How do I Build a Greenhouse in the High Desert of California?

Build a greenhouse in the high desert area of California using the hoop house design. The hoop house design is a curved greenhouse covered with plastic. Protect garden and other plants inside the hoop house construction. Promote or extend the natural growing period of the plants within the hoop house. Construct a hoop house frame with PVC/Polyvinyl chloride pipe and cover it with a translucent or opaque white plastic. The plastic choice depends on the amount of sun is desired. A hoop house with translucent plastic will raise the inside temperature up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

14 - 30-inch rebar stakes
25-foot tape measure
Rubber Mallet
14 - 3/4-inch by 10-feet PVC pipe
6 - 3/4-inch by 34-inch PVC pipe
2 - 3/4-inch PVC tee connectors
5 - 3/4-inch PVC cross connectors
6-foot step ladder
1 - 20-by-35 feet heavy translucent or white plastic
4 - 2-by-4's 10-feet long lumber
4 - 2-by-4's 8-feet long lumber
Drill
Drill bit
3-inch wood screws
14 - 1-by-8-inch black poly pipe
Hacksaw
1 - 10-by-25-foot heavy translucent or white plastic
Utility knife

Instructions

- 1
  Locate an area to place a 10-by-18 foot greenhouse. Plot out the ground and place a rebar stake at each corner. Hammer the rebar stake into the ground 10 to 12 inches.
- 2
  Place the tape measure along one of the 18-foot edges. Hammer a rebar stake into the ground every three feet for a total of seven stakes. Repeat with the other 18-foot edge.
- 3
  Connect two pieces of 10-foot long PVC pipe to a PVC tee connector. Place the pipe across from one another to make a 20-foot plus length of pipe. Repeat with the second tee connector. Set aside. These two pieces of pipe are the two end pieces.
- 4
  Connect two pieces of 10-foot long PVC pipe to the PVC cross connector. Place the pipe across from one another to make a 20-foot plus length of pipe. Repeat the process for a total of five lengths of pipe with cross connectors. Set aside. These five pieces of pipe are the inside framing ribs.
- 5
  Locate the two end pieces with the tee connectors. Place one end of the pipe over the top of a corner rebar stake. Place the other end over the opposite corner rebar stake placed 10-feet away. Make sure the hole on the tee connector is facing to the inside of the hoop house area. Repeat with the other end piece.
- 6
  Locate the five framing ribs. Pick up one framing rib. Place one end of the pipe over a rebar stake. Place the other end over the opposite rebar stake directly across the hoop house. Repeat the process with the remaining framing ribs.
- 7
  Set up the six-foot step ladder on the inside of one end piece. Insert a 34-inch piece of PVC pipe in the hole at the bottom of the tee connector. Tap it into place with a rubber mallet. Insert the opposite end of the 34-inch piece of PVC pipe in the open hole of the PVC cross connector. Tap it into place with a rubber mallet. Repeat with the other end.
- 8
  Move the ladder between the second and third hoop. Insert a 34-inch piece of PVC pipe in the open hole on the PVC cross connector. Tap it into place. Place the opposite end of the PVC pipe in the open hole on the next PVC cross connector. Tap it into place. Repeat across the hoop house until all hoops are connected.
- 9
  Open the 20-by-35-foot piece of plastic to it is 20-foot wide. Place an 8-foot and 10-foot 2-by-4 along the bottom edge of the plastic. Roll the 2-4's in the plastic until they are covered. Roll the plastic one more time. Place a 10-foot and 8-foot 2-by-4 on top of the previous wood. Place the 10-foot piece on top of the 8-foot piece. The overlap helps to strengthen the bottom edge. Screw the wood together with 3-inch wood screws every 18 to 24-inches.
- 10
  Carry the plastic and plastic wrapped wood to the edge of the hoop house. Place it on the ground eight to 10-inches away from the PVC pipe. Find the free 20-foot end of the plastic. Pull the plastic over the top of the hoop house to the other side. Extend the edge of the plastic past the pipe and lay it flat on the ground.
- 11
  Place an 8-foot and 10-foot 2-by-4 along the bottom edge of the plastic. Roll the 2-by4s in the plastic until they are 8 to 10-inches away from the PVC frame. Place a 10-foot and 8-foot 2-by-4 on top of the previous wood. Place the 10-foot piece on top of the 8-foot piece. The overlap helps to strengthen the bottom edge. Screw the wood together with three-inch wood screws every 18 to 24 inches.
- 12
  Use a hacksaw and cut the eight-inch black poly pipe lengthwise on one edge of the pipe. The black poly pipe works as clips to hold the end plastic on the hoop house.
- 13
  Open the 10-by-25-foot piece of plastic. Fold the plastic in half so it makes a rectangle 10-by-12 1/2 feet. Use a utility knife and cut along the fold line.
- 14
  Carry one cut piece of plastic to the hoop house. Use the 10-foot dimension as the height of the plastic at the door. Pull the plastic one to two feet above the top of the hoop house. Find the center of the hoop. Clamp the plastic to the hoop with an eight-inch piece of cut black poly pipe. Place three clamps on each side of the center along the hoop to hold the plastic in place. Repeat the process with the opposite end of the hoop house.
- 15
  Decide which end to put a door. Locate the center of the hoop house. Use a utility knife and cut a slit beginning six to eight inches below the PVC hoop to the ground. Place a slit in the opposite end if desired.

Landscaping Ideas for Zone 4

Shade Landscaping Ideas

Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens