Mini Hoop House

We decided to turn one of our cold frames into a cloche that we would use to protect kale plants from the cabbage worm butterfly. We purchased some half inch pvc and cut it into 4 ft lengths. Holes were drilled in both ends of the pipe and one side was attached to the frame with screws.

Seams were sewn into the cloth so it could be slid over the pipes, then the pipes were attached to the frame at the other end. The cloth should slide easily over the pipes to open and close the cloche.

We planted the kale seeds and planned to pull the cloche over the seedlings when they came up.

However, we had a major setback as the material disintegrated in the sun before we even had a chance to use it.

All is not lost however, and our new plan is to attach some plastic to the pipes when the weather turns colder and see how it performs as a mini hoop house. Hopefully we will be able to extend the season with some taller plants this fall.

Gardening is a continual learning experience. When one thing doesn't work, try something else. We will continue to keep you posted on our trials and errors and hopefully you can learn something too.