Very nice!

Sigh....we should all have a Chandra in our lives! Beautiful, Chandra. You are so talented.

Susan

Chandra, it is very nice. I think I want one but really don't have the proper place to put one.

Larry

Lovely Chandra. I was in Italy during midJan to midFeb several years ago when a gdd was born. It was a very cold winter for them--down to 13 F. I saw many of these setups most covered with plastic, some with fabric. The presence of small gardens was one of the most striking things I noticed. They were everywhere. There were many kinds of winter vegetables, leeks, kale, fennel and others that I didn't know. Too bad the gardening tradition has been so diminished in the U.S.

Wonderful! My teensy fiberglass sticks from Gardeners' Supply aren't working out. Looks like I need to try this.

Donna

Thanks you all.

I forgot to give cost of this hoophouse. Here are actual cost of the materials all together is $18.71 plus half-day free labor. I would say "$20 Hoophouse" if I add another layer of frost blanket.
1/2"x10' EMT Conduit @ $1.69/pc*5 = $8.45
3/4"x10' EMT Conduit @ $3.29/pc*1 = $3.29
1/2" EMT Gampak(half pk) @2.30*.5 = $1.15
20' DeWitt Dlx 0.5oz Frost Blanket = $3.72
Some screw and nylon thread = $2.20
Total = $18.71

Please note I bought frost blanket in bulk- DeWitt 0.5oz Deluxe Frost Blanket of 10' x 500' for $93.08 (74+18.09 S7H), for 20ftx10ft it is just $3.72!
Cheers -Chandra

I was in Arkansas this morning and saw DeWitt frost blankets of different weights and sizes at a feed and seed store. A few years ago you always had to order, but it seems they are starting to show up in stores more and more now. Chandra, you got a great price on the row cover. I thought I got a bargain, but I paid more than you did. I ordered Agribon AG-19 and it is .55, but that's not much heavier.

I'm envious! It looks great Chandra!

Kelly

Oh, Chandra, great job!!

Diane

After reading Dawn's post on Wind Advisory, I thought it may blow row cover, but it withstood 23mph gust this evening, I guess permeability nature of the frost blanket.

By the way, I installed weather station, seems to be working fine. I still need to compare digital sensors with analogs to make sure its accuracy is ok.

regards -Chandra

Way too awesome!

Oh wow! Beautiful, and thank you for the beautiful pictures. They may serve as a tutorial for us, if we get one half the gumption you have. It is nice you posted the plants you are growing there. I hadn't really realized fenugreek was a coolish weather plant.

Merry,
Fenugreek grows well both in spring/fall, it can tolerate some cold but not frost-hardy. I usually directly sown them in ground late march. Because of the frost cover, I started 4 weeks early. Fenugreek grown under cool conditions have nice flavor than warm conditions. It bolts quickly in hot weather. I have also growing them in greenhouse and indoor rack under lights which 3 week old now. We eat fenugreek as Green Salad (best salad!) and also cook with dal,roti, paratha etc. Excess harvest can be dried and stored for later use, dried leaves called "kasuri methi" which is expensive to buy in Asian stores.
-Chandra

Chandra, Do you eat Fenugreek sprouts. I have seen them sold as sprouting seeds. In fact, I may have some.

Carol, yes Priya likes fenugreek sprouts, but not my favorite, bit bitter in taste. Fenugreek sprouts are good for new and breast feeding moms, It is an excellent galactagogue. -Chandra

Great job on the hoophouse!

Thanks Chandra. I have not acquired a taste for bitter, so I probably wouldn't like them either. Rumor has it that it affects several hormonal issues, both male and female. LOL

Chandra - in your list of materials you used to build the bed, I see you have listed nylon thread. What was the thread used for?

I used nylon thread for tying line between each hoopebend to hold the row cover up, you see those nylon threads through the row cover. You can use either nylon, wire, jute or burlap thread. I use Nylon which was spare roll sitting in garage. -Chandra

Thanks for posting this. I had just purchased some 1/2" pvc to do this, but I wasn't too sure about how well it would hold up. I saw you used the metal conduit, so I took the pvc back and got the conduit. Its WAY stronger and I feel like it will stand up to the wind much better. Its somewhat of a chore to bend them, but I got the hang of it.

Thank Chandra for your thoughtful reply!

I want you to know that this thread got me in trouble. I spent all weekend building a small hoop house/low tunnel in my back yard! LOL :) I have to now figure out how to cheaply cover it. I am so excited it is there!

another post worth saving!