Kitchen Garden Forum

Hello Geoff, Good idea to take the snow head on! I'm wondering if the same effect could be achieved using readily available sheep wire i.e. 4 or 5 inch holes. We here would certainly need the small mesh on top or the tits and finches would strip the buds off fruit before the winter was out. Mind you, I think its weight would make internal supporting uprights necessary. Are your posts 3x3?
Iain.

On Sunday night I watched a Learning Zone series of programmes about building design, skyscrapers and so on. All sorts of interesting bits, some students built a tower of nothing but paper. Lots of materials will give you rigidity in one direction but without cross-bracing in some way they are all ectremely flimsy and it all comes down to cross bracing and triangulation. It was insufficient of bracing that brought my fruit cage down, not vertical strength. If you build a fruit cage with only verticals and horizontals you are defenceless from crosswinds. I admit that my tunnel hoop idea is not the ultimate in rigidity but I know from experience that the worst damage that you get is distortion of the hoops which can be rectified.Most of the force of the wind is lost as it is diverted over the top, with a vertical side you get the full force against it.
Allan
Allan

Approx 3" diameter uprights on about 10' centres concreted in, with slightly thinner cross pieces.

Iain, have you tried the Organic Catalogue? It's published by Chase Organics together with GardenOrganic [formerly HDRA]. www.OrganicCatalogue.com, or you can email them at enquiries@chaseorganics.co.uk to ask for a catalogue. I have found ordering online to be quite easy with the catalogue infront of me, as you just type in the codes.

mike

i've found alot of useful information on this site:
www.homeandgardenwebsite.co.uk
i hope that helps.

Thank you again for helpful advice, folks. Got nearly all of it now. Have found Kay's hard to beat for most things, I must say.

I.

I've noticed in various threads that people mention 'bendy' piping and 'blue' piping, particularly for making cloches. Where do you get it from? I thought you could only get it if you were employed to dig up roads and lay it underneath!
--------------
Granny

Make friends with a water man (for blue) or a gas man (for yellow).
I have known plenty of people in the past who did this.

Alan

Just a thought. We live just up the road - literally - from Kays and we find them expensive when compares to other local garden centres and DIY places.
eg. large-bubble bubble-wrap for insulating the greenhouse is £65 from kays and £54.50 from a local garden centre.
The blue piping we use comes from travisperkins but be careful as there are two sizes apparently and we are using the smaller bore which was just over half the price of the larger size.

I tried the 20 mm blue pipe, too bendy, waste of money, I scrapped the lot.

Best place for the pipe is an agricultural supplier such as Mole Valley Farmers or the like. 25mm works well, but 32mm is good for bigger width/height - e.g for brassicas. Can tie canes on for a ridge pole.

Pipe is available in black as well as blue - easier on the eye.

I found that the best way to fix to ground is to use short lengths of steel reinforcing bar. Put them firmly in the ground at an angle ~15degrees from vertical away from the bed, and push pipe over bar - this holds the pipe firmly.

Also, the plastic scew-in wall fixings for standard domestic copper pipe will clip firmly on to 25mm alkathene pipe, creating an anchor for string to hold cover on.

Thanks for all replies. We live close to a Travis Perkins so will try there first. And thanks Mole for the helpful instructions.
--------------
Granny