[Michael196]

Hi Dan

You have come a long way in such a short time

congratulations

[Fraxinus]

Initial pic of site looked very drab Dan, how about creating some narrow beds on fringes of the plot and sow some annual seeds, sweet peas and the like and get some colur and scent going, work will be more pleasurable in the veg plot and splash of colour will dramatically improve the overall look and feel of the plot, this would encourage you into the Veg plot more often, check out companion planting also to keep bugs away and encourage natural predators

[Organicgrowingpains]

French marigolds are considered essential for plots, attracting beneficial insects. Nasturtiums which have the added benefit of being edible for salads. Others are calendula and borage, I am sure there are more but these are the ones I have .

[Digger Dan]

Thanks Fraxinus for the tips. I agree that the plot had got very drab and a bit of colour is needed.

I like the idea of planting some marigolds but when I have planted these before they were desimated by slugs. Any suggestions on how to control them?

Wasn't aware of the name Calendula but looks like a geat plant to have in a veg plot, edible and colourful.
Must get some seeds in!


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Digger Dan

[Liparis]

Calendula or pot Marigold AKA Scotch Marigold, quite tasty flowers dipped in batter and fried. Also has some medicinal properties.
Bill.

[Digger Dan]

Calendula seeds sown for some colour later!




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Digger Dan

[Organicgrowingpains]

They come up quite quickly and could also be fast food by the comment above!

[Digger Dan]

Over the last few weeks I've googled various types of polytunnel in an attempt to get a good design for one in my very cramped location. In the end I decided to design my own to suit my particular needs.

Originally I had intended to go with a plastic hoop design using 3/4" hg hydrodare pipe. However the curved hoop would lose me valuable growing height towards the sides of the tunnel. In fact the selling point of the more expensive hobby polytunnels is having 'straight sidewalls' e.g. http://www.highbankonline.com/straightsided.html

So using a supply of salvaged pine planks I had I set about building a polythene hut to give me the maximum usable space.

I made the roof ribs out of three seperate pieces of timber, one curved and the others cut at an angle.



I then fitted the roof rib to the 1.7m straight side uprights. The photo below shows the first rib in place over the entrance.


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Digger Dan

[Blowin]

Hi, Dan! You certainly seem to have handyman skills I'm very envious of.

My pipe dream is to have a decent sized greenhouse of some description, so I looked at the website you quoted. As usual with these things, there were several questions that the info given didn't answer but, in terms of sheer cost, they do seem to be expensive?

One of the questions I couldn't find an answer to was what is provided for a door(s) if you don't shell out €262 for the metal ones. So, assuming life wouldn't be worth living without the metal ones, my choice of the 6m 'hobby' one would have cost me no less than €837 plus getting on for €200 every five years for a replacement polythene cover plus all the hassle of installing it.

Just as a suggestion, wouldn't clear corrugated PVC sheeting make a far more durable cladding for the frame you've got? I did a shed roof with it at my old house and only had to replace it once in 31 years. It's washable and flexible.

I'm also a bit puzzled at what's going to happen when you reach the 'shed end' with your roof timbering?

[spider]

great work dan ,fair play to you

[Digger Dan]

Thanks Blowin,

the idea of solid plastic sheets is good although I have already got hold of my polyethene film.

I came across these polycarbonate greenhouses which look very good, still pricey and with extra cost of delivery from UK but would probably last a decade?



http://www.waltons.co.uk/greenhouses/evesham-polycarbonate-greenhouse-10x8

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Digger Dan

[Digger Dan]

The frame of the POLYHUT is now complete!

This photo below shows the original height of the uprights. I left them a little longer than I needed as it made it easier for me to level up the spans. Each span was tied in with a cross member to give a bit more rigidity. However, the structure is definitely 'semi-rigid' and I'm hoping that with the skin of polyethene stretched across it the whole structure will be strong enough to survive a bit of harsh weather!!



When all three spans positioned, leveled and glued I trimmed off the excess from the six uprights. I also radiused the corners so as not to give a sharp edge for the plastic to tear against.



Next, the polythene! Hopefully I'll get it all finished in time to grow something in it!!

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Digger Dan

[Digger Dan]

Making use of a bit of fine weather I managed to finish out the POLYHUT.

I covered the end first with a seperate piece and then covered the 'hoops'.



I used an old shower stall that I had taken out when we changed our bathroom for the door, works a treat!



One of the drawbacks of growing under cover is the need to keep the plants well watered. I decided to try make use of the fact that it rains a lot in Ireland to help irrigate the plants in the Polyhut. I have seen stick on gutters that you can attach to the sides of a tunnel to direct the water into a barrel http://www.twowests.co.uk/TwoWestsSite/product/PTGG.htm,but you still have to get the water onto the plants.

I made up a gutter from slitting a lenght of 40mm waste pipe and then ran this into the hut through the timber base. The idea being that the rain is collected as it runs off the polythene and directed inside the hut (onto a gravel tray). The next rainy day will show if it works or not!!



Overall it cost about €120 in new material, the most expensive items being the polythene cover (€57) and the scaffold planks (€36). I had all the other timber needed and recycled the doors. I probably spent about another €20 on other bits and pieces. However, I'd say I spent about 20 hours building ( a bit longer than I planned!).

I decided not to go on the cheap with the cover and went for 200 micron (800 gauge) clear, thermic polythene from Polydome Greenhouses in Offaly (Tel: 057-912 0424). They delivered the next day. I've read from some sites the suggestion of using clear builders plastic as a cheap option but for the time involved in recovering your tunnel every year the saving of a few euro couldn't be worth it. The material from Polydome has a 5 year guarantee against UV degradation, so hopefully I won't have to recover again until 2014!

The price of a shop bought greenhouse of similar size would be starting from €600. I did see a 6' x 8' Eden Greenhouse in the Arboretum in Carlow http://www.arboretum.ie/index.html that they were selling for €599 + €119 for the base. Maybe the polyhut isn't as pretty as a glass greenhouse but it's a lot cheaper!

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Digger Dan

[Sarah Evans]

Just seen your original pictures and what you have acheived through your own handy work is fantastic. Looking forward to updates you could consider doing a blog.....

[Organicgrowingpains]

Well done it looks great ,and the watering taken care of too it could be a model way for others to go who may be handy like yourself instead of buying outright.