How To Make Your Own Garden Hoops | DIY Hoops Step Plan

Garden hoops turn a simple bed into a tiny tunnel that stretches your growing season, shields seedlings from frost, and keeps chewing insects off tender leaves. Store-bought kits work, but building your own hoops keeps costs low and lets you match the frame to your exact bed size and climate. With a few basic tools, you can set up sturdy low tunnels in an afternoon and reuse them year after year.

This guide walks you through planning, materials, step-by-step building, and long-term care. By the end, you’ll know how to size the hoops, which tubing to pick, how to fasten covers so wind does not rip them off, and how to tweak the setup for spring, summer, and winter crops.

Why Build Your Own Garden Hoops

Homemade garden hoops give you more control than pre-made kits. You decide the width, height, and spacing, which means you can fit hoops over square beds, long rows, or odd corners. You can also swap covers during the year, using insect netting in summer and frost fabric or clear plastic when nights turn cold.

Building hoops yourself also trims costs. Conduit or PVC from the hardware store often runs cheaper than branded kits, and you can mix materials, such as metal for strength and plastic for gentle bends. When a piece cracks, you replace one hoop rather than buying a full new set.

On top of that, low tunnels can add several weeks to both spring and fall harvests. Guides from universities and agencies, such as the USDA NRCS low tunnel fact sheet, show how simple frames with light covers can raise temperatures around plants and cut pest pressure at the same time.

Tools And Materials For Simple Garden Hoops

Before you start bending pipe, gather tools and supplies in one spot. At minimum you’ll need a tape measure, marker, hand saw or pipe cutter, hammer or mallet, and a drill with a metal bit if you plan to add cross-braces. Gloves help when handling metal conduit. For anchors, many growers use short pieces of rebar or sturdy stakes on each side of the bed.

For hoop frames, three common options are PVC, metal conduit, and pre-bent wire. Each has its own mix of strength, cost, and lifespan. The table below lays out common choices so you can match the frame to your budget and climate.

Hoop Material	Pros	Best Use Or Notes
PVC Electrical Conduit	Low price, easy to cut and bend by hand	Short to medium spans; mild to moderate wind
Galvanized EMT Conduit	Strong, long lasting, holds shape well	Windy sites, taller hoops, heavy snow with bracing
Pre-Bent Wire Hoops	Fast to install, light, simple to store	Narrow beds, quick insect net tunnels, light covers
PEX Or Irrigation Tubing	Flexible, smooth bends, gentle on covers	Small gardens where hand shaping is easier than bending metal
Bamboo Or Wooden Slats	Low cost if sourced locally, biodegradable	Short-term use; keep dry between seasons to slow rot
Commercial Steel Hoop Sections	Strong, consistent shape, hardware often included	Growers who want a matched set with known load ratings
Mixed Frames (Metal Base, Plastic Top)	Firm ground contact with soft bend at the crown	Sites with rocky soil and strong winds

For covers, you can use spunbond fabric for frost and pests, clear greenhouse plastic for season extension, or insect mesh for beetles, moths, and aphids. The USU Extension row cover guide lists common materials and the kind of frost and insect protection each one provides, which helps you choose the right weight for your climate.

Planning Bed Size, Hoop Spacing, And Height

Good planning keeps you from wrestling with covers that are too narrow or hoops that feel cramped. Start by measuring the width of each bed. Most hoop builders work with beds between 3 and 4 feet wide. Add the desired tunnel height to both sides to see how wide your cover needs to be. A four-foot bed with a 2-foot hoop height often requires a 10-foot-wide fabric strip so there is enough extra material to weigh down the sides.

Next, decide how high you want the hoops. Low hoops around 18–24 inches are fine for baby greens and radishes. Taller arches at 30–36 inches give tomatoes or peppers room early in the year, then keep frost off late harvests. In windy areas, slightly lower hoops with a smooth, tight cover usually move less than tall, loose arches.

Finally, sketch hoop spacing. Most low tunnels use one hoop every 3–4 feet along the bed. More hoops mean more stability, which helps in gusty spots or under heavier plastic. Fewer hoops are fine in calm yards with light fabric. When you think about how to make your own garden hoops, this planning step sets up every cut and bend that comes next.

How To Make Your Own Garden Hoops Step By Step

This section walks through a simple build that works for a 4-foot-wide bed with either PVC or metal conduit hoops. Adjust lengths to fit your own beds, but keep the basic pattern of anchors, hoops, and cover the same.

Step 1: Measure And Mark The Bed

Measure the bed width and length. Mark hoop spots every 3 or 4 feet along both edges with a stake or small stone. Check that each pair of marks lines up across the bed so the hoops form clean arches. If the bed is not straight, use a string line along each edge and place marks beside the string.

Step 2: Cut Tubing Or Conduit

Use a hand saw or pipe cutter to cut each hoop to length. For a 4-foot bed and a hoop about 3 feet tall, many gardeners use 10-foot pieces. Cut one piece, bend it, and test it over the bed before cutting the rest. If the arch feels too low or too high, adjust the length by small amounts until the shape works for your crops and cover width.

Step 3: Install Ground Anchors

Cut short sections of rebar or use heavy tent stakes as anchors. Drive one anchor at each mark along the bed edges, leaving 6–8 inches above the soil for the hoop end to slide over. Angle anchors slightly outward for extra grip in soft soil. For PVC hoops, you can also pound in short pieces of larger-diameter pipe that act as sleeves, then slide hoop ends into those sleeves.

Step 4: Bend And Set The Hoops

Starting at one end of the bed, slide one end of the hoop onto its anchor, walk the tubing across the bed, then ease the other end down onto the opposite anchor. The bend should be smooth, without sharp kinks. Work down the row, setting each hoop over its pair of anchors. Sight along the bed from one end and tweak hoop positions so the arches line up and the peak height looks even.

Step 5: Add A Ridge Pole Or Cross-Braces (Optional)

In windy spots or where snow piles up, a ridge pole ties the hoops together. Lay a straight length of conduit or wood along the top of the hoops and zip-tie or clamp it at each arch. You can also add short diagonal pieces at the ends of the tunnel to stiffen the frame. These simple braces help the tunnel shed gusts instead of twisting.

Step 6: Drape And Secure The Cover

Spread the fabric or plastic over the hoops, leaving equal overhang on both sides. Pull the cover snug so it does not sag between hoops. Clip the cover to each hoop with spring clamps or pieces of split PVC, then weigh down the edges with sandbags, bricks, or boards. At the ends, gather the cover, fold it under, and pin it with stakes or more weights to keep wind from lifting the tunnel like a kite.

During the season, vent the tunnel by lifting the cover on warm days. Many gardeners prop one side up with short boards or roll the cover partway along one edge. When you practice how to make your own garden hoops this way, you learn how tight to pull the cover so it sheds rain while still letting you roll it back quickly for harvest or weeding.

Suggested Hoop Spacing, Height, And Use

Hoop size and spacing shift with crop height, cover weight, and wind exposure. The guidelines below give a starting point. You can tweak them after one season based on how your own site behaves in heavy rain or gusty weather.

Hoop Height	Spacing Along Bed	Best Use
18–24 inches	Every 3 feet	Baby greens, radishes, carrots under light fabric
24–30 inches	Every 3 feet	Lettuce, brassicas, beet greens with frost fabric
30–36 inches	Every 3 feet	Peppers, bush tomatoes with plastic or double fabric
36–40 inches	Every 2–3 feet	Taller crops in windy spots, heavier plastic covers
Low hoops, 18–24 inches	Every 4 feet	Calm yards, insect mesh during summer
Medium hoops, 24–30 inches	Every 4 feet	Mixed salad beds with light fabric and few storms
High hoops, 30–36 inches	Every 2 feet	Sites with strong winds or regular heavy rain

Choosing Covers For Each Season

Different covers turn the same frame into a tool for spring warmth, summer pest control, or winter protection. Lightweight spunbond fabric lets rain and air through while blocking insects and soft frosts. Medium weights shield crops down to a few degrees below freezing. Clear polyethylene plastic traps more heat but needs venting on sunny days to prevent heat stress.

In spring, many gardeners stretch light fabric over hoops for early carrots, peas, and brassicas. This keeps flea beetles and cabbage moths off while the soil warms. Once summer hits, you can swap to insect netting over zucchini, cucumbers, and brassicas, keeping pests out without trapping excess heat.

In late fall, heavier frost blankets or plastic shine. A double layer, fabric under plastic, often keeps hardy greens like spinach and kale growing well into winter. Just lift or roll the cover when daytime temperatures climb, so plants do not overheat and mildew does not build up.

Common Problems With Garden Hoops And Simple Fixes

Wind, sagging covers, and broken hoops are the usual headaches with low tunnels. If wind lifts the sides, add more weights or pin the fabric edges with long landscape staples. Clamps that grip poorly can be swapped for stronger spring clamps or longer split PVC clips that grab more fabric.

If covers sag between hoops, tighten the fabric and add one or two extra arches. A ridge pole along the top can also reduce droop. When hoops kink or snap near the base, shorten the span or choose a stronger material such as EMT conduit. In cold climates, avoid bending plastic tubing on freezing days, since it turns brittle and cracks more easily.

Mold and plant damage under covers usually trace back to poor venting. Open the tunnel during sunny stretches to let moist air escape. On days with light breeze and cool air, leave the ends partly open so condensation dries before nightfall. Healthy airflow keeps foliage dry and reduces disease pressure.

Care, Storage, And Safety Tips

At the end of the season, peel covers off on a dry day, shake off soil, and let them air dry before folding. Store fabric and plastic in bins or bags away from sunlight and sharp tools, so they last more than one year. Clean hoops with a quick wipe to remove soil and plant residue, then stack them by height in a shed or garage.

Check frames every season for rust, cracks, and sharp edges. File or tape sharp corners so they do not tear the next cover you install. When cutting metal conduit, wear eye protection and gloves. Keep children clear of cutting and bending work, and lay tools where they will not trip anyone moving along the beds.

Once you go through the whole cycle of planning, building, using, and storing one set of hoops, the next batch goes faster. Low tunnels built this way turn a simple bed into a flexible growing space that adapts to spring cold, summer pests, and autumn frost with only small adjustments to covers and spacing.