Extending the season, or F*#$ You Mother Nature!

Hi!  Two posts in one day may help make up for my lack of posting.  So...I've had it in my head to make a greenhousey thing and overwinter my tender plants, as well as just see what happens.  We supposedly have mild winters, though there are some weeks that range in the 0-10 degree zone overnight and into late morning.  I'm experimenting with a hoop house to help extend the season.

After pinning a gazillion greenhouses I wish I could build, I settled on the inexpensive, easy to construct, relocatable PVC pipe low tunnel.  I wish it were high tunnel, but maybe we can call it little people tunnel?  If it works out this year, I'll get proper greenhouse plastic and improve the design.  For now I have a shanty greenhouse.  It's all good.



Supplies:
Five 10 ft x 1/2 in PVC pipe
Gorilla tape
C-clamp things you find in the electrical conduit aisle
Exterior screws
3.5 mil plastic dropcloth 10 ft x 25 ft
2 1 x 1 8 ft long wood pieces
large binder clips

Equipment:
Electric drill w/ phillips head and drill bit for pilot holes
Hacksaw for PVC pipes
Scissors for plastic
Staple gun

Pretty self explanatory.  Drill the c-clamp things into the bed walls.  My beds are 4 x 4 so I did two hoops on each bed.  Then I Gorilla taped the top beam to all the hoops.  Because my beds are not parallel (in response to the path of the sun) I just cut the top beam in half and taped them separately.  I latched the crossbeam on the back bed to the hoop on the front bed just to provide extra support.  Next week I will staple the bottom of the plastic to either lathing strips or 1 x 1s, to keep the plastic from gusting up and being all drafty.  Then, theoretically, I can roll up one side or another.  Still trying to figure out if I want to attempt doors.  Maybe next week.