Poly tunnel-greenhouse-Windbreak

[Snadger]

Bear with me on this one...just trying a bit of lateral thinking!

Greenhouse disadvantages...labour intensive...forget to water and everything dies unless you have automatic irrigation...complicated...likewise with ventilation...very tying

Polytunnel likewise...plus condensation

Most of summer growers use greenhouses/polytunnels to raise the temperature and form a micro-climate for stock items such as tomatoes, cucumbers,peppers etc

Could the temperature not be raised easir with clear windbreaks such as polythene or glass....five foot high(possibly?) around beds which would surely take away the wind chill factor and create a micro climate

The beauty of this would be you would still benefit from rainfall, you would have plenty of ventilation (no top)

Very fine windbreak netting could be used but would cut out a lot of light

C'mon then, any one beat me to it with this idea? Once again let me know whether it works or am I talking twaddle again?

[bramble]

Any ideas how you might get this 5 foot high glass or polythene barrier to stand upright, especially glass as its so heavy.

[nick the grief]

Some thoughts

1. Even though you've got no lid on it you won't have much air flow because of the solid barrier.
2. Watering would be a pain - lifting a watering can above a 5 ft high barrier
3. You would need a really strong frame as it would be like a sail in the wind

If you've got a greenhouse or Polytunnel & you plant in a soil border you have a bit of leeway with watering as the plants will source water from the ground, it's only if you grow in growbags or pots.

[Snadger]

The idea was to walk inside it...basically a greenhouse without a roof!

Just hpothesising but a five/six foot fence frame clad in polythene or similar to a fruit cage with polythene/fine mesh sides or strips with gaps in between?

Probably get some nice sound effects with the wind though!

Have I not seen something like this to protect young hedges?

[nick the grief]

A lot depends what you wnat to grow in it I guess. It won't be much use for extending your growing season as it won't trap the heat like a Polytunnel/Greenhouse which will give you about 6 weeks extra growing time.

I've never seen anything like that for hedges. The nearest I've seen is wattle hurdles for wind protection.

[JennieAtkinson]

As a last ditch attempt this year to try and grow some veg outside, I put up some (rather temporary) fencing and covered them in windbreak fabric. They are only 1.2 metres high, but it has been a sufficient wind break for me to grow peas, runner beans, chard and carrots outside. I thought if it was any taller it wouldn't get the sun, but tall enough to keep the cold wind off the roots. And if I am careful I can lean over it and hoe and weed (nearly fell in once!) Been very successful, in fact i have had a better crop of peas outside than in the polytunnel.

Snadger - get a polytunnel with automatic watering! You have to top it up sometimes at the roots, but saves a heck of alot of time. Mine is also on a slope in the garden, so any rain runs down the slope and the roots benefit (hopefully).

[Snadger]

A lot depends what you wnat to grow in it I guess. It won't be much use for extending your growing season as it won't trap the heat like a Polytunnel/Greenhouse which will give you about 6 weeks extra growing time.

I've never seen anything like that for hedges. The nearest I've seen is wattle hurdles for wind protection.

I seen it at a nursery once it was the plastic version of a wattle hurdle but stretched for 50 metres

Not to labour a point, but surely it would take away the wind chill which would in effect extend the season, possibly ripen a few tomatoes etc but the main advantage would be soil moisture...I take your point about growing in the bed soil of a greenhouse but as you know this eventually gets soil sickness. Noticed a few blokes on the alottments near to me use the stripey beach version of a windbreak to good effect on sweetcorn...my idea is just a progression from that. As you know a sheltered environment is conducive to good growth. Not aesthetically pleasing I'll give you that, but worth a try on a small scale do you not think? What about the walled victorian kitchen gardens...there was no roof on them!

[Snadger]

As a last ditch attempt this year to try and grow some veg outside, I put up some (rather temporary) fencing and covered them in windbreak fabric. They are only 1.2 metres high, but it has been a sufficient wind break for me to grow peas, runner beans, chard and carrots outside. I thought if it was any taller it wouldn't get the sun, but tall enough to keep the cold wind off the roots. And if I am careful I can lean over it and hoe and weed (nearly fell in once!) Been very successful, in fact i have had a better crop of peas outside than in the polytunnel.

Snadger - get a polytunnel with automatic watering! You have to top it up sometimes at the roots, but saves a heck of alot of time. Mine is also on a slope in the garden, so any rain runs down the slope and the roots benefit (hopefully).

Thought about a poly tunnel with the bottom inverted so that any rain falling outside would make its way inside via flaps at bottom. Or better still the top section with horticultural fleece instead of plastic. Wouldn't like to be in it when it was raining though...especially in your neck of the woods Lol

How does your automatic watering work?

[JennieAtkinson]

What about the walled victorian kitchen gardens...there was no roof on them!

And they are b****y wind tunnels! I've got a 1/4 acre field surrounded by walls about 5' high and in various places the wind blows so fast down the wall, nothing will grow. Not all great!

[Snadger]

And they are b****y wind tunnels! I've got a 1/4 acre field surrounded by walls about 5' high and in various places the wind blows so fast down the wall, nothing will grow. Not all great!

But the Victorians still managed to grow peaches on the walls!

[JennieAtkinson]

Probably on the wall is ok, but about 5' off it everything gets flattened!

[Snadger]

Any aircraft technicians subscribe to gyo as we seem to be getting into aerodynamics now Lol