Another eBay poly

i bought a 6x3x2 of eBay last year for £54, it is one of those that are galvanised I secured it with straps attached to those spiral screw things for dogs. It was end on to the wind with a fence behind, but the winter gales ripped it off one night.
I salvaged the cover and stitched all the seams as they had just undone, I used fishing line 40lb and a curved needle sat in my garage sewing away for ages.
I turned the frame round so it would be side on to the wind, I dug a trench for the frame to sit in and when the cover is on I pulled it under so it was inside, this way the frame rests on it when it is buried. I know I lose a bit of head height but I want it to stay on now, I secured it again with 25mm wide straps but have used very long anchors which are 15" long ( I've had ratchet straps on these and not pulled them out ).

It's very hot inside and very wet and only has a grape vine and some sprouts in, no plants as I'm using it to restore a conservatory before it goes up next year. Then along with my green house and fenced off growing bit ( dog ) I will go full out, did have a netted area for veg as catapillars were a pest but the snow bent the frame, then the dog joined in a chewed all the stakes in half so that meant I had space to turn the poly round.

We still grew some veg as we have a fenced off wild area with a bit of space behind a fir tree, so everything was in pots and bags and we had some success and some failures.

 

On my 6 x 3 x 2m tunnel I replaced the bolts supplied with longer ones and used a steel L shaped strap cast into concrete bolted to the bottom of every hoop, plus used the same method of securing tops of door posts and internal diagonal bracing which were also cast into concrete. It doesn't budge even a fraction of an inch even in the heaviest of gales.

I can leave the single door I added to the end facing prevailing winds shut and leave the double doors added to other end open all summer (the opening is covered with mesh to keep birds, rabbits, etc. out and together with side vents it doesn't get too hot.

 

The frame never moved as it was well bedded in, it was the cover that get a gale end on and I presume it undid the zips as the pressure built up against the flat end. After that it was like a big sail, managed to save it and tie down till wind blew itself out.

I intend to build a wood door on the end when time and energy permits, that will be concreted in and if the straps are not enough or the anchors I'll have to dive down for the titanic's

 

[QUOTE="Jimcub, frame never moved as it was well bedded in, it was the cover that get a gale end on and I presume it undid the zips as the pressure built up against the flat end. After that it was like a big sail, managed to save it and tie down till wind blew itself out.

I intend to build a wood door on the end when time and energy permits, that will be concreted in and if the straps are not enough or the anchors I'll have to dive down for the titanic's[/QUOTE]

Always put a vent in something like that This gives it a place to let the air flow back out and not get you a giant kite. I realized this after noticing that the good quality bbq covers have a cut out with screening that helps keep it stationary in high winds.

Always build a vent in somewhere so that you don

 

Replacing zipped 'doors' at end(s) means the covering will be sandwiched between the door post and head members, holding it in place. I have boarding all around the perimeter that prevents damage to the covering when I cultivate inside, plus I've banked up the soil around the outside by almost the height of those boards to get a greater depth of soil holding the perimeter skirt down. (pic also shows on of the frame holding down straps)

 

I'll get a picture of mine when the rain stops

 

As promised pics the straps can be seen here 3 of them to hold it all down
As you can see it gets sun from rise until set, the shadow is my gazebo which houses my ride on and cement mixer and logs.

The conservatory bits along side are awaiting being cleaned and moved to the house, as this is being done next year.
Inside has a bench ( 2 trestles and decking boards ) and 2 roofing sheets which will be used to clean and store all the other bits of the conservatory before being used, after it will be filled with as much as it will hold. Also fencing ordered to keep the dog !!!'n out which will be in next week, fence not dog.
The grey gaffer tape is to stop my barrow putting holes when I trundle it past.

 

The cover looks very loose, so it will shake about in winds, gradually (or even rapidly!) weakening it.

Installing timber door frames at each end will enable you to draw in a lot of the slack before securing by sandwiching the covering between frame and timber battens then cutting openings for doors.

Using anti-hotspot tape on the tubes increases the size of frame the covering fits over, not only avoiding hot tubes in contact with the plastic covering, but also making it tighter and covering any projecting bolt heads that will wear holes through it.

 

It's not loose it's because the straps pull it inwards, inside has twine weaved along from top to upper frame strut.
doesn't move when windy a door will be put in but when I have time, I daren't leave door open or dog will have my tools and gloves etc

 

Pics of inside bit disappointing for some as only a few young sprouts sorry.

This is the top of a 15" anchor well bedded down, the straps use a wagon sheet tie to alter tension as needed.

Sprouts and an empty poly as its use is not for plants yet

My truck which I link to the ride on when it goes to carry the heavy bits, like the postcrete for my new fence.
The felted sheets are off the shed which has new metal non rot sheets, they all make a nice floor area to work in.

The roof part which has rope and wire tied at each arch section, the red string is nylon twine which keeps the roof arched with the straps. They will also be used to tie climbing string to, the grape vine will cling to anything up there as well.

 

Time to turn to the green house now poly's up, it's a wood affair bought in late 80's second hand and had 2 house moves since.
The garden slopes so a trench was cut on 3 side and a cement base layer laid ( tested my new cement mixer out ), my tape is 4" short for some reason luckily there is a row of bricks to build on next to the breeze blocks.
Next is to back fill the gaps and level the group as its 12" difference 2 ways, the a fence which is 3 days late to secure from the dog.
I can then Finnish making bottom rails for each side, as they have become rotten in places and everything gets 3 coats of red cedar.

 

Soil now levelled and when rains have blown over I will lay a row of bricks for the frame to rest on and concrete bits to Finnish, just need to get greenhouse done then.

Have ordered a camping heater to keep me warm in the poly as well, with a supply of gas canisters

 

Well I got a spade this week a very big spade and boy does it dig, well it's a small digger for the tree roots and I have dug a hole already. Yes I have broken it on my first forage well it was a 1960's product, the drive coupling had come away as a bolt had worked loose. I felt it vibrate so stopped it for a look, but now bolted up and when rains gone over I'll have another go.
For those who like toys it's a Powerfab 125 but an early model, coupled to a 5.5hp Honda engine. It's not pretty bit like me really but it does its job and everything works, after roots its foundations for the conservatory and a bit of landscaping, I would dig a pond but Digby would catch all the fish.

I'll take some pictures soon before its pinched no doubt, working on a way to secure it as well.

 

Well here's my new toy

 

New toy aside its parked up having pulled 2 stumps out already, I happened across an a replacement cover for my polytunnel. No there's nothing wrong with the present cover but passed events have made me cautious, and as they were normally more than I paid for my tunnel I snapped this one up for £27 brand new but unboxed, so now I wait for my wind and will face him with a smile.