just one concern, you recommend Amazon for your materials, which is US. What about Lee Valley Tools, since you do articles for them and they are Canadian. Just sayin'
Madeline
Lee Valley doesn't carry these items (the clips or the extra large insect netting). ~ karen!
Do you have a Peavey Mart near you? I go through the Lee Valley catalogue and then go shop at Peavey Mart. Very Canadian and everything--truly--from work socks, to chicken and bee keeping supplies, to plumbing and kitchen wares. I love my local one. They are popular out here in the West (Alberta).
I have never heard of a Peavey Mart, lol.Sound fun though. ~ karen!
What she said. :-) You come up with the most fantastic ideas... and give instructions on how to. Glad that you are hinged now and not... um.. unhinged. LOL Love it!
Heh. ~ karen!
Very nice,
The technique of gathering the screening at the ends is clever. It solves a problem and looks good.
Congratulations
Thanks Edward. It's still a bit clunky but for now I'm happy with it. ~ karen!
This is awesome!
I love the balance of purchased items to scrounged items. The older I get, the more I can scrounge from previous projects. Some might call it hoarding, I call it preparation, lol!
Can you do a follow-up on which plants need pollination to set fruit/veg, and how to time when to leave the netting off to allow pollinator access?
HI Kat. I only put things that don't require pollination in my hoop houses. Luckily those are the things that I have insect problems with. Brussels Sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, swiss chard and kale. To name a few. ;) All of these things either don't use pollination or they self pollinate (peppers). I was working in the garden tonight making a couple of other low tunnels and I was doing it with scrounged materials and thought to myself .... it would have been smarter to just go out and buy more stuff. It took AGES to make my scrounged bits work. But I had them so ..... I used them, lol. ~ karen!
Wow, just wow! Frankly, I hate gardening but this is a great post, Karen, with clear instructions and excellent photos. Even I would be able to construct a hoop house by following your step-by-step directions...if I were into gardening, which I'm not. Brava!!
A suggestion or 2 from someone who has been making these sorts of things for years now.
Any plain PVC piping will work but most will degrade quickly in the sun and elements. But you can use Rustoleum spray on them with a UV blocker and it will last much much longer. But eventually all this will start to get very very brittle. I hope someday to be able to actually make some out of metal conduit. They do sell tube benders for this exact purpose.
The screening is something I do finally have figured out. I buy large pieces of greenhouse screening thru greenhouse supply houses. Some gardening catalogs are starting to carry it as well. So far I have pieces that are totally intact after 5 years of moving it all around the garden, using it where and when I needed it.
I also don't attach my screening to the frame now. I keep the frames pretty much permanent for each bed. I oversize the screening and just drape it over the frame and use clips specially designed to go over PVC. You can get them to match any size PVC you choose to use.
Without my covers, many crops wouldn't make it here. Simply too many bugs. But with I can grow organically all the way. No chemicals, even organic ones get used anymore. Also the greenhouse screening offers very slight protection from the sun so I can get lettuce, kale, ect to go a bit longer here for me in the south.
Brilliant! As usual. I'm sure you are a certified genius!
Beautiful new baby! And useful too. Sorry I missed your first but so happy to have witnessed your second in a timely manner. Very much enjoy your view on stuff & am glad I found you. Blessings
Thanks Sharon! ~ karen
That’s some genius design and engineering, and an impressive accomplishment. I am curious to know how and who does all the photography on your garden posts. Some of the shots seem to be from about ladder height. These posts are labor intensive, time sucking, energy depleting masterpieces - every single one of them. Your indoor shots of foods and such are artistic and visually delightful. You are very very good at what you do and your followers appreciate you. Thanks, Karen
Thanks Mary. I do all the photos for all the posts. And I do climb up on ladders. I also have timers on my camera for taking shots, and remote controls to take pictures when I'm in the actual shot. ~ karen!
I found grubs this week. (Sorry, off topic) They’re white and round and in my flower garden area. Which I cleared out after winter came. Do I evict them? How? But also I went to look at the flowers in sort of a waste area and my phlox and lavender was COVERED in monarchs! I’m afraid to breathe, for fear I frighten them!
Grubs can be controlled by applying nematodes for grubs in the spring and fall. https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/how-and-when-to-get-rid-of-grubs-naturally-nematodes/ ~ karen!
Huh. Pretty good. Amazing. So many bugs in Florida. You are a GENIUS. And I rarely say that.
I'm not a genius, I'm just smarter than a cabbage moth. And it took years for me to become that. ~ karen!
Cool!! Love it!
... and BTW...you look really fit and wonderful!
Great muscles, Girlfriend!
LOL, thanks. They get bigger throughout the summer, and flabbier throughout the winter. It's the circle of pipes. ~ karen!