I was actually pretty impressed with how the quick hoops stood up to the storm. Two or three inches of wet snow didn't affect three of the quick hoops at all, and this one probably would have been unaffected if I'd used a wooden stake instead of the little metal tent stake I stuck in the ground. And even though it pulled up one end, the fabric didn't collapse onto the plants!

That's about what my quick hoops looked like 2-3 times after a 3-4 inch snowfall and I've discovered a couple of things I plan to do different in the future.

1. Cover with plastic (I did this in the first place and it helps a lot but then I uncovered it on a sunny day and it got snowed on 2 days later)
2. Smaller gap between supports
3. Buy PVC pipe for stronger supports. Right now I have fiberglass supports I bought with my cover from Gardener's Supply. They work great but they have a tendancy to bend over because they are only about a 1/4 inch thick.

John --- Plastic covering is Eliot Coleman's official suggestion. I've been reading up on wintering quick hoops, and Johnny's sells benders that allows you to make the hoops out of metal pipes. They've sold them very far north, and they seem to work very well. Not sure if it's worth the expense and hassle, though, if you live further south.

I wonder if a straight pvc support running across the top and tying them all together would increase the strength of the whole "structure."

Brian --- I could see that working! I'm not sure we'd need it, though, with a few simpler alterations. I guess we'll have to wait until next year to experiment --- I suspect this might be our last snow.

You only need to strengthen the outer hoops on both ends. Because unlike the other hoops, they are asymetrically loaded. Does that need further explanation?

Hammer a peg into the ground in the centerline of the hoops, about one or two hoop widths out of the outer hoop. Tie some string to that and tie the other end to the top of the arc of the outer hoop. That should help prevent it from collapsing inward. The peg should be perpendicular to the direction of the string.

Excellent point, Roland! I hadn't thought about how the outer hoops are the ones most in jeopardy.

If I upgraded the pegs I already have in the ground in the location you're talking about, I'll bet they could do double duty as an attachment point for a guy wire for the outer hoops and for attaching the fabric.

Thinking along this line led me to another lines of thought and possible improvements.

Use three wires along the whole length of the quick hoops. One on both sides connecting all the ends of the hoops, and on connecting all hoops on the top. At both ends, the three wires come together at a peg.

This way, starting with one peg you could string out the whole quick-hoop skeleton. Peg down the second end and it stands. Peg down the bottom wires at a couple of places and it won't blow away.

Fixing say a woven net to the hoops would support the flimsy row cover material better and possibly keep deer out of your vegetables.

I suspect even a single line that goes down the center of the quick hoop system would help a lot. Not sure if we really need it, though, and that would be another piece to put together and take down when I move them around. I think that probably should be my first step next winter, though, if we get more snow and it's problematic.

Stay tuned --- one of these days soon I'm going to post some photos that a reader sent me of a quick hoop supported with remesh.