Growing your own food stuffs is super rewarding. You know you're getting the best nutrition, you save money, you help the planet, all the good shiz. But it can feel like a real drag when winter starts creeping up. You start to wonder, was all that work worth it? I think so buuuuuut, I'm sad. I don't want to wave goodbye to fresh salad greens and delicious morsels from my little growing patch of success.
The good news is that you don't have to. There are several foods you can grow well into the fall and over winter (see 8 REASONS WINTER GARDENS ARE THE BEST for a quick list) but sometimes they need help and in some regions winter can be an oppressive bitch. That's why year round growing tricks of the trade are bundled into one sweet little category called SEASON EXTENSION! Cold frames, hoop houses, greenhouses, cloches and the like are employed to start crops early and extend them into the frigid winter months.
The MINI HOOP HOUSE, or poly tunnel, is an easy little guy to build over raised veggie beds (and unraised for that matter) to keep growing in the biting cold. It's a plastic dome that incubates heat and moisture, protecting your planties from frost and the crushing effects of snow dumps. I have prepared a quick, ridiculous video for your viewing pleasure to demonstrate just how easy it is to erect one of these extender champions. I hope that it provides you with the courage to spend an afternoon twerping your way through a pretty basic (I know because I did it all by myself) building project.
Ready?!?? Ok, here's what you'll need:
Six 20" REBAR PIECES
(you should have about 6" poking up above ground and the rest buried. Ask your hardware person to cut them for you)
Four 1/2" PVC PIPES
Three pipes at 7' plus one at around 8' (this is your crossbar. You can trim it to your liking so it lies flush with the ends of your hoops)
6mm GREENHOUSE PLASTIC.
Don't get the thinner, cheaper shit. It will rip far too easily and snow dumps will destroy it without hesitation. If you must, then don't go below 3.5mm.
Additional requirements:
1. Cordless Drill - to pre drill holes and fasten cross bar
2. Small Screws - for the fastening
3. Hacksaw - or something of the like to trim your PVC pipes
OK, it's VIDEO TIME!
Nine (or so) CABLES CLIPS
These will attach your plastic to the hoops. You can attach as many as you like. Go nuts. Whatever.
Fun, right? I'm sure you'll execute like a boss. You can do this!!
Happy winter!
XO Kitty
