[EddieJ]

While making the veg plot, I decided to work on making a system of collapsible frames and this is what I came up with.








The system is very easy to make, and can be used in either an 'A' type shape or as an 'V' shape with the simple addition of two struts.
They are also completely free standing with no holes in the ground needing to be made, and once finished with, they can be folded away for the winter and then hopefully re used year after year.

[Kleftiwallah]

Watch out how you move that digger/JCB.  It will have the lot down ! ! ! Very impressed.   Cheers,   Tony.

[Mother-Hen]

Hi Eddie, I think your idea is fantastic and you ought to patent it quick!! My only concern is where our lottie is it can get quite windy so the structure would have to be secured down which isn't to much of problem really. Any chance of some dimensions please.

[EddieJ]

Watch out how you move that digger/JCB.  It will have the lot down ! ! ! Very impressed.   Cheers,   Tony.

Thanks. I had a bigger problem than the JCB. The beans were slow to start and someone suggested that it wasn't really surprising as they were to frightened to climb the poles!!!!!

Hi Eddie, I think your idea is fantastic and you ought to patent it quick!! My only concern is where our lottie is it can get quite windy so the structure would have to be secured down which isn't to much of problem really. Any chance of some dimensions please.

I'll try and get something written out for you over the next few days.

I've also designed a similar item for growing tomatoes in grow bags etc.

[Mother-Hen]

Thanks I will keep an eye out for your post 

[joyfull]

wow that is brilliant - hope to see the plans for this and the tomatoes 

[dexyblue]

hi Eddie, what size of timber have you used?

[fatcat1955]

Nice work Eddie. One point, an old timer told me if you use battens for a bean frame you must round off the edges or the beans won't get a good grip when climbing. Let me know how your beans get on so i can see if he was having me on.

[EddieJ]

Dexyblue, I just used normal tile batten for the project. The size was 19mm x 38mm.

Fatcat1955, my biggest problem was that the beans were slow to start growing. I was told by a builder friend that they were to frightened to climb the supports!!

I had no problems though once started, and no damage was caused by rubbing on te corners etc.

Here is the proof..

[noshed]

That's got to be the neatest veg plot I've ever seen!

[EddieJ]

That's got to be the neatest veg plot I've ever seen!

Many thanks for that.

I have to say though, the veg taste just the same as anyone else's

It's just that I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to construction. I'm a self self employed oak timber framer by trade, and I guess that I try to maintain high standards of workmanship in everything that I do, although I do tend to get a very carried away. Attention to detail is everything for me.


I'll have to post up some of my garden projects. :happy:

[Aunt Sally]

Here's a challenge for you Eddie.

I like to grow my beans so that they all hang down in view for easy picking.  Perhaps a fold up version would be handy.

[EddieJ]

I really like that idea.  

No scrabbling around to pick the beans, and no chance of missing any. You can grow a catch crop below, and it's easy to to keep weed free. Superb.

It looks very straight forward to make as a fold up unit. It could be folded up into whatever dimension that the roof/top section is. Ideally the roof and vertical supports need to be the same length, although this isn't a problem to get around   

Out of interest, how wide/long would the frame need to be. By memory mine are approx 72". Any more than that, and they potentially could become unstable and would definitely start to become to heavy and awkward for storage.

[Aunt Sally]

This is the original topic  http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=50801.0

The design was first shown to us by one of our forum members Muntjac.