Topic: Hoops

[Si D]

I was just thinking bout how to hold the nets, cloches and clear plastic up over the rows of my lottie.

Plenty of adverts in the mags for various hoops but I don't like spending money.

Then it hit me: you need some old sticks, cut to 1ft longish and an old hose pipe.

Push the sticks into the ground so that 6inches sticks up - in pairs down either long side of the bed.

Cut the hose into lengths long enough to go between each pair of sticks and loop up over the bed. 

Thread the lengths of hose over the sticks and put your netting or whatever over the top. Much better than my old method of using plastic bottle on sticks because the centre of the net is also supported.

Apologies if anyone had already come up with this one!

[ceres]

Depends on the hose - some of them are a bit soft and flex quite a lot.  Blue waterpipe is more robust used the way you suggest.  You can often pick it up on Freecycle, in skips or off building sites.

[peterpiper]

how about using cheap plastic curtain rail. it works for me.
pete

[twinkletoes]

I agree with Ceres.  I used old hosepipe and it wilted very easily when the weather was a bit warm - blue piping would be better.
twinkletoes

[caroline7758]

That's a shame- I've got an old hosepipe I was planning to try using in this way. :(

[grotbag]

you could always fill hosepipe wiv dirt or sand first,

[elvis2003]

why not just push the hose straight into the ground?
i found 2 bunches of twisted hazel sticks,ikea decorative type,and use them,easier on the eyes than the blue stuff

[Dadnlad]

You could try short 3ft beansticks, pushed into holes drilled in old tennis balls (aka 'Builderballs') to make a framework  ;)

[STEVEB]

stiff wire works for me,keeps for years try skip dipping(ask permission)

[mrf94]

I found another way of doing the same thing, with my hoops i found that
the blue hoop material just slid inside some old pvc pipe i had ,so cut the pipe to lenths , stick it in the ground and slide the hoops inside it , Same thing different outlook
.

mrf94

[Good Gourd 2]

Getting away from hoops I know but for the same purpose. Knock 4 post in one at each corner and then one in the middle.  Make sure you drill a hole at the top of each pole about 1 inch from the top.  Get some of than green washing line rope ( Tesco`s did it for a pound a hank) Thread the rope through and into the centre post  and you end up with a kind of maypole, just drape the netting over  peg into the ground and there you have it.