Author Topic: Blue pipe length  (Read 2449 times)

elhuerto

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Blue pipe length
« on: August 16, 2018, 08:46:25 »
I have a raised bed with sprouts and spinach currently growing, the bed is 2.5 metres long and 1.25m wide. I have some temporary netting with canes but want something a bit better for the long term so am looking at blue piping with the mesh I have. I was hoping someone could give me an idea on how high the hoops should be so I can calculate the total length of piping required. I'm assuming 6 hoops set at 50cm intervals, and a height of 1 metre, does that sound about right?

Cheers!
Location: North East Spain - freezing cold winters, boiling hot summers with a bit of fog in between.

Paulh

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Re: Blue pipe length
« Reply #1 on: August 16, 2018, 09:24:57 »
How tall are your sprouts and also how wide do they grow? If the netting touches the leaves, the cabbage whites will lay eggs through it. You could make holes in the tubing and run canes through to keep the netting out (and give more rigidity to the structure).

I don't use the blue pipe but it seems to give you a semi-circle or smaller arc so you might have trouble getting it as tall as a metre given the width of the bed? Can you make a U-shape out of it?

Also, don't forget to allow for any part of the pipe that goes into the ground!

Sorry, that's all rather negative, but perhaps it will help you to a positive solution.



Plot 18

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Re: Blue pipe length
« Reply #2 on: August 16, 2018, 09:31:46 »
I'd only use 3 hoops for that length of bed ;) Sprouts can grow a little taller than 1m, so allow extra length for each leg upright when you work out what you need. You'll need some wood battens that will fit inside the pipe to keep the pipe legs upright.

https://kgarden.wordpress.com/2009/05/04/brassica-netting-against-cabbage-white-butterfly/

elhuerto

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Re: Blue pipe length
« Reply #3 on: August 16, 2018, 10:59:36 »
Many thanks, the plan was to put canes in the piping and put those into the ground and to add to stability. May also join the hoops at the top with some wood or canes, or see what I have lying around.

Much appreciated!
Location: North East Spain - freezing cold winters, boiling hot summers with a bit of fog in between.

nodig

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Re: Blue pipe length
« Reply #4 on: August 16, 2018, 11:53:00 »
I would cut the pipe into 4.15m lengths - so if you have a 25m roll then that's 6 lengths which would give 5 intervals at 500mm per interval.

ancellsfarmer

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Re: Blue pipe length
« Reply #5 on: August 16, 2018, 12:05:58 »
For brassicaes, sprouts, psb, calabrese, caulis I use debris netting on 1300mmx50x25 (scrap) battens, driven in 200+mm. Debris netting as 2mx 2widths sewn together gives 1mx2mx1m x 12m length (10Metre bed) 100mm poly pot to top of batten to protect netting. Tied around bottom of pot. Trailing bottom edge weighted down by more battens. Secured however (tied)
This permits entry at any point to hoe, harvest, replant etc, or its a simple job to uncover for an hour and redrape after. This has proved to be 99% effective against cabbage whites but not against the moth that produces tiny green caterpillars. They are tiny and don't eat enough to worry about!!

Having some spare debris netting, I intend to make some as you describe to a wooden base frame so that it can be moved as a unit. Probably 2mx 1mx 600 high, for cabbages , kohl rabi, kale and swedes/turnip
Would be interested to learn whether 20mm dia tube is rigid enough, bigger steps up in price dramatically! Please advise.
Freelance cultivator qualified within the University of Life.

squeezyjohn

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Re: Blue pipe length
« Reply #6 on: August 16, 2018, 14:03:10 »
I've tried 20mm blue water pipe but find that it bends if the wind blows on the nets too much.  20mm tubular electrical conduit is still flexible enough to bend in to hoops, but is more rigid and can withstand most winds.  You can get it in 3m lengths - under £30 for 20 lengths making it a bit cheaper than the blue pipe as well.

3m lengths bent across a normal 4ft (about 1.25m) bed and held in place with bamboo canes will give you enough height for most brassicas - but purple sprouting normally will get too tall and end up pushing the top of the tunnel.  Of course you'll need to get 3m wide debris netting as well to cover it.

squeezyjohn

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Re: Blue pipe length
« Reply #7 on: August 16, 2018, 15:44:19 »
I tend to just stick the canes in the beds I want to cover as and when I need them rather than construct a frame which only fits one length of bed.  I'd say that 50cm apart is overkill ... I probably space mine 80cm or so but I'm not too precise.  Sure, sometimes the canes will snap, especially if they've been there for a long time getting damp, but they can be replaced cheaply.

elhuerto

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Re: Blue pipe length
« Reply #8 on: August 16, 2018, 16:57:52 »
Thanks, that's all very helpful and has made me reconsider a bit. All my raised beds are the same size (the wood I was given was all 2.5m in length so made it easy to make the rectangles with minimum cutting). As they're all equal it makes sense to make something that can be moved from year to year, hopefully I can make it sturdy enough with a movable frame and netting that doesn't blow away.
Location: North East Spain - freezing cold winters, boiling hot summers with a bit of fog in between.

ACE

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Re: Blue pipe length
« Reply #9 on: August 17, 2018, 08:49:33 »
Get some rebar instead of using canes. They can be hammered into the ground to make the structure more stable. Cheaper than garden centre canes if you find the right supplier and last for ever.

elhuerto

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Re: Blue pipe length
« Reply #10 on: August 17, 2018, 15:45:00 »
I'll have to look up rebar as I'm not familiar with it - thanks ACE. The canes we get are from the a friend's field next to the river, bulrush type plants that once died back have canes that will last a couple of years and then recycled.

I went to the diy shop today and they had some tubing used for passing electrical cables, worked out a lot cheaper than the blue piping they had and the flexibility seems about right - will find out at the weekend when I put the frames together.
Location: North East Spain - freezing cold winters, boiling hot summers with a bit of fog in between.

 

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