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tlintx · October 8, 2013

I've been thinking about building a hoophouse -- low tunnel? -- to overwinter some less hardy plants, mainly peppers, tomatoes, and some flowers. I'm not expecting a whole lot, just experimenting, so it has to be pretty inexpensive or multi-functional.

My tentative plan is to make low hoops (3') from 9 gauge wire and cover it with floating row cover, then put a second, larger set of hoops (4') over that with plastic once it gets much cooler. The plants are all in SWCs in a spot that is protected from the wind.

Is it correct that if I use standard construction or painting plastic sheeting from Home Depot, it won't hold any heat in at night because it's transparent to IR? Can I offset this by covering it with an old blanket or something? In this application, would IR insulated greenhouse film be of any real benefit?

Will I be able to use the setup above to put my plants out early in the spring? Is there much benefit to doing so, or will the plants set out later catch up to the ones set out earlier pretty quickly?

Any and all advice would be welcomed! Haven't been able to find much about this sort of thing near Houston, so I'm wondering if it's not done much for a reason?

October 8, 2013	#1
tlintx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: SeTx Posts: 881	Low Tunnel & Mild Winters I've been thinking about building a hoophouse -- low tunnel? -- to overwinter some less hardy plants, mainly peppers, tomatoes, and some flowers. I'm not expecting a whole lot, just experimenting, so it has to be pretty inexpensive or multi-functional. My tentative plan is to make low hoops (3') from 9 gauge wire and cover it with floating row cover, then put a second, larger set of hoops (4') over that with plastic once it gets much cooler. The plants are all in SWCs in a spot that is protected from the wind. Is it correct that if I use standard construction or painting plastic sheeting from Home Depot, it won't hold any heat in at night because it's transparent to IR? Can I offset this by covering it with an old blanket or something? In this application, would IR insulated greenhouse film be of any real benefit? Will I be able to use the setup above to put my plants out early in the spring? Is there much benefit to doing so, or will the plants set out later catch up to the ones set out earlier pretty quickly? Any and all advice would be welcomed! Haven't been able to find much about this sort of thing near Houston, so I'm wondering if it's not done much for a reason?