Quote:
Originally Posted by taboule
Bill, looks great, all of it.
I'll be setting up hoops for the first time this year and have a question if I may. Yours look compact and efficient, nice tight bend. What is the width at the base, and length of the PVC pipe?
Thanks
Charles
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Charles I get my PVC pipes at Lowes but I'm sure they are available at any building supply store. They are the gray PVC conduit which comes in 10 ft lengths. I cut off the female coupling that is on each end which takes off about 4 inches. They are sturdier and less brittle than the plain white PVC and more resistant to the elements.
I have 4 ft wide beds and just push them down into the soil just inside the boards on one side then bend it over and push in the other side the same way. I usually space them about 5 to 6 ft apart which gives the hoop plenty of stability and it is fairly tall which allows for more air and better insulation from the cold inside. I then use 10ft polyethylene in 4 mil. thickness. I attach one side to the side of the boards with quite a few staples and I make sure to fold the plastic 3 or 4 times where it is to be stapled to make the staples hold better. I always do this on the side from which prevailing winds blow from so when it is time to cover I can pull the plastic over the hoops without having to fight the wind so much. When covering for the cold I pull the plastic over the hoops and first staple in the center and keep pulling it tight stapling at ever hoop and once in between them. You don't want to use more staples than necessary because when you need to uncover because of a warm spell it is much easier to pull the plastic loose with fewer staples. I always triple fold the plastic anywhere a staple is going in. During moderately cold days I will just open the ends and roll the plastic back over the first hoop at the end and fold it up and clamp it to the hoop with a spring clamp or two. This allows air flow while still keeping it fairly warm inside; but if it gets too hot I have to unfasten the lightly stapled side and flip the plastic back off the hoops. I then kind of fold it under until it is fairly tight against the side of the bed. If you just leave it wadded between the rows it can fill with rainwater making it a real chore to cover up again during the next cold spell.
Bill