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a13art

How to get a jump start on 2014 garden?

a13art
10 years ago

So after building my raised garden bed this summer I noticed that a lot of my plants mainly were producing a lot more fruits towards the end of August and September. So I have been thinking about constructing a hoop house hopping that I can get a jump start on planting them. However I am still new to this and could use a little insight on how effective hoop house are. And how much of an early start it will get me and what's the best way to start my seeds indoor for this method. My garden is 16x8 and I use a walk way down the center. My plan is to get PVC and hanger clamps and some 3mil plastic and build it roughly in the 100$ range.

Comments (13)

  • a13art
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Here's a better picture to understand the lay out. The bed is 12 inches high and the 4x4 post are an extra foot or so higher. I don't plan to heat it, I feel like that is to much work and being a college student I don't have unlimited free time.

  • seysonn
    10 years ago

    I also think that extending growth season is one way dealing with short season. You can do it by either early extension or late or a combination of both.

    I am of the opinion that in my climate it is better to do EARLY extension. It is less costly and short lived. But late season extension is more difficult because at that time it continues the get colder every day. Plus , considering the size of the plants it seems to be more costly. Another thing is that if I had a successful summer, then I have already enjoyed the fruits of my labor and I would rather concentrate on fall/cool crops for change.
    So the choice is a personal and climatical.

  • ceth_k
    10 years ago

    Those are some really nice looking tomatoes.

  • a13art
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you this season started on slow, I filled it with 1/3 peatmoss 1/3 compost from local stables and 1/3 vermiculite. However I found my self havering to add a lot of tomatoe tone tho cause the soil lacked life. So come spring I plan on adding composting worms and maybe a few more things after I do some research. However Imy harvest was decent and then towards the end of the season I had tomatoe plants that grew about 8 to 10 feet but fell over cause I didn't have tall enough cages. Here's a pic of my extra seedlings that I put in buckets.

  • pnbrown
    10 years ago

    It's unclear if you are talking about an early-season hoop house for tomatoes or for more cold-tolerant crops.

    Without a heater one does not advance the time for fruiting of tomatoes by much. I put tomatoes in a low tunnel this past spring (unheated), and they made ripe fruit not much more than a week earlier, so IMO not worth building a structure just for that. I have been able to advance some crops much more than that, zucchini as an example of a warm weather crop, and cool weather crops can be more easily advanced with a "cold frame". Lettuce is especially a good candidate.

  • a13art
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Well I start my plants from seed and I think if I was to. Get them into the ground maybe 2 to 3 weeks earlier then I will have a decent size pant by mid June. My plants get too big later in the season a few were 3 to 4 feet over my cages. So I guess the real answer is how early can I start to plant if I was to make a hoop house early spring. And would my solo cup starter plants be okay for this?

  • seysonn
    10 years ago

    I would think that SOLO CUPS is what you germinate your seeds in. The next stage will be transplanting into 3 to 4" pots.

  • dajsnipe
    10 years ago

    "The Winter Harvest" by Elliot Coleman and "Hot Beds" by Jack First are both great books for info on season extenders

  • a13art
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I go from solo to ground so there is the plants get the smallest amount of transplant shock.

  • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
    10 years ago

    At a previous home I had raised beds that I put hoops over covered with PVC. We used sets of two semicircular pipe hangers on the side of the bed, one mounted about 10 inches above the other to hold the pipe that we used to support the PVC. It was great for heating up the soil earlier, and most years it worked well to get a jump on things, but it took a lot of care and some time to remember to go outside every morning and open up the ends or take off the entire cover, depending on the temperature and amount of sun expected, so that the seedlings didn't cook. One year the flaps at the end blew closed and the heat killed all my pepper seedlings to ground level.

    Where I am now I haven't been using anything to get an early start, but I have used spun bond row cover to extend fall harvest. In mid-September I threw the row cover on, and on really cold nights added sheet on top. I got an extra 3 weeks of peppers and basil, which was the one bed I covered.

  • seysonn
    10 years ago

    Hoop is better suited to fall weather and VERY early spring. UNLESS you install a THERMIC vent system (about $30, w/tx/shpg). Same goes for the cold frame.
    Another factor is the height of the hoop. If it is too short, it can burn plant in no time. The taller, the wider it is, it will take much longer time to get too hot. I consider them as protection over night and during cold rainy days.

  • a13art
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Well I plan on using 20ft PVC with the width being 8ft I should get a decent height out of it. How cold of temps do you start planting with your hoop houses?

  • sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
    10 years ago

    Might be wise and cost effective to just do two low row covers on either side of your path.
    I used a roll of 1inch diameter black plastic water line pipe. Cut to the length you want and easily removed when not needed. I have the fabric remay, rolls of clear plastic, and a heavy gage deer-x. Might give you more options throughout the season. This simple system has been giving me much needed protection for years. When i need it, wherever i need it. My salad beds have this cover with the deer-x all season now, due to a rabbit explosion. I can easily add frost protection over that. Or two lengths in an x pattern with remay over an early planted squash mound.
    Short article here...

    Here is a link that might be useful: row covers explained

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