Build a Greenhouse 

Building a Hoop Greenhouse
By Bill Keene

Building a hoop style greenhouse can be a fun activity that involves your whole family and provides a few hours of great entertainment topped with a collective sense of achievement! It is so easy to build and so affordable that you will wonder why you didn't do it earlier. Here is a quick guide to building a hoop greenhouse of your own - choose a size according to the availability of space. Ensure good sun exposure and a level site. Get going!

1. To build a 32 feet by 12 feet structure, cut four pieces of 2 X 6 treated lumber into 16 feet lengths. Also cut to size two 2 X 6 lumber planks into 12 foot pieces. These will act as your foundation boards.

2. Mark the boundary using stakes of rebars at the corners. These are to be pulled out once the foundation is squared off and the wooden planks are in place.

3. Nail the lumber together at the corners and check that all corner joints are perfect right angles.

4. Obtain nine ten foot pieces of rebar each of which you have to cut into four equal parts. This means you get four pieces of 30 inch length from each rebar.

5. Measure two foot intervals and pound each rebar into the ground along the length of the foundation on both sides such that half of each rebar piece is in the ground and half sticks out above. If you have done it right, you should have seventeen paired rebar pieces placed opposite each other all along the 32 feet length on either side of the foundation.

6. Nineteen pieces each of 20 feet length are needed for the hoop frame. Source 1/2 or 3/4 inch PVC pipes to make the arched frame.

7. You would need seventeen of these pieces to create the arched frame. Stick one end of each piece into a rebar on one side of the foundation and arch it over the width of the greenhouse to the rebar on the opposite side. Fit the end of the PVC pipe over the rebar. Repeat the process for the remaining pipe lengths. Secure the PVC pipes to the wood foundation using metal bands that are screwed tightly into the wooden base.

8. Measure a door frame of an appropriate size, cut the wood to size and screw the door frame to the lumber foundation. Strengthen the end wall by nailing horizontal pieces of wood half way between the ground and the ridge line of the roof. One end of each horizontal piece can be supported by the door frame while the other end would need a vertical stake screwed to the foundation at the bottom.

9. Now, cut the two remaining PVC pipes to obtain a length of 32 feet. They will be joined together to form the central ridge line of the roof. Tie them to the ribs at the highest and central point along the length of the greenhouse using wrap around plastic ties.

10. Use poly film or plastic sheet as glazing. Stretch over the frame and secure with staples. Ensure that there are no gaps.

Congratulations! Building a hoop greenhouse was never so easy!

Bill Keene is a former farmer and author of of the "Building A Greenhouse Plans" and website http://www.buildingagreenhouseplans.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Keene

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