How to Build a DIY Hoop House Greenhouse for $16

Protect from frost and extend your garden season with this DIY hoop house greenhouse! This simple hoop house is sturdy, and easy to construct with recycled or scavenged materials.

We use this diy hoop house greenhouse design to give our garden a head start in the spring, and to extend our growing season in the fall. Using mostly scavenged materials, you can build a 3’x18′ hoop house for around $16.

 

How to Build a DIY Hoop House Greenhouse

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Supplies You’ll Need for Your DIY Hoop House

This supply list will make a 3’x18′ hoop house that is approximately 2′ tall. You can adjust the size of your diy hoop house to fit your garden beds or rows.

• 8’x25′ sheet of clear all-purpose or greenhouse plastic. We use either 3ml or 4ml all-purpose plastic from our local hardware store – a 10’x25′ sheet of 3ml costs $16. If you are making multiple hoop houses, consider getting a larger size such as 20’x25′ and cutting it in half to save money. If you prefer to shop online, you’ll find a link below to plastic sheeting on Amazon.
• 5 or 7 x 7′ flexible sticks, garden hoops or pvc pipe (use 7 in areas with high wind, or if the hoop house may be exposed to snow)
• 16 x 18″ sticks or stakes (If your garden soil is very loose, you might want to use 24″ sticks or stakes)
• 14 zip ties
• 12 pieces recycled baling twine (from small bales), or 85′ lightweight rope/paracord
• 12 tent stakes (link below to buy these), or additional sticks or stakes (If your garden soil is very loose, you might find that longer sticks or stakes work better)

 

We drove out in the woods nearby and cut sticks for our original diy hoop house. The rest of the materials were recycled, so our only cost to build one of these is the plastic. Buying a larger piece of 4ml plastic at our local hardware store and cutting it in half, the total cost for us to build one of these hoop houses is about $12 instead of $16.

If you like to shop online, you can find 3ml all purpose plastic, 6ml greenhouse plastic (this size makes 4, 18′ hoop houses, so costs about $20 per hoop house), and tent stakes here on Amazon:

 

 

How to Build the Hoop House Greenhouse

 

This simple hoop house greenhouse is easy for one person to put together, and doesn’t take long to assemble!

 

Step 1: Cutting the rods and sticks

You’ll need to cut 5 or 7 flexible sticks that are around 7′ long. We went out in the woods and cut the willow rods shown on our hoop houses. They grow near creeks in our area and are flexible and sturdy when green.

If there are high winds in your area, or your hoop house might be assembled in the snow, you’ll want to cut 7 sticks. Otherwise you can just cut 5. Be sure to build your diy hoop house soon after cutting the rods, as they will become less flexible with time!

Cut off any side shoots on your rods. Any sharp protrusions should be wrapped with duck tape so they don’t tear the plastic.

If you aren’t able to cut your own rods, you can use thin pvc pipe from your local hardware store, or buy garden hoops from Fedco.

While you are it, cut some sturdy sticks 3/4″ to 1 1/2″ in diameter. If you have heavy soil, they can be 18″ long or less. For light soil, cut 24″ sticks so you can pound them in further. You will need 16 sticks for the 7 rod greenhouse, or 12 sticks for the 5 rod.

These sticks will be your anchors. You can also use store bought stakes for this purpose.

 

Step 2: Driving the stakes

 

 

Drive the stakes in parallel rows. The two rows should be 3′ apart on either side of your garden bed. If you are using 7 rods, drive the stakes in every 3′ in the rows. For 5 rods, the sticks will be about 4 1/2′ apart. The stakes should be at a slight angle, pointing into the bed as shown below. This will keep the ends from tearing the plastic.

Attach the rods to the stakes with zip ties. Be careful as you bend them over that they don’t break or snap back and hit you in the face!

 

 

Drive in the last two stakes on each end of the hoop house greenhouse, in the middle of the garden bed and 2 1/2′ past the last rod. The extra stakes will serve as anchors for the greenhouse.

 

Step 3: Attaching the twine to the rods

Tie 4 pieces of baling twine together to make one long piece. Tie one end to the rod at one end of the diy hoop house. Run the twine along the center of the garden bed, looping it around the middle of each rod. Tie the end of the twine to the stake on the opposite end.

This center piece of twine will help the structure to withstand wind, but still have flexibility.

 

 

Step 4: Attaching the plastic to your hoop house

Lay out your 8’x25′ plastic sheet along the length of the greenhouse. If you are using a 10′ wide piece of plastic (the most common width), there is no need to cut it narrower.

Pull the plastic up over the rods, being careful not to snag it on any sharp edges. Center it over the garden bed. Pull each end into a bundle and tie a piece of baling twine tightly around the whole thing. Attach the other end of the twine to the end stake, using a quick release knot if desired.

 

 

Step 5: Holding the plastic down

 

This final step will help the plastic not to flap up in the wind. You’ll need the rest of your baling twine and the tent stakes.

Drive the tent stakes into the ground along each side of the hoop house centered between each rod. Tie a piece of baling twine to each stake on one side of the bed. Throw the ends of the twine over your diy hoop house and tie them to the stakes on the opposite side.

 

 

Pull the edges of the plastic down to the ground. In cold weather, they can be covered with dirt or mulch to keep the cold air out.

 

Ventilation

On warm days, you’ll want to lift up one side of the hoop house greenhouse for ventilation. For the sake of cheapness, I just use a couple forked sticks stuck in the ground. They have tape wrapped around the inside fork to prevent them from puncturing the plastic. I remove these and pull the side of the plastic back down to the ground on cool nights.

 

 

Watering Your Hoop House

Drip hoses work well for watering inside the hoop house greenhouse. You can also lift up one side and use a spray nozzle to water underneath.

 

 

Our DIY hoop houses:

Right now in early September, we are using these structures to extend our season for cucumbers, sweet potatoes and some smaller tomato plants. Around October 1, the hoop houses will be moved to beds that are already planted with a variety of cold hardy salad greens.

 

 

-Kait