Topic: I want to make a mini poly tunnel and need advice

[flowergirl]

Hi to all,

Ok I want to create a small poly tunnel cloche sort of thing.  I have a raised bed approx 6 x 4.  I have blue water pipe which i used last year for netting over cabbages and cauli's, I have thick heavy duty clear plastic reinforced with cotton square thingies.  I basically think I know how to make a frame.  My plane was to make a frame stabilize it with timber in each corner.  Attach the alkathine blue tubing to the frame then staple the clear plastic over  ;D. 

The problem lies with keeping the whole thing secure in the winds...I planned to perhaps put the frame cloche thing on hinges and attach to the raised bed at one side so that I can access it easy and then on the other side aspen staple ( which i am assured is the technical name for a pad lock attachment thingy).   My beds are not really that well put together..I am a 31 year woman that uses a knife to change the fuse on a plug  ;)  so you can imagine what my DIY skills are like.  I basically just hammered some nails into the wood...a bit like those orangutan 's on the David attenborough show ???.

Can anyone offer advice, or methods they have used.  The key thing is I want to grow Peppers so need to be able to open the thing up to attend to the plants and need it to be resistant to blowing away.

Hope to hear from you all soon

FG

[manicscousers]

Ray made one of these for a hot bed for me, ours is only 4x3 though, he made a wooden frame, the plastic tube is screwed into it,the plastic sheet is stapled on on the underside.. it has a hinge on one side and a handle on the other..it is so heavy it won't blow away, does that make sense?
I can photo it on friday if necessary  ;D

[flowergirl]

 this sounds similar to what i had in mind ;D.

so is the handle that makes it heavy?

thought to self think of ways to make it heavy....well i cant sit on it ...what could i use?

thanks for that

FG x

[manicscousers]

I think it's the wooden frame on the bottom that makes it heavy, it's bl**dy awkward though , I don't have any strength in my arms  ;D ;D

[flowergirl]

I should perhaps make that more sturdy then by using screws to tighten the joints.  When i move it the nails loosen  :o

It's not a raised bed as such cos its basically just sat on the soil, i planned to fill it over the years... 

So plan...
1. tighten fix with screws
2. filled said bed with weed filled soil   :-[
3.Then go with plan i already had...but the bottom beds weight would be the issue

Cheers

FG

[manicscousers]

ah, see what you mean, ours all have corner posts knocked in with a flamin' great mallet and nailed in the corners, I think stuff Ray makes wouldn't fall over in a hurricane, you can see some of his handiwork in our gallery  ;D

[flowergirl]

ok...i can do sledge hammers!!

So if i secure the bootom bed with long long long stakes then use SCREWS I should make the bootom more secure and heavy...

...Who is this Ray? My Allotment friend Ray id in his eighties...he tells me about his stomach operation twice daily and has a dog that peas on my cabbages, can I swap please..(he does grow fantastic cucumbers though ;))

[manicscousers]

mine's only 60 but we've got used to one another over the last 36 years, he can't grow cucumbers, mind you  ;D