Topic: stupid plastic greenhouse!

[fat larry]

has fallen over, despite being tagged down with tent pegs: heavy wind must have gradually tugged it free - so that means all my unflourishing seeds and compost will be all mixed up, at best - and it's knackered at worst. how do peeps keep their little plstic greenhouse things firmly rooted. would have thought tent pegs would have been enough!

[Georgie]

Hi Larry, sorry for your troubles.  I'm lucky because my four-shelved one is in a sheltered spot.  But when it's very windy (like today) I put bags of compost or heavy clay pots on the bottom shelf and that seems to work.

G xx

[sandersj89]

For the walk in ones I place bricks around the base on the ground flap, this holds it down well. If very windy you can dig the sides into the ground a bit like a poly tunnel.

And add a couple of guy ropes.

Jerry

[DenBee]

I had a similar problem Saturday night/Sunday morning.  The sunniest spot in my garden is also the most exposed, since it's raised, and the greenhouse travelled a bit in the wind.

The pegs supplied aren't really that brilliant, I don't think, since they only loop around the poles and don't anchor into the ground at both sides.  I think I'll try to find something to staple it in properly.  And I hadn't used the guy ropes, which was a big mistake.

The idea of putting bricks around the apron sounds like a good 'un.  When I put the cover back on I'll definitely be doing that.

[DenBee]

One 'interesting' thing.  I currently have the plastic cover in my conservatory, and dh has rightly complained that it smells of manure.

Do you think it comes ready impregnated with fertiliser?  ;)  ;D

[peterpiper]

how about filling gallon containers with water attaching rope to tether over the structure it works for me.
peterpiper

[Dan 2]

sorry to hear. Try weighing it down with sand? Possible Idea? All the best anyway and happy growing! Dan  ;D

[Scope254]

I've thrown a heavy duty green net over mine and used extra pegs in that and well hammered in metal poles with thick blue rope all the way around it.  Just been up to check it today and it's fine, although I did take the precaution of moving the seeds trays from the staging onto the floor as it is swaying quite a bit in the gusts.
I also piled a load of soil around the bottom bit when I first put it up.

[ellkebe]

Sorry to hear that  :(    I left last year's grow bag in the bottom of mine to see it through the winter, and fortunately hadn't replaced it yet.   It's incredibly windy here too today so I put a spare compost bag in the second one I got earlier on this month, and that seems to be holding it.

[amanda21]

On a similar note - I had to rescue my plastic cloche this afternoon - it had come unpegged along one side and was flapping up and down like a lid!  I've shoved it back in as hard as I can but am wondering if I should go back up later and just remove it while it's windy.  I can't think of any other way of weighing it down that won't involve weights on my newly sown seeds?!

[Roy Bham UK]

I tied two ropes lashed over the roof and held down with 4 sturdy wooden stakes, does the biz well ;)

[littlegem]

i don't know if this would work, just a thought, but you know how you dig a trench for those polytunnels (flash b***ers) and fill in with earth, maybe that would help. The door zips from the bottom so that wouldn't be a problem. I had one of these pvc jobs a couple of years ago, but found no problems with it, must've been in a sheltered spot!

[fat larry]

thanks for all the advice. By the time I got home last night my wonderful wife had moved it, tried to salvage my seeds and trays and weighed it down with everything heavy she could find (good thing I wasn't home!!). Bless her. I can't even contemplate what it will have done to my bottle cloches at the lottie.

[euronerd]

This worked for me last year, but if I do it again this year I'll stand the greenhouse on a couple of planks for a bit more stability. Sorry about the pic quality. If you need a better one I'll put one together.




Geoff.

[euronerd]

I'm sure I did it right! If it still doesn't show, here's the link:
http://static.flickr.com/53/119333028_0e94ff295c_o.jpg
Come to think, I only just put it up on Flickr. They may be busy.



Geoff.

[petemason]

This worked for me last year, but if I do it again this year I'll stand the greenhouse on a couple of planks for a bit more stability. Sorry about the pic quality. If you need a better one I'll put one together.




Geoff.

This is the method I used but when you get down to the nitty gritty, these plastic greenhouses are a kite in waiting. I turned my back on mine last year, along came a gust of wind and Zoom (geddit? Fat Larry's Band. No 2 in the charts 1982? I'll get me coat)

[euronerd]

Rofl. I'd never have made the link without your hint pete.

Geoff.

[MrsKP]

by now you know how i do love a pic.  so i thought you might like to see this from last year just to make you feel better Larry.  ;D

as a result of this devastation, i now keep my big heavy pots (lilies) on the bottom shelf.  the walk-in greenhouse was where the blue plastic sheeting is (which is where the new permanent greenhouse will be sitting - already made note to self about bags of ready mixed concrete on the shopping list).  it then became a cube for storing all my stuff for the shed and various lengths of poles, joints, shelves became staging in the shed.

[fat larry]

that looks horrific. must have been a real shock. Had a look in mine lst night, and while it is still well anchored, one of my seed trays has somehow fallen off its shelf and deposited the non-flourishing seeds all over the patio. Like the comment about them being kites really...

[ellkebe]

Ouch  :(    I think I would have sat down and cried!