[Browseruk]

I've been offered 10 x 6m long scaffold poles for free.

If I bought this sheet of 250 micron polysheet, I could construct a 6m x 4m polytent over my 5.5m x 3.5m plot for circa £100.

(see attachment) Brown is the dirt; darkish grey is scaffold poles; lightish grey is poly sheet.

What are the benefits and/or downsides of doing so?

[steven c]

i would suggest a slope to the roof for rain and snow also would need securing against wind damage. allow for ventilation in warm weather and extra watering no rain able to get in.

[Browseruk]

i would suggest a slope to the roof for rain and snow

I had thought that I might make a small hole in the middle of the two roof sections to allow the rain to drain into the tent and put a plant pot or saucer on the ground under the holes to prevent erosion and cause the falling water to splash around.

I hadn't thought about snow!

also would need securing against wind damage.

My plan for fixing the poly to the frame was to reenforce the poly locally with duct tape (orange) and use 10mm or 12mm wide cable ties (black) fed through slits in the poly/duct tape:

(See attached image. (Can you inline images here?)).

The solid dark grey rod is 10mm rebar at the bottom of the 4 sides. Its weight will hold the side in place in most conditions, but I can add short bungy straps to hold it down and against the uprights in windy conditions.

The idea is that I can lift the sides and ends up for access and drop them down when I'm done.

allow for ventilation in warm weather and extra watering no rain able to get in.

I think this is covered above?

[Yorkie]

I would have thought that the intrinsic strength in the poly is that it doesn't have holes in it. As soon as you start putting holes in it, whether for cable ties or to allow water in, there is an increased risk of ripping.

[Browseruk]

I would have thought that the intrinsic strength in the poly is that it doesn't have holes in it. As soon as you start putting holes in it, whether for cable ties or to allow water in, there is an increased risk of ripping.

The purpose of the duct tape (both sides) is to relieve any stress from the poly.

[snowdrops]

Have you considered making it the shape of a standard poly tunnel but smaller, that’s a tried & tested design, & I do think that making any holes in your plastic sheeting is a no-no, the wind will come along & rip it to shreds.
You could do uprights with a length of plastic piping stuck on & over to the opposite side to form the hoop.
As for watering, you could sink your uprights into a frame that you can then lift up etc or move to allow access to water & weed & apply a thick mulch to conserve water. Obviously when the weather warms up you could remove the mini tunnel entirely

[Hortic]

Dirt? Soil!
Dirt is found under your fingernails.