Build garden hoops to shelter your plants from critters.
Below are steps for creating garden hoops using rebar and pipe straps for connectors (connectors keep the hoops in place). I provided both methods as examples so you can choose what works best for your garden. If your garden bed is made of wood, you can move forward with either option; if your bed is not made of wood, you should use rebar.
MATERIALS
FOR HOOPS & CONNECTORS (~$13.50)
3 1/2 inch x 10 feet PVC pipes ($2.50 each)
1 pack of 1/2 inch pipe straps ($2 for a pack of 10)
3 3/8 inch x 1 foot rebar ($4 each)
1 sharpie
1 roll of twine twine
Note when purchasing rebar, you want to get the straightest bars so that they can slide in the rebar.
FOR NETTING (~$27 – You will have lots of leftover materials for more hoops!)
1 pack bird netting ($7)
1 pack zip ties or twine ($3)
1 pack of landscape pins ($10)
6 wood screws ($7)
FOR COLORING (~$8 – You will have lots of leftover!)
1 bottle black spray paint ($5)
1 pack of sandpaper ($3)
1 box of latex gloves
TOOLS
Hammer
Tubing cutter
Power drill
Time needed: 1 hour.
- Cut three equal-sized PVC pipes to your garden using a tubing cutter.
Using a tubing cutter makes clean cuts, however it is not necessary if you don’t own one.
The longer the pipes, the taller your hoops will be. The height of the hoops will depend on what you are growing. For example, if you are growing a sunflower you’ll need tall hoops; if you are growing lettuce you can make short hoops. - Paint your PVC pipes. Sand them down with sand paper, wipe them with a damp cloth, and let them completely dry. Then put on latex gloves, spray paint them, and let them dry once more.
The PVC pipes will eventually crack from sun damage if you leave them white and unpainted. Thanks to @SevenSagesDesign for this tip.
- Navigate to your garden bed and identify where you want to place the connectors (keeps the hoops in place). You can add markers to help you with the next two steps.
Make sure the hoops are evenly spaced.
- Grab a power drill and wood screws. Drill pipe straps on one side of the garden bed, following the markers you added in the previous step.
This is option 1 for making connectors with pipe straps, which is a good option for garden beds made out of wood.
- Grab a hammer. Hammer down the rebar on the opposite side of the garden bed, following the markers you added in step #3.
This is option 2 for making connectors with rebar. Using rebar is a good alternative to adding connectors for your PVC pipes when you do not have any wood to drill pipe straps.
- Create the hoops by sticking a PVC pipe in one connector (rebar) and bending it into the connector on the opposite side (the pipe strap).
- Drape bird netting over the hoops. Secure the bird netting over the hoops using zip ties. Cut the excess zip tie.
- Grab at least 12 landscape pins. Go around the garden bed and push landscape pins through the netting and into the soil to secure the netting.
Using landscape pins makes it easy to remove the net when it’s time to harvest.
- Cut the excess netting once it is taut.
