How to build a hoop house for raised beds

The nights are getting colder. We have yet to experience our first frost this fall but I anticipate that it will happen soon. To give my fall garden some added warmth throughout the day and extra protection at night, I’ve erected two hoop houses over two of the raised garden beds. I had installed one hoop house over the tomato bed in the early spring and it worked well so it’s my hope that these hoop houses will help extend the growing season.

Making a hoop house over a raised garden bed is straightforward. Even I can do it and I wouldn’t consider myself to be particularly handy with tools.

Materials + Equipment

1/2″ PVC pipes (6 to 8 feet long)
3/4″ EMT straps, metal
1/2″ PVC bands, plastic
1/2″ screws
Row cover material

Measuring tape + pencil
Drill, fitted with the correct bit

All the materials, except the fabric, can be purchased at a hardware store like the Home Depot or Rona. Row cover material, also know as reemay or white garden fabric, can be purchased in bulk at garden centers such as Art Knapps. Try to find fabric that is five feet wide and at least five feet longer than the length of your garden bed.

To help you figure out how much of the material you will need here is an example: Our garden beds are 16 feet long. In each bed we used 12 – 3/4″ EMT straps, 6 – 1/2″ PVC pipes, 8 – 1/2″ PVC straps and a 20 foot by 5 foot piece or row cover. We placed the EMT straps 6 inches from the ends and spaced them 3 feet apart.

Instructions

Using the measuring tape and pencil mark out the location of the EMT straps. I prefer placing the straps on the inside of the bed because it looks better. Also, the soil helps to hold the pipe in place which means you only need one strap for each side of the pipe.

Start by marking out the strap locations on the end of the garden bed. Place two straps 4 to 6 inches away from each end of the bed. Space the remaining straps 2.5 to 3 feet apart making sure they line up with the straps on the other side.

Using 1/2″ screws, screw the EMT straps into place making them level with the edge of the bed. I place the strap about 2 inches down from the top of the wood.

Take a PVC pipe and push in through a set of straps and down into the soil. Depending on the depth of the raised garden bed and the length of the PVC pipes you may need to cut the pipe shorter. A hacksaw works well to cut the pipe down.

Install the rest of the pipes, adjusting the height by pushing the pipe further down into the soil or hacking off a piece.

Cover the hoops with the row cover fabric.

Use the 1/2 inch PVC straps to keep the fabric in place by placing the straps over the fabric near the base of each pipe. Use some rocks or bricks to weigh down the end of the fabric down.

With the winter season closing in on us, it is of utmost importance to have a frost/freeze “defense system” in place to protect and extend the season for our fall veggies. A simple way to do this is to suspend protective cloth or plastic material above the plants—to cover them but not to touch them. Here is a “hoop house” structure, with two ways to connect the PVC pipes to the edge of the raised bed. (I’m calling them “in-bed-mounted” and “outside-bed-mounted” versions.)

Things you’ll need

For in-bed-mounted version:

Supplies
• Three 8-foot lengths of ½-inch PVC pipe
• Six #15 rubber O-rings
• 4- to 5-foot length of 1×2 wood furring strip (get a good-quality dense wood like pine or oak)
• Six ½-inch 2-hole metal pipe clamps
• Twelve 1½-inch #8 wood screws
• Scrap wood board (optional, but recommended)

Tools
• Drill and drill bits
• 7/8-inch spade drill bit
• Tape measure
• Hand saw
• Pencil

For outside-bed-mounted version:

Supplies
• Three 8-foot lengths of ½-inch PVC pipe
• Six #15 rubber O-rings
• 4- to 5-foot length of 1×2 wood furring strip (get a good-quality dense wood like pine or oak)
• 8- to 10-foot length of 2×4 stud
• Six to ten 3-inch wood or deck screws
• Scrap wood board (optional, but recommended)

Tools
• Drill and drill bits
• 7/8-inch spade drill bit
• Tape measure
• Saw (circular saw strongly recommended)
• Tape measure
• Pencil
• Square (metal or fast plastic type)
• Sandpaper or sanding block

Skill level: Easy

Construction

The “hoop connector bar”:

1. Measure the length of the side of the raised bed you’ll be mounting the PVC hoops to. This will determine the length of the 1×2 wood furring strip to cut.

2. Measure 1 inch in from both ends of the piece you cut in STEP 1. Put a mark at these two spots.

3. Measure the halfway point between these two end points, and again mark it.

4. Using a small diameter drill bit (around 1/8 inch), drill pilot holes in each of the marks.

5. Using the 7/8-inch spade bit and the pilot holes as a starting point, drill a hole through the furring strip (PHOTO A).

In-bed-mounted version:

1a. Using the “hoop connecting bar” as a guide, put three marks on the inside edge of the raised bed, at the same spots as the holes in the connecting bar.

2a. Screw three of the 1/2-inch metal pipe brackets to the inside edge of the raised bed frame (PHOTO B). Repeat with three brackets on the opposite side of the bed.

3a. Put one rubber O-ring on each PVC pipe, and position them about halfway down the PVC pipe.

4a. Put the ends of the three PVC pipes into the three metal brackets on one side of the raised bed. Note: you may to loosen/unscrew the metal brackets slightly to allow the PVC pipe to fit in under them.

5a. Put the “hoop connecting bar” on the other/opposite ends of the PVC pipes. Move the bar until it’s near the halfway point down the length of the PVC pipe.

6a. Put one rubber O-ring on the other ends of each length of PVC, and again, position them about halfway down the PVC pipe (PHOTO C).

7a. Put the other/opposite ends of the three PVC pipes into the three metal brackets on the other side of the raised bed (PHOTO D). Adjust the bar as necessary.

Outside-bed-mounted version:

1b. Using the “hoop connecting bar” as a guide, cut the 2×4 stud to the same length. Do this twice, as you will need one for each side of the bed.

2b. Smooth out any rough sides or edges with sandpaper or a sanding block.

3b. Measure 1 inch in from both ends of the 2×4 studs you cut in STEP 1. Put a mark at these two spots.

4b. Using a small diameter drill bit (around 1/8 inch), drill pilot holes in each of the marks.

5b. Using the 7/8-inch spade bit, and the pilot holes as a starting point, drill a 7/8-inch hole in the 2×4 stud (PHOTO E). The holes should be at least 2 inches deep. You can use a pen, pencil, or other object to measure the depth of the holes; they should be about the same depth.

6b. Using the 3-inch screws, mount the 2×4 stud to the side of the raised bed frame, lining it up with the top edge of the raised bed’s frame (PHOTO F). I ended up putting a screw at each end of the 2×4, and then two more, spaced equally along the length of the wood stud.

7b. Follow STEPs 3a–7a above.

At this point, the raised bed’s freeze protection frame is basically finished. This setup should be strong enough to hold up frost cloths, frost blankets, or plastic coverings. They can be held in place with weights on the ground, or with clamps attached to the PVC pipe.

How much does it cost to build a hoop house?

What size PVC is best for a hoop house?