Building a Simple Hoop House at Home: Extend Your Growing Season

A hoop house (also called a polytunnel or high tunnel) can extend your growing season by 4-8 weeks in spring and fall, protect tender crops from harsh weather, and give you better control over your garden environment. Unlike a greenhouse, a hoop house is simpler to build, costs less, and doesn't always require heating.

This guide covers a basic 8x24 foot hoop house that you can build over a weekend with common materials and tools, for roughly 00-600 depending on what you already have and where you live.

What a Hoop House Does (and Doesn't Do)

Before you start, it helps to understand what a hoop house can realistically do:

What it does:

• Protects plants from light frost (down to about 20-25°F in most cases)
• Extends the growing season by 4-8 weeks in spring and fall
• Sheds rain, reducing disease pressure on some crops
• Can be opened on sides for ventilation in warm weather
• Simple to build and doesn't require permits in many areas

What it doesn't do:

• It won't keep plants warm in deep winter without supplemental heat
• It won't replace a proper greenhouse for year-round growing in cold climates
• It won't automatically regulate temperature without manual venting
• It's not a substitute for good planning and site selection

Materials and Tools

Materials for an 8x24 foot hoop house

Frame:

• Six 1-inch Schedule 40 PVC pipes, 30 feet long each
• One 100-foot roll of 1-inch Schedule 40 PVC pipe (for connectors and bracing)
• Six 1-foot sections of 1-inch PVC pipe (for anchors)
• Four 8-foot 2x4s or 4x4s for end frames
• 100 feet of 2x4s for base boards

Foundation and Anchors:

• Two 100-foot rolls of 6-mil polyethylene sheeting (one for the cover, one for the door)
• Landscape fabric (optional, for walking paths)
• Rebar stakes or metal pipe stakes (2-foot sections), about 30-40 pieces
• Bungee cords or rope for securing the cover
• Corner brackets and pipe connectors

End Frames:

• Plywood or boards to close the ends
• Door framing lumber

Tools:

• Power drill with drill bits
• Reciprocating saw or hand saw
• Tape measure
• String line
• Shovel
• Hammer
• Utility knife

Cost Breakdown

• PVC piping (150 feet total): 50-200
• Polyethylene sheeting: 0-120
• Lumber for ends and base: 00-150
• Hardware (brackets, connectors): 0-60
• Rebar or anchors: 0-50
• Total: 00-600

Site Selection and Preparation

Where to Place It

Choose a location that gets full sun year-round. The hoop house should face east-west so the long side faces south, catching maximum sunlight in winter.

Key considerations:

• Sunlight: At least 6-8 hours of direct sun daily, even in winter
• Drainage: Avoid low spots that collect water
• Wind protection: Some wind protection is good, but avoid placing it in a wind tunnel between buildings
• Access: Make sure you can get in and out easily with tools and harvest
• Water: A water source nearby makes maintenance easier

Preparing the Ground

1. Clear the area of grass, weeds, and debris
2. Level the ground - a flat surface makes building much easier
3. Lay landscape fabric if you want to suppress weeds under the hoop house
4. Mark the footprint - use string and stakes to outline your 8x24 foot area

Setting the End Frames

The end frames are the foundation. Build them first and make sure they're square and level.

Steps:

1. Build two end frames using 2x4s or 4x4s, about 8 feet wide and 6-8 feet tall at the peak
2. Add a door opening on one end (typically 3-4 feet wide)
3. If you're using plywood to close the ends, leave space for it or pre-attach
4. Secure the frames firmly to the ground with stakes or concrete footings

Pro tip: Make the frames slightly taller than you think you need. You'll want room to walk through comfortably, especially when harvesting.

Installing the PVC Frame

Setting the PVC Arches

1. Mark arch locations every 4 feet along the long side of your hoop house (so you'll have 7 arches: one at each end and 5 in between)
2. Insert PVC anchors - cut 1-foot sections of 1-inch PVC pipe and drive them into the ground about 18 inches deep, spaced 4 feet apart
3. Insert the PVC pipes - slip the 30-foot PVC pipes through the 1-foot anchor sleeves
4. Shape the arches - gently bend each PVC pipe into an arch. Don't force it; the PVC should bend with moderate pressure

Securing the Arches

1. Secure the bottom - the PVC pipe should sit firmly in the anchor sleeves. You can add a small nail or screw through the anchor into the PVC if you're worried about wind
2. Add horizontal bracing - run a 100-foot length of PVC horizontally along the peak of all the arches. Connect each arch to the runner pipe using PVC connectors
3. Check alignment - make sure all arches are evenly spaced and properly aligned

Adding Ventilation

Hoop houses need ventilation to prevent plants from cooking on hot days.

Simple venting options:

• Drop sides: Leave one or both sides unsealed so you can roll up the plastic in warm weather
• Roll-up sides: Install a simple roll-up mechanism using rebar or a pipe system
• Vents in the ends: Cut openings in the end walls and install window screens or doors that can be opened

Recommended for beginners: Start with drop sides. Leave the ends closed with vents or doors, and leave one long side open during warm weather.

Covering the Hoop House

Installing the Polyethylene Sheeting

1. Unroll the plastic over the frame on a calm day
2. Center it so there's equal overhang on both sides (about 2-3 feet each side)
3. Secure the center - use bungee cords or a temporary rope to hold the center of the plastic to one of the arches
4. Work toward the ends - smooth out wrinkles as you go, securing the plastic every few feet with bungee cords or rope

Securing the Plastic

Methods:

• Bungee cords: Run bungee cords over the arches, hooked to rebar stakes driven into the ground on each side
• Rope and staples: Run a rope along each side and staple the plastic to it (this gives a clean look)
• Wooden batten strips: Install a thin strip of wood over the plastic at each arch location and screw it down

Important: Don't pull the plastic too tight - PVC expands and contracts with temperature, and overly tight plastic can tear. Leave about 5% slack.

Creating the Door

1. Frame the door opening in one end of the hoop house
2. Attach the door using heavy-duty hinges (suspension cable hinges work well for large doors)
3. Install a latch - a simple hasp and padlock or even a heavy-duty bungee cord works
4. Add a weather strip - old carpet or foam weather stripping keeps the door sealed when closed

Planting and Using Your Hoop House

What to Grow

Hoop houses work well for:

• Leafy greens: lettuce, spinach, kale, arugula (they grow faster and with less bolting in protected conditions)
• Cool-weather crops: peas, radishes, carrots, onions (start weeks earlier in spring)
• Transplants: harden off seedlings in the hoop house before planting them outside
• Herbs: many herbs do exceptionally well in hoop houses
• Microgreens: excellent year-round production

Soil and Planting

1. Prepare the soil as you would for your outdoor garden, but expect warmer, drier conditions
2. Add organic matter - hoop house soil can dry out faster, so extra compost helps retain moisture
3. Consider raised beds - raised beds in hoop houses drain well and are easier to work in
4. Install drip irrigation - hoop houses can dry out quickly, and overhead watering increases disease risk

Season Extension

Spring:

• Start cool-weather crops 4-6 weeks earlier than outdoor planting
• Transplants established 2-3 weeks sooner
• First harvest often 3-5 weeks earlier than outdoor garden

Fall:

• Extend the growing season 4-8 weeks
• Continue harvesting cool-weather crops into November or December (depending on your climate)
• Last frost protection extends your fall garden significantly

Care tips:

• Monitor temperature daily with a simple thermometer
• Open sides or vents when daytime temperatures exceed 70°F
• Watch for pest pressure - hoop houses can exclude some pests but trap others
• Water regularly - hoop house soil dries faster than outdoor soil

Maintenance and Long-Term Care

Seasonal Maintenance

Spring:

• Check all connections and bracing after winter
• Replace any torn plastic (small tears can be patched with clear tape)
• Clean off winter debris

Summer:

• Consider removing the plastic if you don't need it (extends life of materials)
• Store plastic properly in a cool, dry place
• Clean and oil moving parts (doors, vents)

Fall:

• Reinstall plastic if you removed it
• Check anchoring before storm season
• Prepare for early frosts

Winter:

• Monitor for snow load - remove snow carefully from the top if needed
• Check plastic tension as temperatures drop
• Inspect frame for any winter damage

Extending Material Life

Polyethylene sheeting typically lasts 3-5 years. To maximize:

• Avoid over-tightening during installation
• Check regularly for UV damage or tears
• Clean gently with mild soap and water (no harsh chemicals)
• Store properly when not in use

PVC frames can last 10+ years with proper care:

• Check for cracks or stress points
• Replace any damaged sections
• Store in a cool place when not in use
• Keep out of direct sunlight when possible

When It Makes Sense

A hoop house makes practical sense if you:

• Want to extend your growing season by weeks on both ends
• Grow crops that benefit from protected conditions
• Have a garden space that could use year-round utility
• Want a relatively affordable way to improve your food production

It's less useful if:

• You only garden for a few months and don't care about extension
• Your budget is very limited (though it's still cheaper than a greenhouse)
• You have very strong winds at your location (you'll need extra bracing)
• You're unwilling to monitor and vent regularly

Bottom Line

A simple hoop house is one of the most cost-effective ways to extend your growing season and increase your food production. At 00-600 for an 8x24 foot structure, it pays for itself in extended harvests and earlier starts, plus it gives you more flexibility in what you can grow and when.

Build it yourself over a weekend, plant it with crops that benefit from protection, and enjoy weeks of extra harvest each season.

---

— C. Steward 🥕