Lath house

[Snoop Puss]

Anybody got any experience of growing in a lath house?

It might seem counter-intuitive in the UK, but here quite a few of my toms and peppers have suffered by being over-exposed to the sun (I think Penellype calls this green back). Anyway, I came across the concept of a lath house purely by chance and thought it might be a solution, plus better able to withstand hail.

But cutting out so much light seems very weird, even here in Spain.

[Jimny14]

Sorry I can't help with any practical help but I can see its benefit in very sunny areas for growing in summer. It might be worth considering making a small lean to type one out of pallets if you have a suitable shed or house wall? I'm thinking pallets allow some light in still but would block plenty out. Then grow some tomatoes in etc and see how they fair? If it all goes wrong turn the lean to in to storage or dismantle it and reuse them for something else

[Snoop Puss]

Thanks, Jimny. I was thinking that maybe a try it and see approach might be the way to go.

[veggiechicken]

I've used some reed screening to face up pallets to make them look similar. It was cheap end of season stuff like this


It filters the sun and wind but still lets the light through.
If you have any reeds or bamboo may you could make "screens" or "thatch" to cut the direct sun?

[geepee]

Whats your vision of a Lath house Snoop ??. Gp

[Snoop Puss]

Hi guys,

That kind of reed screening is readily available here, VC. Not that expensive, even new. Often free at the tip, which the locals call the Spanish version of Harrods.

GP, I was thinking something like this, only quite a bit smaller. Mr Snoop has plenty of wood that I could commandeer. In fact, it would reduce our private 'tip' by quite a bit:
Lath Houses

Definitely more hail resistant than a greenhouse!

[geepee]

Snoop....if it helps......I bought a 'Blowaway' tomato house off Am...n for 30/35£ .I framed it out with 2x1 timber and secured the steel framework to a base with cable ties.
The base is basically a Pallet 2 mtrs x 70 cm to fit the frame , with the weight of plants in pots it is no way going to blow away....The plastic canopy is of good grade PE with Green reinforcing , so giving shade from direct sun .
Almost, or as near to a Permanent structure as possible at a premium cost. Gp.

[Nicos]

I saw a few in Israel which used the bamboo which VC showed.
The roof was fixed, but the sides rolled up like blinds for the darker months.

[Snoop Puss]

That sounds good, GP. Thanks.

And that sounds like an interesting strategy, Nicos.

I also have a very large sheet of netting used for collecting olives, a thinner version of what I imagine debris netting to be like. (Also from the tip.) That would provide quite a lot of shade and wind protection. Relatively easy to repair too in the event of hail.

After all your comments, I've mentioned it to Mr Snoop. He sounded encouraging. Possibly because he knows I've been worried about the veg patch situation and my ability to continue it due to the weather and lack of water. And he knows how much I enjoy doing it.

All told, I reckon it's a goer of an idea. Will keep you posted.

Thanks.

[Nicos]

Looking forward to seeing how you get on!

[sparrow100]

It sounds a great project. Lots of pics of how you get on please!

[Snoop Puss]

^^ Yes, well, don't hold your breath, guys. It's way down the list of jobs...