Grow Cold-Hardy Crops

• Cold-hardy crops grow well planted in deep beds with rich soil and lots of organic matter, covered with framed walls covered in plastic sheeting and an arched covered roof to sustain plants when temperatures drop. Kale, collards, Brussels sprouts, spinach, leeks, parsnips, cabbage, arugula, endive, lettuces, carrots, onions, salsify, celery, kohlrabi and peas all grow well in cool temperatures and will grow in winter in a hoop house.
  
  

Get an Early Start

• A hoop house gives growers an early start to the gardening season and warm-weather crops. Soil mixed with organic matter in deep beds covered with mulch and black plastic in the fall before winter sets warms up faster in the spring in hoop houses than open soil. The soil thaws and warms up in the covered environment and you can plant seedlings or seeds for an early start to the season.
  
  

Portable Mini-Hoop Houses

• Portable mini-hoop houses made with flexible PVC pipe or lightweight lumber such as 1-by-1-inch lengths of pine and flexible PVC give growers an extra edge. Make them 3 feet long by 5 feet wide to propagate houseplant cuttings, perennial flower divisions and ornamental shrub cuttings.
  
  

Convert It to Shade

• Hoop houses convert easily to shade structures by switching the plastic for shade cloth in summer. Heat-tolerant lettuces grow all summer under the shade cloth for fresh lettuce, greens and herbs during hot months. You'll get double duty out of your hoop house and a quick return on your investment in framing, plastic sheeting and shade cloth.