Super simple hoop house DIY

[SpawnOfVader]

Right, the market is so big that we could be neighbors and not even be in direct competition. Really, I'm probably going to Norman with my stuff. I'm going to focus on growing outdoor sativas with 100% organic methods. It's hard to grow a good sativa indoor, so I think that there is a real demand for an uppity sativa. Don't get me wrong, I love OG Kush and I'll probably have some sativa dom OG Kush. I have some sour D crosses outside right now and I just hope that they don't make me feel like a bear going into hibernation. BTW, it looks like Trump just squashed that stimulus check, so I'm back to doing whatever I have to for this greenhouse. I don't have any investors, but I do have my legal grow going that is producing WAY more than I can smoke myself. I only need $10-15k for start-up. I'm a disabled vet too, so I get 100% disability which means that I have plenty of free time and living expenses are already paid for.

I've been growing in Oklahoma since 2011 and just kept to myself, so really I've been social distancing since then. It's super hard finding the right help because people are either too lazy or just don't get motivated by weed. The people that I've had help me are looking to get rich quick and they didn't realize that you actually have to do work to grow weed. My wife is interested but she started going to school for horticulture(OSU-OKC) on my GI Bill, but she is getting into houseplants and don't have a huge interest in my pot. However, her houseplant/school friends are a lot more help than the family members that I drag over here. I can still work, but my back is pretty fucked. I get about $52k/yr in disability, but it came with a price.

I try to make everything that I use on site, it's what Korean Natural Farming and JADAM focus on. Both methods don't really get into composting in detail, but they said that they use leaf mold and left it at that. I'm saying this because it's pretty hands on making compost and vermicompost. I learned from a guy in Santa Cruz, he said that he learned from the N. Cali hippies. It's all about leaf and grass clippings with comfrey, borage, and nettle type of plants. The idea is to use deep rooting plants that pull minerals from deep in the earth. I didn't understand it at first, but using these plants can reduce your need for rock dust(Trace Minerals). I'm just rattling on now. Anyways, I grow more like a barefoot hippy than a lab coat scientist. However, I do get my soil tested and you won't get that from most organic gardeners.

The farmer I learned from is this dude (after I finished college/my GI bill ran out I lived on his organic farm for a year and helped run it before moving on to my own projects)... he's an industrial hemp grower in Arkansas now but at the time we were doing veggies.



It was an awesome project- did Korean Natural farming, hugelkutur, built a food forest, biodynamic farming, experimented with aquaponics, and made our own biochar...that's what I want for myself lol

 

[MustangStudFarm]

The farmer I learned from is this dude (after I finished college/my GI bill ran out I lived on his organic farm for a year and helped run it before moving on to my own projects)... he's an industrial hemp grower in Arkansas now but at the time we were doing veggies.

View attachment 4706132

It was an awesome project- did Korean Natural farming, hugelkutur, built a food forest, biodynamic farming, experimented with aquaponics, and made our own biochar...that's what I want for myself lol

It looks like we are on the same page here! It looks like we are going to use KNF for indoor and JADAM for outdoor. I was using my fireplace ashes for biochar, but I have been looking into building a retort. I feel bad for cutting down trees, but it's all that I have here and I need to open a spot for a greenhouse. Anyways, I'm going to have a lot of trees that I cut and I planned on using the big stuff for Hugelkulture beds and the branches for char or wood chips.

 

[jadedintrovert]

I love this idea

 

[Ns950641]

I bet that you wouldn't have all of these "out of towners" to deal with.

Yea that’s kinda what I was hoping but I’ve noticed more and more of em trying to setup shop though so only time will tell

 

[SpawnOfVader]

Yea that’s kinda what I was hoping but I’ve noticed more and more of em trying to setup shop though so only time will tell

So on the plus side they might be from "out of town" but they can't be from "out of state".... Oklahoma added a clause to the Medical Mary laws... no one can get a license if their company is owned by over 25% out of state entities... they even break down any holding companies that own a share in your canna company to see who owns them. It's a THING to go through.

 

[xtsho]

Speaking of KNF and JADAM, I'm making IMO right now. I also have a bucket of FPJ brewing.

KNF and IMO "Indigenous Microorganisms"

So I'm transitioning from chemical fertilizers to organic which will be the method I use to grow everything from vegetables to flowers and of course cannabis. My first foray into making my own organic soil was not very successful so I went back to chemicals and coco with some plants in store...

www.rollitup.org

 

[SpawnOfVader]

So it's been awhile since I actually put an update on this thread re: the original topic.

Even with the cover I'm dealing with some stubborn cabbage loopers. DE seems to keep them away for 3-4 days at a time by itself. Going to try a mix of NEEM & organic soap and then mist DE over it after so it cakes to the leaves.

The particular brand of insect netting/shade cloth I used (or at least that exact thickness) is pretty much garbage. Tearing all over. Luckily we're down to a few random 90 degree days and I'll be switching to actual clear fabric within another month (debating doing a mini double layer with a solar powered fan to keep it inflated)...... might even take some scrap 1x4's and frame up a pair of (mostly aesthetic) end walls and make an easier method for rolling up the sides. I've noticed I never go straight in from the ends anyways.

 

[halfbreed421]

if one length of pvc worked then would 2 lengths coupled together work out for an even bigger house? i may try this next year

 

[SpawnOfVader]

if one length of pvc worked then would 2 lengths coupled together work out for an even bigger house? i may try this next year

That was my original plan BUT even screwing them together the PVC joint kept pulling apart. It MIGHT work if glued and properly cured? Alternately- instead of using PVC joints you could use wood hips like a full size greenhouse would have? At a certain point I think you'd have to move up to rolled square tubing.

 

[JimmiP]

if one length of pvc worked then would 2 lengths coupled together work out for an even bigger house? i may try this next year

We used three ten foot sections of 1.5 inch cellular core PVC per rib, for ours. If you zoom in a little you can see the couplers. And we did glue ours. But when starting the layout we just had them inserted in the couplers without the glue. Oh, look for the longer couplers if you can find them. I just trusted the longer ones more when me were bending the ribs.

Using the cellular core PVC seemed to be the key for us, as it is much more flexible than regular pressure rated PVC. And it's cheaper too.

 

[SpawnOfVader]

We used three ten foot sections of 1.5 inch cellular core PVC per rib, for ours. If you zoom in a little you can see the couplers. And we did glue ours. But when starting the layout we just had them inserted in the couplers without the glue. Oh, look for the longer couplers if you can find them. I just trusted the longer ones more when me were bending the ribs.View attachment 4710406

Using the cellular core PVC seemed to be the key for us, as it is much more flexible than regular pressure rated PVC. And it's cheaper too.

That looks great, love the wood support structure on it. For sure then- if you glue/use good couplers and make sure that it is'nt being coupled right at the apex you should be fine.

 

[halfbreed421]

We used three ten foot sections of 1.5 inch cellular core PVC per rib, for ours. If you zoom in a little you can see the couplers. And we did glue ours. But when starting the layout we just had them inserted in the couplers without the glue. Oh, look for the longer couplers if you can find them. I just trusted the longer ones more when me were bending the ribs.

Using the cellular core PVC seemed to be the key for us, as it is much more flexible than regular pressure rated PVC. And it's cheaper too.

this is exactly what I was thinking thank you! The next concern is UV degradation of the PVC, maybe prime/paint it but it should last a couple of years at least. I also like what you have at the bottom, the larger pipe for the hoops to slide into

 

[JimmiP]

this is exactly what I was thinking thank you! The next concern is UV degradation of the PVC, maybe prime/paint it but it should last a couple of years at least. I also like what you have at the bottom, the larger pipe for the hoops to slide into

Yes those are two inch PVC cut at an angle and then driven 2.5 feet into the ground with a block of wood and a sledgehammer. Then we bolted the baseboard through both pipes.

 

[JimmiP]

That looks great, love the wood support structure on it. For sure then- if you glue/use good couplers and make sure that it is'nt being coupled right at the apex you should be fine.

Yeah we had to have the wood framing on the ends because if you want to grow using sunlight in Illinois it has to be in a secure locked shed or greenhouse. So we needed a locking door. That and I wanted screening to help keep the majority of bugs out of there.
We initially did use two and had the couplers at the top. It just wasn't going to be big enough. Lol And if you ask me, it still isn't. So we went with three. Next year we may make it bigger.

 

[JimmiP]

this is exactly what I was thinking thank you! The next concern is UV degradation of the PVC, maybe prime/paint it but it should last a couple of years at least. I also like what you have at the bottom, the larger pipe for the hoops to slide into

Also you can paint the PVC. But it's supposed to last several years anyway. The painting of it is more for the poly cover. PVC and polyethylene can react with one another and shorten the lifespan of the film. So with PVC frames they recommend painting or (what we did) covering the top of each rib with white duct tape. The poly film has UV inhibitors in its makeup, that prolong its life and in turn that of the PVC frame.

 

[JimmiP]

Here's a video clip of "Parts Unknown!" during the deracho in August. Check out the trees and wires. The winds were 75-90 some odd mph and lasted about two hours.
This thing is way tougher than I thought it would be. The whole thing barely wiggled when the big gusts hit it.