I just finished making the hoop that goes over the frame. It's spring so instead of covering it with plastic, we covered the hoop with chicken wire to keep the animals out. The beds are in our front yard and I can't believe how many people have commented on it! Such a great design. Thank you so much for sharing such great explanations on how to make a raised bed and how to make a low tunnel. I'm having so much fun gardening because of you!
I know this an old video, but you've inspired me! My husband says your tunnels look 'sharp' and that's coming from a perfectionist carpenter! I started researching to grow a winter garden here on Colorado's Front Range, which for all intents and purposes, is an alpine desert. Still Zone 5b, but wildly different than Chicago. Intense sun, little rainfall, low snow pack, and ridiculous swinging temperatures, and desicating winds make gardening here difficult sometimes. Our master gardeners have developed a little trick to keep winter gardens alive during the polar vortexes that can sweep down from Canada. Christmas tree lights! The big bulby ones, not the little fairy lights. The ones your mom used on her tree in the 1970s. They give off just enough heat while being cost effective to operate, and are meant to be outside. If it gets REALLY cold (-20 to -30, it's happened) or -15 for two weeks (that's happened too) you can put a cheap space blanket over your low tunnels st night to attempt to trap the heat. So excited to try to make my own tunnels!
I like that nice sturdy glass cold-frame you were sitting next to, at the end of the video. After years of watching things I've built, bounce off into the distance, I'm convinced that plastic attracts thunderstorms.
You'd need a pretty strong wind to take out that big glass cold frame. That thing is heavy! Yeah, if you have very strong winds in your area, one of these could really take off. 😀 Fortunately, we've never had any problems thanks to all the wind breaks surrounding the garden.
Made ours last night! Went well, especially when we put a little liquid soap on the ends of the pipe and caps to put them together. Looking forward to starting out starts ❤️
Works awesome , what found that works really good is instead of screwing end caps down to hold hoops I drilled same size holes into wood and slipped hoops into holes , much more sturdier , plastic caps tend to crack in cold wrather
Good idea. Only problem is that if you are making it a hinged hoop, and drilling out 3/4" or more, you are removing half the thickness of the 2x4 right at the corner where it is likely to split when put under the stress that opening and closing and the flexed pvc is putting on it. Also, the cap pivots and tilts thereby relieving some of this stress. If the cap fails, it is easy to replace. If the frame fails, it's not so easy to replace.
Brilliant design! Thank you for sharing! I garden in zone 4 and was planning to build a hoop tunnel with just 1 layer, now you’ve inspired me to go bigger! I am thrilled at the idea of essential gardening in a zone 7 for the winter 🤗
I've double layered the roof plastic on my greenhouse with a space between layers, put low tunnels over my grow beds inside my greenhouse, but never thought about building something like this outside. So simple. Nice job.
Great instructions. After your end comments about wind I think my zone 5 garden would be too rough on one of these. We have typically gusty weather here in Eastern Washington. Guess I just need to keep saving pennies for an actual greenhouse. Thank you for the hard work you do creating these informative videos.
Excellent. This week our temps will go down to the low 20s. I will be doing some kind of makeshift covers for my kale and parsley. I have done hoop houses with little 6" pieces of pvc into the ground. More work to vent. Maybe by next year I can get some of these made.
Brilliant video. Not just the double layering, but the small details, like the easy end-caps as fasteners, or the DIY clips, and even the tips on how to vent the tunnel. Great job sir. -edit I just noticed I've posted a similar comment 3 years ago, so I'll be back in another 3. :)
One of the best gardening channels on the Tube. Thank you for providing great content. I love this affiliate program with amazon. I'll definitely be using it. Rock on farming brederen.
Great ideas! Thanks. I still am enjoying my garden tomatoes that were green when I picked them before the first frost. I even had enough to share with neighbors and friends. I know you will get lots of support for your channel. You deserve a pay it forward embrace for all your efforts teaching gardening here in UA-cam.
We are in a zone 3 and we are done for the year with 5-8" of snow (which in not melting) we will see on Saturday what is still alive in the greenhouse. Keep growing.
This is just a thought, but you could attach a piece of PVC to the outside of the frame with a screw near one end of the PVC pipe and tight enough that it holds the PVC in place but that your wife can pivot the piece of pipe. Then, when she opens the cold frame she can rotate the PVC pipe down and prop it on the ground to keep the frame open while she harvests stuff from the bed. The bad thing is that if a breeze came when it was propped open it could pull the cold frame open and break a hinge or rip the plastic. Great video, thanks for taking the time to put it together.
Thanks, Adam! You're right. If you live in an area where high winds are common, you'll want to take extra precautions. I don't expect having any issues here because the top will be closed most of the time and there are so many wind breaks around our garden.
My name is Denise, my grandfather planted coffee, he was from Holland, now we live in Ourinhos city,I have yard back,lemon tree and coconut, maybe plant species and Orhers things.Patrick you make good job, congrats!
Brilliant! Thank you for your excellent videos. We're in Kansas and I'm actually growing brassicas in February. Cover cloth helps but they're growing so I need to make something like this. Love it! 🙏👍😀
Your designs inspired me. I'm going to try using one pvc frame but attaching a layer of plastic UNDER the pvc and also another layer ON TOP of the same pvc catching some air in between. We'll see how it goes. I've never fall or winter gardened after moving to the midwest, but you give me hope. Thanks.
Was just wondering if anybody else has been doing a greenhouse inside a greenhouse inside a greenhouse like us , thank you for brilliant designs. We will definitely use some of this in Iowa
Hi Patrick. This is my first comment on your videos and I have to say they are just fantastic( concise and to the point), not to mention your gardening prowess. I am learning some great tips here. This is my first year trying winter vegetables in a conventional low tunnel. I too am in Zone 5 in New Brunswick, Canada although maybe a half zone further north. Like you, I find harvesting from the low tunnel a bit of a pain in the ankle in winter with some of the snap clamps breaking in the cold when I remove them to open the sides and the plastic freezing to the ground as well as the bricks holding it down. As a result, I will be converting to the double tunnel as you have designed here. My raised beds are all 4' X 8' so I can comfortably reach in 2' from each side to work and harvest. You show your second tunnel on a 4x8 bed(the one your wife likes) and my thought would be that it would be awkward to reach across the 4 foot width with the tunnel hinged on one side only. My plan is to use 2 hinges with removable pins on both sides so that I could just remove the pins one side and open the tunnel on that side to work on. I would use slightly smaller pins than the original which can be quite tight otherwise. Your thoughts if you don't mind and by the way, I missed Oscar in your latest video. Many thanks and kindest regards.
Thanks, Richard! That sounds like a great approach. If you keep all 4 pins in when it's close, you won't have to worry about wind opening it up. I wonder if it might be difficult to remove the pins when it's cold and icy? Oscar has opted out of a couple shoots on very cold days. He'll be in this Sunday's video. 😺
Another great video. I may need to build one of these for my garden boxes this year as we are finally receiving some colder weather here in South TX. Thanks again. Jack
Also, in winter harvesting, you’re not trying to “grow’’ your plants, just hold them at healthy maturity. You have to plan your planting timing so the plants are nearing harvest size as the winter approaches. Keep in mind that it will take longer to mature in fall as the days shorten and temps drop. Elliot Coleman describes this quite well in some of his great videos. He’s mastered this on a commercial scale.
Hi Patrick! I agree getting the hoop house and low tunnels as airtight as you can will really help with the cold drafts in the winter. I also agree that being able to go into a more roomy hoop house to harvest (and spend quality time with your vegetables!) is the way to go, I can't wait to harvest salad greens, kale, collards and carrots in the middle of winter in my area (zone 6a just south of Detroit), just as you have been doing! Thanks again for all the videos and inspiration you provide!
Hey Patrick, Great seeing your constantly looking to improve growing in zone 5. As you might recall I grow in the same zone, but take 12/15 through 2/15 off. But growing 10 months beats most people in this zone. happy growing!
Love your video. I live in Wyoming. Zone 4-3-b. We are In the process figuring out how to extend the growing season In the cold long winters 😰 and in a small backyard in city
Great post, Patrick! Pecan trees and squirrels force me to keep all my raised beds covered, year-round. Been looking for a permanent cover that doesn't have me chasing greenhouse plastic that flies off the hoops in the wind. This is my answer! I am going to be one happy camper when all I have to do is flip the lids! I'll only be installing one layer, since my Zone 9a temps aren't an issue for the cole crops I grow. In fact, I don't want to raise the inside temps much, at all. My greenhouse plastic is perforated every 6", so, I'll have plenty of ventilation without having to raise the lid. I'll only raise the lid to check for growth and inspect for any few moths that might manage to fly in when I'm not looking, LOL! Thanks!
Such a cool idea. One thing you might be able to try to prop open the tops for harvesting: cut a few isosceles triangle shaped pieces from a 2x10 and place them on both edges. Those temporary triangular stops would keep the top cover from falling down on you, and could allow you to not have to rest the plastic on the ground. I just may have to build one for next season.
This actually looks pretty easy! I plan to put a couple (at least) inside my high tunnel here in USDA Zone 7b...semi-tropical winter possibly plus extra wind protection when high tunnel is closed.
Great Idea and functioning low tunnel. I think I might use just a hinged outer tunnel over my cold frame. The wind would definitely be an issue if I had beds that big, my beds are four by four. Thanks Patrick. Cheers.
thank you for your amazon link. it is exactly what I needed. I'm on a fixed income. I'm so grateful for your efforts. I skip meals and heat to save for my service dog's needs and to put a little away for the grandkids. I eat what I grow. I need a double/triple layer to harvest year round. this is doable. I can make this. thank you. another great video.
granny sweet ......don’t skip meals, a bowl of oatmeal literally cost pennies ! Eggs and $1.00 French bread from w-m makes a lot of French toast, potatoes are cheap with endless uses, healthy good food does not have to be expensive!! I’m sure your grandkids would not want you going hungry so you can give your money to them, they are young and healthy and there are more jobs than people to do them..... teaching them to work is far better than giving to them ! Blessings
That's a great design! I could use a greenie here maybe 60 days a year. We dropped seed yesterday before the coming wet weather. Blessings & Abundance!
That was a good build Patrick and they look so neat and tidy. So much wind here and it seems to be getting worse in the past couple of years. The air temp was -21 this morning but the wind chill made it feel like -35.
Thanks, Dale! So far we haven't had to vent these even once. It's been too cold! We're expecting a low of -22c today. Sounds like we're having similar weather.
Wow! Amazing!! I'm always impressed with your building methods. I would love to have my husband doing all of this. Oh well, not all of us can be so lucky. I did my hoop houses with just plastics ties, pvc and the plastic wrap. Very basic. Thanks and I'll have to log in with your link. I would like to help support. Must buy Oscar some toys too 😉.
I tried this method on two of my 4 x 10 raised beds. I live in north Georgia so found that we did not need the second layer protection; blessed. The lesson I learned is that 4 foot is too wide to manage with a hinged cover. Next year I will reduce my autumn garden to only 2 foot from the unhinged side of the bed. Do you use special greenhouse plastic? I used greenhouse 6 mil to cover the hinged beds covers and 6 mil plastic from a paint dept to cover the 6 unhinged beds. There is a massive difference in using greenhouse plastic vs regular plastic. The greenhouse plastic covered beds were warm whereas the regular plastic covered beds were not warm and only kept the frost from the plants. Thank you for sharing your method.
Patrick there is a easier way to snap on those T connections. Use Channel-lock pliers. to squeeze them together. Ideal two pliers if you have them. They have 5 - 10 mechanical advantage so it will be 5-10x easier.
A layer of cloth fabric such as felt or fleece can be added between the raised bed and the tunnel frame. This will act as weather stripping and prevent ice from freezing the two pieces together.
Incredibly brilliant design. Very impressed. If you keep the snap tees in a bucket of very hot water, 140 F+/- they will be easy to snap on when needed. Even 120 F water would help.
That's a great build. The only improvement I can think of would be a way to easily remove the outer and inner hoops, plastic attached, so you could reuse them. But of course you'd need a bunch of space to store them over the summer.
Thanks! The hoops will stay in place year round. We'll just have to remove the cover in spring and return it in the fall, which will take just a couple hours per year for both low tunnels. The greenhouse film takes practically no space to store.
I followed this exactly and we just made it through our first true cold snap here in southeast Michigan! Highs in the 20s, lows in the teens, for several days, and all the greens look amazing!! Can you please discuss in detail how you water? I know it’s less but how much? It can’t go without water all winter, but I don’t want to cause mold. Thank you so much for this amazing tutorial.
I'll probably have to build one of these. I'm thinking perhaps an effective keyhole design would allow a larger bed. If the keyhole section is closed, and you merely step over the outside edge into the keyhole, you'd have easier access to a larger low tunnel.
Love this idea. I'm going to try it in a single layer (Texas) with removable film, since I'd like to switch to shade cloth, too. This will be great at my community plot, where rats & rabbits are a problem.
Absolutely brilliant very easy to follow I’m going to try this in fact I might use the plastic tubing as an additional cover to my poly tunnel. Have you done any videos on how to stop polyntunnels blowing away in a storm?
Very nice design Patrick, and it looks like those snap t's are going to work pretty good judging by how hard they were to put on. It's also nice to see an update on your Amazon store like that, we're trying the same thing with the gaming channel my buddies and I run, so it's nice to see that it works. Of course, we only just hit 200 subs, so it hasn't worked out quite as well for us yet lol
This answered my main questions about low tunnels! Thanks so much! I live in South Dakota so I wasn't sure if this would work I think i will give it a shot now! Does the depth of the bed matter? I'm also kinda worried that my bed soil will freeze since its above ground theyre about 26 inches deep if anyone could help me with that I would really appreciate it! 😊
I love these tutorials, Pat, you're good at making them. By the way, those end caps seemed a little unstable when you inserted the pvc tubes in them... maybe some more screws per each one could increase their resilience or life span. Anyway, thank you for sharing. PS: it's kinda ironic how plastic and pvc help us develop sustainable gardens, isn't it?
Thanks, Fernando! I think the hoops will be fine. I forgot to demonstrate how rigid the structure is after the addition of the 6 mil greenhouse film, which is very strong. The film plays an important role in the strength and rigidity of the low tunnel and reinforces the hoops.
Finally, my personal UA-cam algorithm sent me to something useful. Thanks, & you have a new subscriber. With regards to the freezing of the wooden frames, if you were to staple that excess plastic over the hoop frame, it might serve as a release barrier. Also, for the wind thing, howzabout anchoring the two free corners with metal latches?
It might work to remove the pins from the hinges and replace them with cotter key type hitch pins (less than a dollar purchased locally) sized big enough to work in the hinge yet small enough for easy removal. That way you could use hinges on both sides of the low tunnel which would lock the dome closed in the wind and also allow you to pull the pins on the side you wish to harvest from. Secure the hitch pins to the frame with very light weight chain so they don't get lost. I constructed my cold frame with hinges and such pins so I can simply pull the pins to remove the lids in the spring.
Sounds like a great approach! Once concern I'd have is that the pins would be difficult to remove in winter because they'd frequently be covered in ice.
That's a very valid point. WD40 might take care of it. Or you could always leave the pins out on the side you most often commonly work from during the real icy months. I just know at times it sure is nice to be able to easily remove the cover clear off my cold frame and easily reinstall it when I am finished working. I actually constructed the sides in the same manner so it all comes apart with the pins in late spring and stacks up flat against the fence. Zone 7. BTW I really enjoy your channel. I am just starting to understand four season growing and in that you have played a great part. After seeing your hinged low tunnels I shall not be building anymore cold frames.
what i've learned in architect school: Insulating air thickness can't be more than 12mm (heat insulating windows).If it's more, air starts to circulate and transfer heat. If less than 8mm, its not enough to insulate.
I read from a couple different sources that 50 mm was the upper range before there was enough volume of air for a convection current to start occurring which reduces the efficiency of the air layer acting as insulation.
@@thomasmitchell6468 Yeah, and i read, the Earth is flat. you can read anyiting. All windows has 10-12mm gap between the glases. If there is a need for more insulation, they add a plus layer glass and gap. Not extending the gap. They know what to do.
Great video, and I appreciate you showing us how to make a hinged low tunnel. Do you use the same size PVC pipe for your walk in tunnel? Will use your link to Amazon. Thank you.
I just finished making the hoop that goes over the frame. It's spring so instead of covering it with plastic, we covered the hoop with chicken wire to keep the animals out. The beds are in our front yard and I can't believe how many people have commented on it! Such a great design. Thank you so much for sharing such great explanations on how to make a raised bed and how to make a low tunnel. I'm having so much fun gardening because of you!
I know this an old video, but you've inspired me! My husband says your tunnels look 'sharp' and that's coming from a perfectionist carpenter! I started researching to grow a winter garden here on Colorado's Front Range, which for all intents and purposes, is an alpine desert. Still Zone 5b, but wildly different than Chicago. Intense sun, little rainfall, low snow pack, and ridiculous swinging temperatures, and desicating winds make gardening here difficult sometimes. Our master gardeners have developed a little trick to keep winter gardens alive during the polar vortexes that can sweep down from Canada. Christmas tree lights! The big bulby ones, not the little fairy lights. The ones your mom used on her tree in the 1970s. They give off just enough heat while being cost effective to operate, and are meant to be outside. If it gets REALLY cold (-20 to -30, it's happened) or -15 for two weeks (that's happened too) you can put a cheap space blanket over your low tunnels st night to attempt to trap the heat. So excited to try to make my own tunnels!
Best wishes with your low tunnels! With large temperature swings, you might want to look into automatic openers.
Thank you at last someone to show me actually what I want for my wee small garden so can have veg all year round without costing a fortune to build.
I like that nice sturdy glass cold-frame you were sitting next to, at the end of the video. After years of watching things I've built, bounce off into the distance, I'm convinced that plastic attracts thunderstorms.
You'd need a pretty strong wind to take out that big glass cold frame. That thing is heavy! Yeah, if you have very strong winds in your area, one of these could really take off. 😀 Fortunately, we've never had any problems thanks to all the wind breaks surrounding the garden.
Just like trailer parks attract tornadoes. lol
Made ours last night! Went well, especially when we put a little liquid soap on the ends of the pipe and caps to put them together. Looking forward to starting out starts ❤️
Works awesome , what found that works really good is instead of screwing end caps down to hold hoops I drilled same size holes into wood and slipped hoops into holes , much more sturdier , plastic caps tend to crack in cold wrather
Tru that👊
Good idea. Only problem is that if you are making it a hinged hoop, and drilling out 3/4" or more, you are removing half the thickness of the 2x4 right at the corner where it is likely to split when put under the stress that opening and closing and the flexed pvc is putting on it. Also, the cap pivots and tilts thereby relieving some of this stress. If the cap fails, it is easy to replace. If the frame fails, it's not so easy to replace.
I wish I knew what language you guys were speaking! I don't know anything about building 😔 How do you guys learn this stuff?
@@toplobster1040 use your imagination , 😂
brilliant ty for the idea
Brilliant design! Thank you for sharing! I garden in zone 4 and was planning to build a hoop tunnel with just 1 layer, now you’ve inspired me to go bigger! I am thrilled at the idea of essential gardening in a zone 7 for the winter 🤗
I'd love to see how these are holding up after a few years of use.
I've double layered the roof plastic on my greenhouse with a space between layers, put low tunnels over my grow beds inside my greenhouse, but never thought about building something like this outside. So simple. Nice job.
Thanks, Jeff! Sounds like you have a great setup!
Great instructions. After your end comments about wind I think my zone 5 garden would be too rough on one of these. We have typically gusty weather here in Eastern Washington. Guess I just need to keep saving pennies for an actual greenhouse. Thank you for the hard work you do creating these informative videos.
Thanks, Molly! So far these have easily stood up to gusts as high as 45 mph. The fences, trees, and buildings help, of course.
Excellent. This week our temps will go down to the low 20s. I will be doing some kind of makeshift covers for my kale and parsley. I have done hoop houses with little 6" pieces of pvc into the ground. More work to vent. Maybe by next year I can get some of these made.
Thanks! Best wishes with your kale and parsley. Stay warm!
Using the end caps as sockets for the hoop ends is ingenious! Thank you.
Simple functional and very effective design and shouldn't be all that expensive either. Brilliant. Thanks for sharing 😊👍
I love your semi circle calculation!
Brilliant video. Not just the double layering, but the small details, like the easy end-caps as fasteners, or the DIY clips, and even the tips on how to vent the tunnel.
Great job sir.
-edit I just noticed I've posted a similar comment 3 years ago, so I'll be back in another 3. :)
One of the best gardening channels on the Tube. Thank you for providing great content. I love this affiliate program with amazon. I'll definitely be using it. Rock on farming brederen.
Thanks so much for your support, James! I appreciate it.
Great ideas! Thanks. I still am enjoying my garden tomatoes that were green when I picked them before the first frost. I even had enough to share with neighbors and friends. I know you will get lots of support for your channel. You deserve a pay it forward embrace for all your efforts teaching gardening here in UA-cam.
Thanks so much for your kind words! I'm glad you're still enjoying your tomatoes. We had some last night with our fresh picked greens.
Brilliant design Patrick!!!
Thanks!
I really like this idea and love the smaller version of the 4x8
Thanks!
Thank you for a detailed, but easy to follow tutorial.
Wonderful design Patrick, thanks! I don't think we could harvest all winter here but at least it would extend our season.
Thanks, Elyse! I think spinach, mache, claytonia, and carrots would survive the winter there if you have a spot that gets some sun all winter.
We are in a zone 3 and we are done for the year with 5-8" of snow (which in not melting) we will see on Saturday what is still alive in the greenhouse. Keep growing.
Especially liked the end wall procedure with the plastic, bungee cords and 2x4s props, and I need to check out your Amazon store!
Thanks, Sheri!
Your channel has just become my tutorial! Thank you so much for posting this site!
You're very welcome! I'm glad my videos have helped.
I just finished mine, thanks for the great idea. For mine I used some galvanized steel fence mesh instead of pvc for the hoop.
This is just a thought, but you could attach a piece of PVC to the outside of the frame with a screw near one end of the PVC pipe and tight enough that it holds the PVC in place but that your wife can pivot the piece of pipe. Then, when she opens the cold frame she can rotate the PVC pipe down and prop it on the ground to keep the frame open while she harvests stuff from the bed. The bad thing is that if a breeze came when it was propped open it could pull the cold frame open and break a hinge or rip the plastic. Great video, thanks for taking the time to put it together.
Thanks, Adam! You're right. If you live in an area where high winds are common, you'll want to take extra precautions. I don't expect having any issues here because the top will be closed most of the time and there are so many wind breaks around our garden.
My name is Denise, my grandfather planted coffee, he was from Holland, now we live in Ourinhos city,I have yard back,lemon tree and coconut, maybe plant species and Orhers things.Patrick you make good job, congrats!
Brilliant! Thank you for your excellent videos. We're in Kansas and I'm actually growing brassicas in February. Cover cloth helps but they're growing so I need to make something like this. Love it! 🙏👍😀
Your designs inspired me. I'm going to try using one pvc frame but attaching a layer of plastic UNDER the pvc and also another layer ON TOP of the same pvc catching some air in between. We'll see how it goes. I've never fall or winter gardened after moving to the midwest, but you give me hope. Thanks.
One of your best videos - and that's saying something! Thanks for doing your videos - I can't get enough of them!
Thanks Thom!
Thank you for this video. By following it I built my own low tunnel.
Was just wondering if anybody else has been doing a greenhouse inside a greenhouse inside a greenhouse like us , thank you for brilliant designs. We will definitely use some of this in Iowa
Patrick This is awesome. Well done
Thanks, Desmond!
Hi Patrick. This is my first comment on your videos and I have to say they are just fantastic( concise and to the point), not to mention your gardening prowess. I am learning some great tips here.
This is my first year trying winter vegetables in a conventional low tunnel. I too am in Zone 5 in New Brunswick, Canada although maybe a half zone further north.
Like you, I find harvesting from the low tunnel a bit of a pain in the ankle in winter with some of the snap clamps breaking in the cold when I remove them to open the sides and the plastic freezing to the ground as well as the bricks holding it down. As a result, I will be converting to the double tunnel as you have designed here. My raised beds are all 4' X 8' so I can comfortably reach in 2' from each side to work and harvest. You show your second tunnel on a 4x8 bed(the one your wife likes) and my thought would be that it would be awkward to reach across the 4 foot width with the tunnel hinged on one side only. My plan is to use 2 hinges with removable pins on both sides so that I could just remove the pins one side and open the tunnel on that side to work on. I would use slightly smaller pins than the original which can be quite tight otherwise.
Your thoughts if you don't mind and by the way, I missed Oscar in your latest video.
Many thanks and kindest regards.
Thanks, Richard! That sounds like a great approach. If you keep all 4 pins in when it's close, you won't have to worry about wind opening it up. I wonder if it might be difficult to remove the pins when it's cold and icy? Oscar has opted out of a couple shoots on very cold days. He'll be in this Sunday's video. 😺
Excellent building! I will need to copy you next year! Love it!
Thanks, Pam!
So so helpful.. I live in the same zone and this is exactly what I need. Many thanks for sharing this project!!
Another great video. I may need to build one of these for my garden boxes this year as we are finally receiving some colder weather here in South TX. Thanks again. Jack
Thanks, Jack!
That's such a great idea! I love it. It's amazing that with all that plastic the plants still get enough light.
Thanks, David! You definitely want to use plastic that has high light transmission. This plastic is rated at 91%.
Also, in winter harvesting, you’re not trying to “grow’’ your plants, just hold them at healthy maturity. You have to plan your planting timing so the plants are nearing harvest size as the winter approaches. Keep in mind that it will take longer to mature in fall as the days shorten and temps drop. Elliot Coleman describes this quite well in some of his great videos. He’s mastered this on a commercial scale.
Hi Patrick! I agree getting the hoop house and low tunnels as airtight as you can will really help with the cold drafts in the winter. I also agree that being able to go into a more roomy hoop house to harvest (and spend quality time with your vegetables!) is the way to go, I can't wait to harvest salad greens, kale, collards and carrots in the middle of winter in my area (zone 6a just south of Detroit), just as you have been doing! Thanks again for all the videos and inspiration you provide!
You're welcome, John! Best wishes with your winter garden!
Hey Patrick,
Great seeing your constantly looking to improve growing in zone 5. As you might recall I grow in the same zone, but take 12/15 through 2/15 off. But growing 10 months beats most people in this zone.
happy growing!
Love your video. I live in Wyoming. Zone 4-3-b. We are In the process figuring out how to extend the growing season In the cold long winters 😰 and in a small backyard in city
Great post, Patrick!
Pecan trees and squirrels force me to keep all my raised beds covered, year-round. Been looking for a permanent cover that doesn't have me chasing greenhouse plastic that flies off the hoops in the wind. This is my answer! I am going to be one happy camper when all I have to do is flip the lids!
I'll only be installing one layer, since my Zone 9a temps aren't an issue for the cole crops I grow. In fact, I don't want to raise the inside temps much, at all. My greenhouse plastic is perforated every 6", so, I'll have plenty of ventilation without having to raise the lid. I'll only raise the lid to check for growth and inspect for any few moths that might manage to fly in when I'm not looking, LOL!
Thanks!
Thanks! I'm glad the video sparked some ideas for your zone 9a garden! I wish I was in zone 9a right now. 😀
Why wouldnt you just put a cage around it this idea seems wasteful
Such a cool idea. One thing you might be able to try to prop open the tops for harvesting: cut a few isosceles triangle shaped pieces from a 2x10 and place them on both edges. Those temporary triangular stops would keep the top cover from falling down on you, and could allow you to not have to rest the plastic on the ground. I just may have to build one for next season.
Thanks for the great idea!
This actually looks pretty easy! I plan to put a couple (at least) inside my high tunnel here in USDA Zone 7b...semi-tropical winter possibly plus extra wind protection when high tunnel is closed.
Please let me know how it goes if you try making one!
Great Idea and functioning low tunnel. I think I might use just a hinged outer tunnel over my cold frame. The wind would definitely be an issue if I had beds that big, my beds are four by four. Thanks Patrick. Cheers.
Thanks, Kevin! Yeah, there's less likely to be issues with smaller beds. Best wishes with your hinged low tunnel!
thank you for your amazon link.
it is exactly what I needed. I'm on a fixed income.
I'm so grateful for your efforts.
I skip meals and heat to save for my service dog's needs and to put a little away for the grandkids.
I eat what I grow. I need a double/triple layer to harvest year round.
this is doable. I can make this. thank you. another great video.
granny sweet ......don’t skip meals, a bowl of oatmeal literally cost pennies ! Eggs and $1.00 French bread from w-m makes a lot of French toast, potatoes are cheap with endless uses, healthy good food does not have to be expensive!!
I’m sure your grandkids would not want you going hungry so you can give your money to them, they are young and healthy and there are more jobs than people to do them..... teaching them to work is far better than giving to them !
Blessings
They are certainly efficient with easy access Patrick
Thanks, Patrick!
That's a great design!
I could use a greenie here maybe 60 days a year.
We dropped seed yesterday before the coming wet weather.
Blessings & Abundance!
Sounds nice! We have freezing temps almost half the year here. Happy gardening!
That is amazing. And Oscar's like, "give me that hand! I'm gonna tear it off! And I guess I love you."
Dude man. Excellent job putting these videos together. I'm in zone 7 or I would probably build this. Gardening year round is awesome
Thanks! Zone 7 is a great area for winter gardening.
That was a good build Patrick and they look so neat and tidy. So much wind here and it seems to be getting worse in the past couple of years. The air temp was -21 this morning but the wind chill made it feel like -35.
Thanks, Dale! So far we haven't had to vent these even once. It's been too cold! We're expecting a low of -22c today. Sounds like we're having similar weather.
Wow! Amazing!! I'm always impressed with your building methods. I would love to have my husband doing all of this. Oh well, not all of us can be so lucky. I did my hoop houses with just plastics ties, pvc and the plastic wrap. Very basic. Thanks and I'll have to log in with your link. I would like to help support. Must buy Oscar some toys too 😉.
Thanks! Basic hoop houses work just great! You're right. Oscar's treats are definitely an OYR related expense. 😀
Two great ideas Patrick !!!
Thanks!
OMG! So cooool! I have to make one! Thank you for sharing! Hi Oscar! 😁
Thanks! Best wishes with your hinged low tunnel!
Probably a good idea to add more compost to those beds which are producing all year round, as previously they had a rest in the deep winter.
True. We've found that an annual application of compost/vermicompost plus mulch keeps our year round beds growing strong.
I tried this method on two of my 4 x 10 raised beds. I live in north Georgia so found that we did not need the second layer protection; blessed. The lesson I learned is that 4 foot is too wide to manage with a hinged cover. Next year I will reduce my autumn garden to only 2 foot from the unhinged side of the bed. Do you use special greenhouse plastic? I used greenhouse 6 mil to cover the hinged beds covers and 6 mil plastic from a paint dept to cover the 6 unhinged beds. There is a massive difference in using greenhouse plastic vs regular plastic. The greenhouse plastic covered beds were warm whereas the regular plastic covered beds were not warm and only kept the frost from the plants. Thank you for sharing your method.
Great Video! Look forward to seeing more. I have been bouncing around the idea myself to do one of these. You inspire me to keep making videos.
Thanks! Please let me know how it works out if you build one.
I really enjoyed this and learned SO much. Thank you. You're an excellent teacher!
Thanks, Krystal! I'm glad you found it helpful.
Patrick there is a easier way to snap on those T connections. Use Channel-lock pliers. to squeeze them together. Ideal two pliers if you have them. They have 5 - 10 mechanical advantage so it will be 5-10x easier.
good to know if you mess up there is a fix thanks for sharing.
You're welcome!
A layer of cloth fabric such as felt or fleece can be added between the raised bed and the tunnel frame. This will act as weather stripping and prevent ice from freezing the two pieces together.
Great idea!
That's some nice work mate. good job
Thanks!
Patrick, I'm about to do my BIG Christmas shopping on Amazon, and I'll sure use this link so we can get more awesome Videos from One Yard Revolution.
Wow! Thanks so much for your support!
Fabulous tutorial, thank you! I'll definitely be building something like it for next winter here in UK!
Thanks! Best wishes with the build!
Got to hand it to you, this is a pretty brilliant design.
Thanks!
Incredibly brilliant design. Very impressed. If you keep the snap tees in a bucket of very hot water, 140 F+/- they will be easy to snap on when needed. Even 120 F water would help.
I hope you make your entire back yard a greenhouse some day!
That seems to be the direction I'm heading in! 😀
Oscar was the best part! Cat approved greenhouses are the best!
Brillant! Can't wait to cover my raised beds! :) Thanks
Looks great. Though in my area the winds get quite high and this would most likely catch and fly away.
Great video. You've given me some great ideas. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Cheryl!
Great idea, thanks for posting, just what I was looking for as an idea for my allotment.
That's a great build. The only improvement I can think of would be a way to easily remove the outer and inner hoops, plastic attached, so you could reuse them.
But of course you'd need a bunch of space to store them over the summer.
Thanks! The hoops will stay in place year round. We'll just have to remove the cover in spring and return it in the fall, which will take just a couple hours per year for both low tunnels. The greenhouse film takes practically no space to store.
OneYardRevolution | Frugal & Sustainable Organic Gardening
Oh. So you will be re-using it.
That negates my concern. Awesome.
Yes, the plastic will last for many years and will be recycled when it's no longer useful. The PVC will last indefinitely.
Going to be making one of these over in Buffalo Grove. Thanks Neighbor!
I followed this exactly and we just made it through our first true cold snap here in southeast Michigan! Highs in the 20s, lows in the teens, for several days, and all the greens look amazing!! Can you please discuss in detail how you water? I know it’s less but how much? It can’t go without water all winter, but I don’t want to cause mold. Thank you so much for this amazing tutorial.
Following this question, hoping you get a response.
I'll probably have to build one of these. I'm thinking perhaps an effective keyhole design would allow a larger bed. If the keyhole section is closed, and you merely step over the outside edge into the keyhole, you'd have easier access to a larger low tunnel.
Yes, that would work.
When screwing to secure plastic you should use large washers or flat strips to prevent tearing.
Love this idea. I'm going to try it in a single layer (Texas) with removable film, since I'd like to switch to shade cloth, too. This will be great at my community plot, where rats & rabbits are a problem.
Thanks! Best wishes with the project.
This keeps out rats? 😮
@@toplobster1040 it's all about hardening the target, if it's harder to get in, they may move to an easier target.
This was very clever. Seems like gardeners develop very creative skills quickly.
I was wondering how you determine when it's appropriate to vent.
Thanks a lot for sharing this, such a nice design!
Absolutely brilliant very easy to follow I’m going to try this in fact I might use the plastic tubing as an additional cover to my poly tunnel. Have you done any videos on how to stop polyntunnels blowing away in a storm?
Very nice design Patrick, and it looks like those snap t's are going to work pretty good judging by how hard they were to put on. It's also nice to see an update on your Amazon store like that, we're trying the same thing with the gaming channel my buddies and I run, so it's nice to see that it works. Of course, we only just hit 200 subs, so it hasn't worked out quite as well for us yet lol
Thanks, Conrad. Yeah, installing those snap t's was a workout! Best wishes with your channel and Amazon store.
Thanks Patrick, it's going well so far, we're having a lot of fun and getting some okay views so it's a good time.
Would be fun to put a 100W light bulb (maybe smaller) on a timer for when the sun goes down to keep the temp up. It could even be a grow bulb.
You're right. A light bulb would definitely generate some extra heat and maybe even boost growth with the additional light.
Hey patrick
Invited some friends around to see your low tunnel build vid, they loved it so practical
Thanks, Pereti! I'm glad they liked it!
I was thinking of doing something like this now I have the plan. Thanks. I will keep the amazon link handy. Best wishes Bob.
Thanks so much, Bob! I hope the design helps you with your build.
this a an amazing simple yet effective design!
Thanks!
Great video and cute cat!
Thanks, Nancy!
This answered my main questions about low tunnels! Thanks so much! I live in South Dakota so I wasn't sure if this would work I think i will give it a shot now! Does the depth of the bed matter? I'm also kinda worried that my bed soil will freeze since its above ground theyre about 26 inches deep if anyone could help me with that I would really appreciate it! 😊
Great video! I need something like this but with chicken wire to keep critters out.
I love these tutorials, Pat, you're good at making them. By the way, those end caps seemed a little unstable when you inserted the pvc tubes in them... maybe some more screws per each one could increase their resilience or life span. Anyway, thank you for sharing.
PS: it's kinda ironic how plastic and pvc help us develop sustainable gardens, isn't it?
Thanks, Fernando! I think the hoops will be fine. I forgot to demonstrate how rigid the structure is after the addition of the 6 mil greenhouse film, which is very strong. The film plays an important role in the strength and rigidity of the low tunnel and reinforces the hoops.
Finally, my personal UA-cam algorithm sent me to something useful. Thanks, & you have a new subscriber.
With regards to the freezing of the wooden frames, if you were to staple that excess plastic over the
hoop frame, it might serve as a release barrier.
Also, for the wind thing, howzabout anchoring the two free corners with metal latches?
OK, That does it! I’m subscribing. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Don!
It might work to remove the pins from the hinges and replace them with cotter key type hitch pins (less than a dollar purchased locally) sized big enough to work in the hinge yet small enough for easy removal. That way you could use hinges on both sides of the low tunnel which would lock the dome closed in the wind and also allow you to pull the pins on the side you wish to harvest from. Secure the hitch pins to the frame with very light weight chain so they don't get lost. I constructed my cold frame with hinges and such pins so I can simply pull the pins to remove the lids in the spring.
Sounds like a great approach! Once concern I'd have is that the pins would be difficult to remove in winter because they'd frequently be covered in ice.
That's a very valid point. WD40 might take care of it. Or you could always leave the pins out on the side you most often commonly work from during the real icy months. I just know at times it sure is nice to be able to easily remove the cover clear off my cold frame and easily reinstall it when I am finished working. I actually constructed the sides in the same manner so it all comes apart with the pins in late spring and stacks up flat against the fence. Zone 7. BTW I really enjoy your channel. I am just starting to understand four season growing and in that you have played a great part. After seeing your hinged low tunnels I shall not be building anymore cold frames.
looks so much better than mine. I'm going to work on mine this winter. Thanks.
You're welcome, Marsha!
Great video. Great builds. Definitely approved by the cat. :)
Thanks!
I love this idea. I currently have many fish tanks that I am wanting to do this idea to make a minny greenhouse.
Another helpful video. Thanks a lot for the ideas!
You're welcome!
Very nice video and great job! Everything looks so neat!!
Thanks!
what i've learned in architect school:
Insulating air thickness can't be more than 12mm (heat insulating windows).If it's more, air starts to circulate and transfer heat. If less than 8mm, its not enough to insulate.
I read from a couple different sources that 50 mm was the upper range before there was enough volume of air for a convection current to start occurring which reduces the efficiency of the air layer acting as insulation.
@@thomasmitchell6468 Yeah, and i read, the Earth is flat. you can read anyiting.
All windows has 10-12mm gap between the glases. If there is a need for more insulation, they add a plus layer glass and gap. Not extending the gap. They know what to do.
Great video, and I appreciate you showing us how to make a hinged low tunnel. Do you use the same size PVC pipe for your walk in tunnel? Will use your link to Amazon. Thank you.
Thanks, Larry! I appreciate it. I used 3/4" PVC for the walk-in hoop house. This video shows how I built it: ua-cam.com/video/4_yga1KPA5M/v-deo.html
Your tutorial is the BEST! Thank you!
Thanks Selina!