Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Chatting => Frugal Living => Topic started by: flash on January 18, 2008, 17:38

Title: Hoops for poly tunnel help
Post by: flash on January 18, 2008, 17:38
I've access to free plastic, rolls of the stuff they put around large scaffolding projects. It's clear and slightly reinforced.
Can anyone think of what I can scrounge to create hoops to create poly tunnels.
I'm proud that apart from a bag of nails everything else on the site was skip found or donated. So that'll be 4 compost bins, 4 leaf bins, all fleece, ground cover and all the wood for the future raised beds
Title: Hoops for poly tunnel help
Post by: splodger on January 18, 2008, 17:53
for small ones - the blue pipes that they use for water etc - get youself back to the building site  :wink:
Title: Hoops for poly tunnel help
Post by: sweet nasturtium on January 18, 2008, 22:19
Flash I am very very impressed with your record 8) , don't spoil it now and spend money!
Title: Hoops for poly tunnel help
Post by: noshed on January 18, 2008, 22:54
Blue water pipes are great but if all else fails just get any bits if stick and put plastic bottles on the end. Then just drape the plastic over. Weigh down with bricks or plastic bottles full of water.
If the foxes use that as a playground it's quite annoying.
Title: Hoops for poly tunnel help
Post by: Trillium on January 18, 2008, 23:07
Either find out where plumbers hang out or make friends with a plumber and ask if they have any they've torn out from projects. Might cost a beer but you could get all you want free. I went to a 2nd hand building materials shop and got 10 eight foot lengths for a bit over 2 pounds worth.
Title: Hoops for poly tunnel help
Post by: sweet nasturtium on January 18, 2008, 23:37
Are they replacing the water pipes in Bristol?  The whole of london is clogged up with traffic because the pipes are being replaced.  Every day there's a new hole in the road with workmen peering into it.  But there are reels and reels of blue pipe, polytunnels popping up all over the place now.
Title: Hoops for poly tunnel help
Post by: flash on January 23, 2008, 17:42
Right,  I couldn't find water pipes but a mate is going to cut thin guage aluminium sheet, then I'll bend it around a barrel.
Suplementary questions;
Should the hoops be about 2' apart? And how high? About 2' at the highest?
Is it easier to have 3 X 4' or 2 X 6'. I may get longer hoops and use the bits that stick out the bottom to secure in the ground or leave 6" of extra plastic on each side and weigh it down.
I've now had free bean poles, unrotted manure and I pick up free tools this weekend.
I bought seeds though. That's £15 spent in total so far. Not counting the 5 packets I got free.
Title: Hoops for poly tunnel help
Post by: flash on January 24, 2008, 17:29
Actually I probably mean cloches.
Sorry I'm new to this..............
Title: Hoops for poly tunnel help
Post by: sweet nasturtium on January 24, 2008, 18:33
Quote from: "flash"
I've now had free bean poles, unrotted manure and I pick up free tools this weekend.
I bought seeds though. That's £15 spent in total so far. Not counting the 5 packets I got free.


Looks like I've got competition folks!