I used 3/4" irrigation tubing. It was less than $15 for 50' I think (it was last summer, so I may be wrong). I have seen pictures of people with the white pvc so I know it can be done but I was like you, not seeing anything that seemed that flexible. Mine seems to hold up pretty well but if I have plastic over the bed and a heavy snowstorm comes through, the hoop at the end always seems to get flattened. Surprisingly though, the others seem to be able to take it - even when the garden is under a 4-5' snowdrift. YMMV

Here is a link that might be useful: Tales of a Transplanted Gardener

Greenbean, I've been admiring your blog pretty much since I joined GW, and I don't know how I missed the pictures of your hoops. What sort of plastic or netting is that over yours? It looks like it's molded perfectly over the hoops, or like they're inserted inside pockets.

The tubing isn't very rigid, hence the occasional flattening, right? We don't get any snow here, so I think most anything that's semi-rigid will hold up plastic and/or tulle pretty well, and it HAS to be easier than bending that PVC. I really only need it to keep out cabbage moths and the squirrels that have been snacking on every radish and beet I've been planting for the last 2 weeks, so it doesn't need to hold much weight, but I'm hoping it's not too floppy. For a while, I was toying with the idea of using some kind of irrigation tubing to make a tomato cage, but when I asked, someone mentioned that it wasn't quite as rigid as pex tubing. I have zero experience with either kind, so I really have no point of reference, but I guess the best way to find out would be to go out and feel it. I swear, I should be paying rent at Home Depot, as much as I'm there lately.

Your hoops really do look so neat and tidy. I love them!

Thank you for your kind words Spaghetina. I use sheer curtains from Goodwill over my hoops. The ones I bought last year, I sewed a loop into the fabric so they fit the bed at both ends. This year, I was a little lazier so I just ran the hoop through the pocket seam and clip the other end on. Eventually, I'll sew them. Most of them have lasted fine through 2 seasons except for the one panel I got through Freecycle that was from Target - it didn't survive the winds this spring. I can still use it- just tear it into strips to tie plants to the trellis.

The tubing is rigid enough to hold the fabric. In my 10' beds, I have 5 or 6 (I may have 2 in the center but I forget the reasoning right now). In my 4 & 5' beds I have 3. I'd just aim for one about every 2'. They held up blankets and plastic last fall just fine.

I bought the tubing at HD, it comes in a roll which I think was cheapest. I could also buy it by the foot there (I know, b/c I needed just a little more...). It's held in the bed with 1" copper tube strap. I bought those at HD in a package of 12 for about $2. Somehow that pack is WAY cheaper than any other I found at Lowe's or HD, so look for the pack of 12.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tales of a Transplanted Gardener

You rock! Thanks for the detailed info. I've just gotten to drilling the holes through my timbers for the rebar today, and as soon as that's finished (not sure it'll be done today considering I've burned through both drill batteries, and only finished a bed and a quarter) I think I'll be heading to HD to pick up my hoop supplies and getting in touch with the landscape supply company for my soil. Oh boy, I'm so excited to get this all put together!

That is great information. Can I ask for some more details though?
The shear curtains you leave on all summer?

How much hose for each hoop? Is there a set amount for varying heights of produce?

Copper tubing.... You just push the hose through it, do you attach it in any way or will it stay?

Would frost covers do the same job as your curtains?

Thank you in advance.

I live in a hail prone area so my primary purpose for the curtains is hail protection. They likely won't help much if we get some really big hail but they do help avoid the cumulative effect of plants being pelted with small hail several times. I usually slide the curtains to the side so the plants get full sunshine but I left them over my beans for much of the summer. It really depends on the weather forecast and where I am during the day. Usually, our weather is sunny during the day then in the afternoon, it's very likely a thunderstorm will roll in over the mountains. If I'm going to be gone in the pm, I'll cover the plants before I leave. They also do work somewhat as frost covers in that they hold in a little heat (I don't think very much though). If you're looking for insect protection, I think you'd need to leave them covered most of the time, at least during the major insect time. Depending on how much light your frost covers block, you may be able to use them the same way.

I think we cut the irrigation tubing to 5-6' lengths which was good for covering shorter plants like beans. I tried adding an extension by stuffing the tubing into some rigid pvc pipe cut into about 1' lengths for plants that were taller. That was kind of a pain. You just need to figure out what you grow that you need to cover and cut your tubing accordingly.

I don't use copper tubing, they are copper tubing STRAPS, small U-shaped brackets. I screwed them to the wood on the inside of the bed and just push the hoop through it. This keeps the hoops pretty much in place. Sometimes in an extreme wind, they'll get pulled out by the blowing curtain anyway (mine are open at the ends).

I hope this helps some. Really, I'm kinda wingin' it as I go.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tales of a Transplanted Gardener

Hey greenbean, are you around?

I went to HD today and looked at their irrigation tubing. The biggest they had was 5/8" and it was a kind of hard plastic, but thin enough that it was coiled in a 50' roll. The only other size they had was 1/2".

Is the stuff you bought pretty thin? This stuff feels like it can be easily cut with scissors. Also, does it seem to bend in half and somewhat dent the material easily? I'm not sure if I purchased the right thing.

Mine is 3/4" 80 PSI tubing (I went out and looked). It's flexible enough to coil into the roll but not easily cut with scissors (I used a pvc cutter). It doesn't bend in half easily. I would guess the tubing wall is about 3/16" thick. It's strong enough that sometimes when I reach into the center of the bed, I can (sort of) lean on the hoop.

I don't know off-hand what the 5/8" is like but if it doesn't seem like it's hefty enough, I'd take it back.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tales of a Transplanted Gardener

Thanks for checking on that for me. Shoot. Home Depot seems a little light in their irrigation tubing offerings. I checked out washer hose, but that was over $7 a foot, and I kept asking the guy if they had any other kinds of hose that he could show me, anywhere else in the store, and it all kept coming back to the irrigation wimpy irrigation stuff. I'll have to take it back and maybe just take a walk up and down the aisles to see what catches my eye.

Good luck with the shopping! That's what we did too.

You might also check out this blog:

http://mysquarefootgardenadventure.blogspot.com/

there are pics of white pvc in her beds. I'll bet if you leave here a comment asking, she'll tell ya what she used. She visits GW too but I haven't seen her here lately.

You might want to ask them at HD which kind of pvc doesn't do well with sunshine. I know there's some type that breaks down & cracks pretty quickly (like a season or two I think) b/c of the UV exposure. I don't know which kind though.

Spaghetini,

Go to the electrical section of HD and get plastic electrical conduit. That's what I used and it's perfect--rigid enough to stay up, flexible enough to bend, cheap. It's gray, not sure of the thickness... something like 3/4"-1". People at my community garden use it all the time with great success, too.

Lori

I think I must just not be strong enough, or I must not be putting enough pressure on the pieces I keep trying to bed because I did check out the gray conduit, but it seemed like it was just as hard to bend as the pvc, lol. If I can't get a hold of good tubing, I may just have to bite the bullet and see if I can muscle the pipe into place.

How high up off the ground are your hoops, Lori? I checked out the blog that Greenbean linked, and the hoops shown are really tall for what I'll be needing them for. Also, how did you anchor the ends? Did you go the pipe strap route, or did you use rebar pounded into the ground?

They ended up 2-3' high... depends how wide your bed is. Mine was about 3' wide. If you have lumber raised beds, you can just dig small holes 8" deep or so where you want the ends and bury them a bit, and the lumber sides will keep them from popping loose. I had planned to screw pipe straps to the sides but found I didn't need them.

I was worried with the conduit at first that I would crack it if I bent too hard, but it held up fine. Work at it a little bit and it will start to give... and get one of the smaller diameters, they are still plenty sturdy but easier to bend.

Ah, perfect! My beds are all 4' wide, with some being 4' long, and some 8' long, but I only plan on putting the hoops on the short sides. I was worried about it cracking too, but it sounds like that's not going to be so much of a concern. Good stuff. I won't be able to do the holes to bury the ends because my soil is so hard that I can't get down even 1cm into it, but I'll see what I can figure out that won't pull apart the sides of my beds, lol.

Thanks for the input! I would have probably gone with the irrigation tubing if I was able to find it, but alas... that stuff is elusive!