A hoop house can add weeks (or months) of growing and harvesting.
If you want to protect seedlings in the spring, extend your harvesting into the fall or keep rain off of transplants in the spring, then a good hoop house is your answer. Some will even handle some snow.
I no longer garden without season extenders!
Hoop House Kits and Sizes
The size you choose will depend on your yard size and what you plan on using it for. For example tall summer crops like tomatoes and peppers need a tall hoop house. Many winter crops (especially greens) are lower to the ground and don’t need as much height.
Choosing a size for your backyard greenhouse
Depending on your backyard size, you’ll have to choose your hoop house based from what fits. You’ll also need to figure out if you’ll buy a kit or make your own.
We’ve built them with both PVC and electrical conduit, and also purchased the mini size.
Backyard greenhouse hoop house size choices
- Mini & Small: The mini hoop tunnel is perfect for the small backyard. You can also buy them easily at garden centers or make your own. Make your own portable mini greenhouses.
- Low Tunnel: this is a fantastic size for winter gardening and can be easily customized to be built over your raised beds. This is my favorite size for protecting seedlings in the spring or season extending.
- Tall hoop house: Has the benefit of height for tall crops like tomatoes. Usually you can stand up in them but they also need more space to put up.
- Greenhouse hoop house: We grow year-round in an unheated greenhouse. We used a polytunnel greenhouse, but had to take it down for heavy snow.
