Hooped house raised beds

[digitS']

'Dorie, I don't use it during the fall & winter unless you count those weeks in early March before the spring equinox.

It is covered with construction grade, 6-mil film. I take that off about the 1st of July (when the door & window are being left open all the time anyway). A March snowstorm has collapsed the tunnel a couple of time .

Cool-season plants go in 1st but some warm-season veggies often spend the entire season in those beds. It doesn't provide a lot of protection against frost but certainly helps. What it really does a good job doing is providing protection against cool days and wind. That's important too! The plants that can take some overnight cold will really appreciate being able to grow comfortably during the day. And you know, spring days can be darn raw and nasty often.

I think your idea of the coldframe is just super! I bet some things can go for weeks and weeks into some real cold weather. How about if you have a wood frame for the glass doors and plywood on the north side? You could have a plywood door in that north wall for access. That way, you wouldn't be moving the heavy glass during the winter.

Steve

 

[Smart Red]

I made much the same type of cover for one of my raised beds one year. The biggest difference from Steve's is that I used piping tees at the top between the PVC hoops to add more stability. I had put down black plastic over the soil in the fall, put on the hoop cover (Vis-Screen), and found it an excellent hiding spot for a nap on the coldest days of January. With the warmed soil, I took up the black plastic and I was able to start planting early veggies on the first of February here in zone 4-5.

I found mine was hard to work with in the wind and the neighboring beds that I planted at the usual time in the spring seemed to catch up to the hoop plantings anyway.

Still, I like the idea of covering two beds and having a walk space in-between. Yup, Steve, I just may steal your idea. I'd bet I could grow cool weather veggies almost all winter in there. And you're right about that covering lasting only one growing season. Mine was pretty much toast by July.

Love, Smart Red

 

[HunkieDorie23]

Yeah the plastic I used in the spring fell apart when I went to put it on this fall. I love that you could nap in yours in January. I biggest problem I have is also sun light not because our sunlight is so much less as Steve because I am a little farther south but in Ohio, we have a lot of cloudy days. It is the cloudy state in the union and it has one of the highest rates of skin cancer.... think about that one.

From what I have read the lower winter sunlight slows growth so if lettuce takes 4 wks in the spring it will take 6-10 wks in the winter. What I have started is broccoli, cabage, butter crunch lettuce, mixed greens, green onions, califlower and machi. If nothing else it will give up some greens and my chickens will be excited about them because they don't get a lot of greens in the winter.

 

[catjac1975]

Take a look at my spring post-very inexpensive and easy to do.

http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=33299

 

[HunkieDorie23]

That looks very nice. Do you have to close up the ends or does that provide enough protection?

I saw that you have Timothy Green growing in your garden, does that happen every year because we already have 5 children and my husband won't be happy with that.

 

[catjac1975]

Hahaha Sad to say I had to look up Timothy Green. I guess I'd better get out of the garden a bit. I don't close up the ends in the spring. We had a 27 degree night in the spring and everything survived. I doubt it would survive very long at that temp. It would need closing at very low temps. I just pull one plastic end out and bury it so the ends are closed. I also have a full scale hoop house that extends the growing season a few weeks on both ends of the season. I got it cheap and used. New ones are very pricey.