DIY Low Tunnel For Raised Beds Under $50 - Grow ALL YEAR!

Grow all year long in Spring, summer, fall, and even winter with a low tunnel for your raised beds. This guide will show you how simple it is!
Here is the calculation: arc length = (2πR) x (180/360)
Here is everything I used:
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[jacrae]

I think I'll try this with some bird netting to keep the birds away from my strawberries next year! Great idea! Thanks!

[carolinerose]

I use mini-hoop houses over several of my raised beds. I make them out of 1/2" PVC electric conduit because it has some UV protection built in. At Home Depot, the PVC conduit is $2.27 for a 10 ft section and if you buy 10 or more, they're only $1.93 each. I get 1/2" x 18" long rebar from Lowes (for some reason my Home Depot doesn't carry that length) and hammer it into the INSIDE of the raised bed at approx. 24" o.c. and leave at least 6'-8" sticking up above the soil. Using rebar is faster than using pipe clamps and it's easier to disassemble or move the the mini-hoop house if you want to. Then slip the ends of the PVC pipe over the rebar. I also run one PVC pipe along the top/center of the hoops and secure it with cable ties. Most roll plastic you can get at a hardware store is 10 ft wide, so it fits perfectly over the 10 ft long PVC pipes. I never bothered with PVC clips. Instead I use the cheap plastic clamps that Harbor Freight sells. I put one at each end and about 4 ft o.c. I cut the plastic so there's about 3 ft extra at the ends so I can close the ends up (with plastic clamps) in cold weather. If you attach 1 x 2 pieces of wood on the sides, you can roll the sides up during the day when it's warm (use the clamps to hold them).

[matthewdavis]

Hey Luke! Been building tunnels for about two years now and something I noticed you missed here is a rope across the middle. Just my experience from living in the northeast where we can get 2+ feet of snow at any given time. Without the rope, the cloth will collapse under the weight of the snow. But with it, it provides extra stability to they don't get weighed down. The clamps only hold so much.

What I do is brace the rope with a pole outside the tunnel, and tether it tight, wrapping it around once or twice each pole in the middle, again really tight so it's almost a piano string, and then running it through all the hoops, and tying it off on the opposite end. Almost like your Florida weave for tomatoes, but instead for tunnels. Just my two cents!

[louismurphy]

If you paint the PVC (almost any type of paint), it will protect it from the UV rays of the sun. Also fastening short lengths of one size larger pipe to the sides of the bed will allow you to stick the hoop into the pipe and remove it when not needed.

[barbarabarker]

I love it when I see people apply algebra to their every day life challenges! Also, thanks for the tutorial on hoops. I think I drive rebar in beside my beds and place the pipes over the rebar. Migardener is my favorite for DIY gardening tips. Carry on!

[Lorel]

Thanks for this! My husband is an electrician and has lots of excess Pex pipe laying around and possibly some of the other parts. I'm lousy at math so I will just measure the first pipe to the right height and cut the rest the same length. Gotta go pull up the last of my beets and Kohlrabi so I can set this up.

[noninoni]

I wished I watched this video this spring!!... I live in central Florida, and have had to use what I had on hand-- a weed prevention ground cover, supported to make a shade umbrella for my tomato and pepper plants (with companion marigolds) since mid June...
I just cover them at the angle where the sun needs blocked for the super hot afternoon sun... It made my plants really grow tall, lol...
Since, it's REALLY HOT now, all the flowers are dropping off, and only have a few pieces of fruit on each plant -- all staying at the same size...ARRRGGGHHHH!!!!
I think I'm going to break down and spend the money and try the 30% shade cloth next time!!

[Thehillgardens]

I think we might be trying this on our pepper bed this year. I love that you gave us the formula to calculate our pole length

[flipthemagichobo]

Great video. Calculation put more simply, half the width of your bed = R. Multiply 2piR to get full circle perimeter length and divide by 2 for half a circle.

[jomiller]

I absolutely will do something like this! Thank you in Texas the sun eats everything especially in the summer. This Year I used a lawn chair to save 3 Zucchini plants. :0. Yours looks better and bigger!

[oussamabaatour]

Hey I watching u from Tunisia, I've discovered ur channel today, it's the best gardening channel I found on YouTube till now .. I really appreciate your efforts, thank you

[whipnasty]

Holy Moly! Perfect timing. I was just about to build something like this for my gardens. Love the videos you are doing.

[mthompson]

10ft sticks of 1/2" emt (electrical metallic tubing) are under $3 each....bend these into the radius you want with any number of simple jigs. Done with hoops, forever....and the low tunnels are much sturdier.

[lauramjoy]

My dad told me he has created a tunnel like this in the past using the bendy wire coat hangers you get free from the dry cleaners. Worked well. #ReUseIt

[tinachristensen]

I wish you would've shown a closeup of what you were doing for the pipe clips. I don't know how those work and couldn't see what you did. Thanks for the algebra to figure out the hoop arc! Very helpful.

[seaofgreens]

Difference between PVC and PEX is that PVC doesn't bend, it comes in straight sections. You also don't use glue, but crimps or clamps or expansion to attach to your fittings. Pretty awesome stuff actually.

[debbiegallett]

I'll have to try that next summer for my lettuce. It bolted really fast this year.

[MrDevicks]

PEX is the new standard for water lines in new construction houses.

[elvianwana]

Luke, the formula was everything!! I always learn something!

[donnacason]

FYI...you can use the pex without screwing it into the wood (if you don't have wood any longer/cedar rotted out after many years). Instead take pieces of rebar (metal), pound ito ground and slip the pex piping over it. You can also you PVC pipe 1". Because mine were never screwed in (there were electrical conduit 6" cut tubes that were screwed in and th e PVC pipe fit in that)...I could then take out the pex tubing (did want it for tomatoes/in the way.