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Produce => Under Glass => Topic started by: lewic on May 02, 2011, 17:29:27
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My second polytunnel has bitten the dust (after two weeks!) and I am starting to wonder if my plot is not suitable for a polytunnel as it is very exposed. The frame is OK and I'm going to gaffer tape the cover but I dont think its going to last more than one season.
I am being made redundant in July so was considering spending a bit of my payout on a greenhouse rather than keep wasting £100 every year on rubbish polytunnels, not to mention all the hassle. The one I have my eye on is one of these http://www.fountaintimber.co.uk/greenhouse/wooden-greenhouse/greenhouse-standard-wooden-greenhouse.html but they arent cheap, although they are very well made.
However I am concerned that a greenhouse might suffer the same fate as my polytunnels, if the wind catches it. Do any of you have a greenhouse in an exposed place? Or can recommend a good company to buy a solid one from? The cheapo aluminium/polycarbonate panel ones look like the slightest gust of wind would blow the windows out or flatten it completely.
The only place for a poly or greenhouse is next to my trellis where the wind races through (see pic) and it is a lot of cash to lose if the thing gets trashed!
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Looking at the thumbnail of your Polytunnel it does not appear that you had your polytunnel sheeting buried at the foot of the frame which manufacturers suggest, if you look at any of the instructions on how to erect polytunnels it suggests that you do bury the sheeting in the ground around the frame, any shed, greenhouse or polytunnel in exposed places I would suggest also needs to be staked down,
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i've got a polytunnel from first tunnels and i'm on a very windy exposed site and it's been up for 3 years no problem, like mr smith said do you have the sheet buried in the ground as that makes all the difference.
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The photo was before I got the cover on, and I think part of the problem is that there are no vents in the sides so it catches the wind badly. Not to mention the stitched seams. It cost me £49.99 so can't really compare to a proper polytunnel.
I didnt bury the edges of the cover, but they are weighted down by rows of flat fire brick/slate things which are ridiculously heavy. The wind isnt getting under the cover, it is blowing across and pulling it from under the bricks. I dont think burying the edges would stop it getting pulled out (judging from how heavy the bricks are)
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Heck i think that is a lot of money when other cheaper options are availible.
Which way is your tunnel sighted North to South or East to West can it be turned to allow the wind to go through it as apposed to buffering it, because i think if your frame is strong and you could easly modify it for very little cost.
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Just come back from the plot, having put 6 inch solid blocks on the skirt of my small polly tunnel to keep it in situ. The winds are really bad at the moment ( worst that I have known for a long time). Hope its still there in the morning as its an early birthday pressi from other half and I think he'll be gutted if gets ruined.
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Greenhouse is fine, polytunnel on the plot got flattened.... cover looks like I can reuse it so I'll get some blue pipe..... arghh... didn't need this now.... thankfully due to unsussedness there was nothing in it yet.....
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Greenhouse is fine, polytunnel on the plot got flattened.... cover looks like I can reuse it so I'll get some blue pipe..... arghh... didn't need this now.... thankfully due to unsussedness there was nothing in it yet.....
Sorry to hear that , what on earth is unsussedness?! ;) new one on me!
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Which way is your tunnel sighted North to South or East to West can it be turned to allow the wind to go through it as apposed to buffering it
Each end goes North-South (ish) and the wind seems mainly to come from the East, through the trellis. I dont want to move it 90 degrees as it would block the view down the plot and be a bit of an eyesore!
I think I will try cable-tying some willow/reed panels along the fence to see if that will work as a windbreak. You can get replacement covers but its a waste of money if its just going to break again.
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Greenhouse is fine, polytunnel on the plot got flattened.... cover looks like I can reuse it so I'll get some blue pipe..... arghh... didn't need this now.... thankfully due to unsussedness there was nothing in it yet.....
Sorry to hear that , what on earth is unsussedness?! ;) new one on me!
Not being together.... ie not "Sussed"....
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Hello, from your thumbnail pic, it is one of those Gardman polytunnels which is 2 m by 3 m floor dimensions.
I have just put one up and it's very windy on my plot. Two things: 1) the orientation is important so that the wind does not blow in to the door so the whole thing takes off like a kite and 2) I dug a trench and sank the structure a few iches down then used some planks to create a raised bed arrangement inside on 3 sides. So the plastic is buried under the raised beds and the path in the centre is sunk.
So far the thing looks like it will stay up but the whole kit only weighed in at about 20kg so it does need some serious weighing down.
The cover is the weakest link IMO, I hope to get a couple of seasons out of it then make use of the frame, possible with debris netting. But you can see the risks that the sewing will come apart and the zips might fail. But I do think you can get some mileage out of it.
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Hi folks, thanks for the advice! I can't really afford to spend all that money on a garden building, but the trashed polytunnel just happened to coincide with a previous days visit to the best timberyard in town, and that greenhouse smelt good!
Anyhows I have been to B&Q and instead spent £30 on 2m of bamboo fencing, which I have cable-tied to the fence, and that seems to have sorted the Easterly wind.. which of course has now changed. Am now thinking about some kind of living-willow windbreak for the rest of it.. watch this space!
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My first tunnels poly has been up with same cover for nearly 5 years. We can do serious wind here being near the Humber estuary. The frame is buried with storm plates. the cover is buried over a foot each side and all the frame is covered where it hits the cover. It wasn't cheap but the most important bit is the care of erection. sadly you need a calm day to do a proper job but less is a bit of a waste of time. Also remember if the wind can get in via a door it needs to get out by another door the other end [or somewhere] or it'll take off like a balloon ::)
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My polytunnel has been up for nearly 20 years, and only needed 2 recovers, and that was only because the 2nd one was not pulled tightly down enough into the earth.
Redone 5 years ago or more and still going strong. The old name of my house was Wind Hill, and I look clear across from Worcestershire borders, over the Black Mountains and Hay Bluff, so I don't think you can get too much windier
I think I bought it from Northern Polytunnels who had them up on the Scottish Islands and standing the wind
All the best
Sue
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Oh dear.. cheapo poly cover now beyond repair. Grrr. Despite it looking much stronger than the old one, it didnt have any side vents which I think was its downfall. Will try to get a replacement cover under warranty then I'll Freecycle the new cover and keep the frame for a fruit cage.
Thanks for all the polytunnel advice. I am thinking that a good quality greenhouse might be a better investment, as the tunnel covers dont last for ever and I may not be in the financial position to replace it in the future. My sister's cost similar to a greenhouse and got ripped by her cats using it as a scratching post!!
The Elite Craftsman looks about the best quality for price I can find at the mo. Have any of you got one or know anything about the company? I don't want a mega cheapo one as I have seen too many of them turned into a pile of bent triangles by the wind. Unfortunately the Rhino and the nice timber one I spotted are out of my price range.
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I bought a 20x10 greenhouse in ebay for around 400 quid (when you add in my expenses whilst collecting and a bunch of twinwall to replace broken panes...) Taken the weather that flattened the polytunnel.....
chrisc
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That sounds like a bargain, and its encouraging that it can stand up to the wind. Unfortunately my flat-pack construction skills end at cheapo plastic polytunnels and Ikea deckchairs.. so an Ebay greenhouse is out!
Does anyone know anything about auto-vents? In the high-eave greenhouses they are standard but have heard you are more likely to get roof damage as they are sometimes open in stormy weather and the wind can catch them and rip the panel off.
And are the taller greenhouses more susceptible to catching the wind? The guy in the greenhouse shop said he hadnt heard of any problems, but I would have thought that the higher the vents are the more danger it is in.