Yep. That's what I did last spring. 2mil will probably only last one year though. Be sure to make holes. I folded mine over a few times and cut slits so that water and air could get in.

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Thanks, token. They also have 3ml for $1.00 more and heavier but more expensive. I'm glad you told me to expect it to only last a year so come Spring, I can recycle it without guilt. Love your picture - that's exactly what I was envisioning!

That is interesting. I have been saving containers like milk jugs and pop bottles for wintersowing. Maybe I could just cut the tops off of them and them place them altogether like above and put plastic over them. Would that work?

That is an interesting way to go.. I have 6ml. plastic here and flats..HMMMM!!

Kylie

I bought the 3ml drop cloths at Lowes for $3.98 and covered several containers and put pots around them to anchor the plastic, like token's picture. I put shower caps from various hotels I stayed at and collected over the years on the pots (business trips have to have some benefits). Lucky, I think, for me, I set it all up on Thursday when we had 74 degree weather. Last night it snowed but I think, all I have to do after the 21st is lift the cover, sow the seeds, put some more soil on top if the soil is frozen and recover and make sure I cut slits on the top of the covers. Right??? As always, thanks for any corrections and help.

zahzeen, in your zone, I wouldn't bother adding more soil after sowing the seeds. They're going to freeze and thaw all winter long which will help move them around in the containers a bit. I would just water the soil, press the seeds in place, and recover with the plastic sheet.

It works well in my zone 7b yard. Your mileage may vary, but I would suspect it works just fine almost everywhere. You're really just trying to keep in a little warmth and protect the seed/lings from critters.

Thanks, token. Has anyone else tried this method? I now have two shower curtains and two drop cloths to use. I'll be betting about 80% of my WS on this idea - about 50% vegetables and 50% a combination of annuals in the hanging planters I hope to keep them in throughout next summer, perennials and of course the pumpkins/gourds in the baby bath. Is it OK to put a lot of individual small pots under these covers? I'm thinking about putting the perennials and some tomatoes in styrofoam cups (with holes) and the putting a bunch of them in the trays you get from nurseries and including them under the tarps. Since I have the lawn space, it seems like less effort than individually covering cups or small pots. I do have some milk jugs, small containers that have lids, plastic cups from Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee that have lids and a few take out food containers that have lids that I'll also be using without being under one of these covers but my inventory of these items is limited. Using the curtains/drop cloths seems like a good idea for planting in items that don't have individual covers. Please let me know what I'm missing - I have no pride! This is my first year WS and if anyone has any experience pro or con or more tips, please let me know. Thank you.

If you're going that route, just think of it as a large container. I sowed all my annuals in the hoophouse last spring. These went out March 23. Mostly zinnias, petunias, etc. They're frost tender and while it got below freezing a couple times before planting out, they were safe inside the hoophouse.

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Once the chance of frost passed, I moved everything outside onto pallets to continue growing and germinating.

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It worked great. This year, I plan to sow perennials this month in the hoophouse, moving them outside in early March and sowing annuals again, but a bit earlier. I built a new raised bed this fall for tomatoes, and installed the hoops this morning. I'll cover it with 6mil plastic in a couple days and start sowing soon. I want to get a head start, and our winters aren't really that bad. Only hardy perennials will be sown now. I'll leave the ends open until mid January to allow those seeds that need stratification to get it. Again, only hardy perennials now. Annuals in March.

What I did this morning.

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sweeet hoophouse,what do you make your hoops out of token ,is that a small diameter pvc pipe??

Thanks again, token. A picture is worth a thousand words - please keep them coming. I guess I'm being a little over zealous wanting to plant everything right on or about December 21st. I'll hold off on the annuals and less hardy (no stratification) perennials until March. Any advice about the timing for vegetables (tomatoes, peas, pumpkins, gourds, cucumbers, carrots, etc.)? I try to do my homework and came with a list of vegetables that can be WSed in Zone 5 but the only time I noted was "after the winter solstice". Should I be waiting until later in the winter? Does anyone know of a source on the web with more specific dates/months to wintersow particular vegetables or flowers? I think I saw one on the relatively new wintersowing website (set up by someone on this forum - trudie maybe?) that had a couple of columns to indicate what should go out when. A lot of the columns didn't specify or else if they did, I couldn't figure out the acronyms and couldn't find a definition table. Maybe I'm wrong.
If someone does have a source I could refer to, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

Tom, it's 3/4" schedule 20 pvc. I used 1/2" metal conduit to hold the pipe down. I drilled 11/16" holes in the raised bed timbers and hammered the conduit down. Last year I used rebar hammered into the ground, but I wanted something more permanent this time around. I kept the pipe inside until I was ready to install it. It needs to be done while the pipe is still flexible enough to bend.

The pipe will be replaced each fall. Sunlight degrades PVC, but the UV protected pipe isn't as flexible. And I wanted the thicker pipe to protect against snow loads (rare) and for vines this summer (heavy).

Here's a shot before I bent the pieces over. You can see the conduit. It'll be used this summer to support trellises for beans, maters, and cukes.

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Zahzeen, treat all your summer veggies like annuals. I start my cukes and squash about 2 weeks prior to the last frost, which is around April 15 for me. Pumpkins and gourds like it hot, so don't plant them until the soil is warm. I always plant things like that, watermelons, cantaloupes, etc directly in the soil. I don't wintersow beans either because it heats up so fast here in the spring. You might want to do that to get a longer season.

And for comparison's sake, I sowed tomatoes indoors this year on February 8, planted out April 13, the day after Easter. You'll be further out than me, so adjust according to frost predictions. Snow peas, started March 19 last year, had no time to grow before the heat wilted them. This year, they'll be sown in early February with cabbage.

Check out your local Ag sources. There should be a county extension office nearby. Ask them when you can plant, then sow them 4-6 weeks earlier if indoors, 2 weeks if wintersowing.

I mix and match trying to find a system that works for me.

Ive got an idea i wonder if you put a 45 degree pvc fitting on one end of the pvc and added more pvc pipe you could have an a frame that would handle snow loads a bit easier and you could walk in almost like a temporary green house. I like your design very much,and the dual purpose of it...

Like this? Gothic Greenhouse

I considered it. I have a two 4' x 8' beds side by side that would have been great for this, but those beds need a lot of preparation over the winter for next year's veggies. Maybe next year. :)