Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: adri on March 04, 2011, 20:43
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I'm making up some mini poytunnels/v large cloches to go over my raised beds. If anyone has a suggestion as to where to get decent inexpensive polythene it'd be appreciated.
Many thanks
Adri
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It needs to be UV Inhibited and I've got stuff from here in the past:
http://www.allplas.co.uk/acatalog/Ultra_Violet_Inhibited_Polythene_Sheeting.html
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My husband works at a factory that has stuff delivered wrapped in polythene. Or try vets/pet shops or other shops really coz big food bags come wrapped in lovely thick stuff.... Just try everywhere. Don't ask, don't get. Good luck. If it isn't UV protected, it will still last a year or so.
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It's not UV inhibited, why go to the extra bit of expense just for wrapping? I threw some over a manure heap one year & it just disintegrated in the sun, making a right mess.
It's worth paying a little extra for and making something that will last for years.
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I threw some over a manure heap one year & it just disintegrated in the sun, making a right mess.
Have to agree - Someone here has put down some DPM at some point which wasn't UV stable. Im still picking little bits of blue plastic out of the soil. Horrible stuff - horrible mess.
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It needs to be UV Inhibited and I've got stuff from here in the past:
http://www.allplas.co.uk/acatalog/Ultra_Violet_Inhibited_Polythene_Sheeting.html
Saved that link thanks DD
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I have just bought some 1.8m stuff from Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/HEAVY-DUTY-REINFORCED-POLYTHENE-SHEET/dp/B001H33RFY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1299278471&sr=8-4
Will let you know what it is like. I bought some plastic pots and spud grow sacs from this place and found them to be good. Here is their range of plastic sheeting
http://www.plasticsbypost.co.uk/horticultural-polythene-13-c.asp
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get a job at my place we have rolls of the stuff 10ft wide and as long as you want, uv stablised too im mulling over making a diy poly tunnel out of it if i can get a way to join it together properly, would the poly tunnel tape work??
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I have just bought some 1.8m stuff from Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/HEAVY-DUTY-REINFORCED-POLYTHENE-SHEET/dp/B001H33RFY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1299278471&sr=8-4
Will let you know what it is like. I bought some plastic pots and spud grow sacs from this place and found them to be good. Here is their range of plastic sheeting
http://www.plasticsbypost.co.uk/horticultural-polythene-13-c.asp
Having done a quick costing, including going through adding shipping, both are more expensive than the link I gave.
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The tape for joining polythene can be purchased from allplas D.D.s link..they just so happen to be 200 yards from my lotty. :D(but don,t leave anything out at night). :D
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But would it work as a suitable jointing material?
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The polytunnel mending tape is very strong , but I can't help feeling you'd have quite a job trying to get huge sheets of plastic 10 foot x however long to lie nice and still and flat whilst you tape them together all neat and straight. :wacko:
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amazing what a wharehouse shop floor at work will do for you lol
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That's not a lot of help to anyone else.
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Very true DD :(
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If your building a polytunnel use the UV inhibited as detailed by DD.
If your looking for short duration cover ie early planting and extending growing time at end of summer go to your local builders yard and ask for heavy duty.
Will warm the soil before planting and protect the plant for the first 3 to 4 weeks.
I use this method with sweetcorn, onions grown from seed, any plants that I need to move outside in april. Intend to try this method with squash this year.
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I was going to try this...
http://www.harrodhorticultural.com/HarrodSite/product/GDN-045.htm
Anyone heard of this company before?
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They are one of the partners of this site and I've used them before. If you click on the Allotment Shop link below the main banner, you'll get to their site through a different link, and there might be special offers available that way (not always though)
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I'm also fond on Allplas (see second post) and bought a 50m roll of their 2mtr x 112.5mu (6-6"' x 450gauge) Folded Sheeting about 3 years ago. Some of the cloches have been used for three years - I reckon that each one will last at least five seasons without too much problem. Because the sheet is folded it's easy to cut it into 1m widths which is a good size. 2m wide makes a good tall cloche for sweetpeppers etc, but not easy to set up on a windy day.
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I also had a roll of their folded stuff and needed to cut it in half (longways). I was thinking about the easiest way to do this and it ocurred to me just to take a sharp carving knife to the roll as it was and slice it. Simples!