One day I would like to have a nice box, maybe with a used window on hinges for a lid, nestled right up against the brick wall of the house. But this winter I am happy with my hoops, a sheet of agribon, and some old planks and bricks. I thought that three hoops might be enough for one row, but that turned out not to be stable enough in the wind. So if I want to do another row I’ll have to find some more hoops.
I kept the ends of some lettuce and onions in the kitchen in the last couple of weeks, and yesterday I put them in the ground. I was happy to see my previously planted lettuce starter looking strong. I had some sprouts too, a good sign that the ground is warm enough. One of the sprouts looks like a cucumber. The others I’m not sure…
I like the plank method of securing the agribon over the hoops. It worked well these past few days in the wind, and it’s also easy to remove. I can take away one or both planks, water or dig or otherwise care for the plants, and then easily cover them again. A permanent structure sounds nice, and would probably be more attractive, but this simple setup is easy and so far, it’s effective too.
