Winter Hoops

Installing these PVC hoops (1/4" diameter, 6 ' long) in my garden beds may be one of the single easiest and cheapest garden projects I've ever done. Just trim and bend. And the end result is protection of these winter greens from the frost.

I think these will also come in handy in the summer when we need to protect the summer veggies from the scorching sun and pesties.

I'm using floating row cover, which you can see rolled up on the edge of the bed in this photo. When it gets cold, the idea is that I will roll the stuff over the hoops and it will make a little warmish retreat for the veggies. The row cover I bought (at Callahan's, because everyone else was out) protects down to 29 degrees, which is largely fine here in Austin. But when we get those crazy colder freezes (oh, I hate you old man winter!), I can double layer it and protect to 26 degrees. If tt gets really really cold, I'll probably pull out the old sheets and throw them over the hoops.

This year, we're trying a new winter protection for the potted citrus too. Instead of a) leaving them out in the cold like last year, or b) moving the heavy bastards into the garage every time it dips below 32 degrees, we are opting for c) put them up against the south facing garage wall and cover them with sheets when needed. The sheets are stapled (for the winter only) on the wall, so we can just drape them over real easy like.