Attaching fleece and/or polythene

[gingerneil]

Hi all,
Ive just braved the freezing weather and attached some blue 20mm water pipe to my raised beds. I now have 3 arches per 1.8m bed. I've hammered in doweling from b&q so they can be slotted on and off.
The next thing I need to do is work out how to attch fleece and polythene to complete my diy polytunnels. Any tips? I will need to be able to remove it to sow and tender the beds. For netting, I'm thinking of putting a dozen or so small hooks into to the side if the raised beds. Would this work for fleece - there's nothing to hook onto, unlike with net and it might just rip. What do others do who have used this pipe?

[kitchengardner]

Hi all,
Ive just braved the freezing weather and attached some blue 20mm water pipe to my raised beds. I now have 3 arches per 1.8m bed. I've hammered in doweling from b&q so they can be slotted on and off.
The next thing I need to do is work out how to attch fleece and polythene to complete my diy polytunnels. Any tips? I will need to be able to remove it to sow and tender the beds. For netting, I'm thinking of putting a dozen or so small hooks into to the side if the raised beds. Would this work for fleece - there's nothing to hook onto, unlike with net and it might just rip. What do others do who have used this pipe?

The easiest way is to ensure the fleece reaches the floor on each side and weigh it down with bricks. I extend the fleece about 2ft past each end, bundle (or twist) it together and tie with string that loops onto a nail at the end of the bed

Hope this helps

Kitchen Gardener

[gingerneil]

good tip regarding the ends - sounds simple and effective.

[Stacey Steve]

I make up fleece and netting "blankets" that I can swop about as is needed.

I lay out the netting or fleece in lengths about .5m longer than the length to go over your arch. Then lay canes at regular intervals and cable tie the fabric to them.

On the apex of the pipe arches I cable tie a cane to stabalise all the arches, then lay my blankets over these arches.

The base of each blanket has a weigh of strip wood stapled to hold every thing nice and neat.

You can see in the picture what I have done

It is then easy to roll up from one side to do weeding etc.

[gingerneil]

Stacey - this sounds ideal - do you just poke the cable ties through the fleece either side of the cane? What do you do about the ends of the tunnel?

[Stacey Steve]

For the ends of mine, I use the netting to allow airflow.

With the hoop set up I just drape over a piece and cable tie it at regular intervals to the hoop.

When not in use, the hoop keeps it shape and is laid flat. The blankets just roll up.

If you are in a very windy area, you can put one or two ties to hold the blanket to the cane that is holding the hoops in place on the apex, that way you can still roll each side up.

[Stacey Steve]

I found a photo showing the hoop ends on my "Salad Bar"

[Two_Sheds]

SS, your net tunnels are fab they are. I'm green with envy.

I don't use fleece anymore ... s0dding stuff just rips in the slightest bit of wind. Voile net curtain does the same job, but is much tougher. Buy it from Sunday markets and sew lengths together to get the size you want

[Stacey Steve]

If you look in the big fabric shops (like Bensons I think), OH goes to them, she buys roll ends at really low prices. About 20p a metre but gets rolls of 40-50 metres at a time. So well long enough for doing beds.

I have resisted using this as she would want tie backs, cafe style cloches etc.

As all my raised beds are the same size, I can move my cloches around and know they will fit from one to another.

Costs a bit at first but they should out last me and of course they keep out the biggest pest. Milo the magic mutt!

[hooraynana]

I got a packet of nets from Ikea - they are mega long and i think they had 2 pairs in a packet for about £2
I sewed a loop in the hem end ( the top already had one ) and i thread the blue mdpe pipe through.
Think they are fantastic - perhaps i should get out more lol

[janeyo]

OMG your net things are fabulous! I asked in the summer for some pics to give me ideas but got none, so ma now using yours as a guide. Got OH on the case! Although my beds are big so not sure yet how to counter this.

janeyo

[Stacey Steve]

Janeyo how big are your beds then as I have other ideas that may be of use.

[jlottie]

I use canes or metal supports pushed into the ground then place the piping tubes over them, this way I can raise the hoops if needed and completely remove the whole lot when I don't. To keep the fleece or netting stable over the hoops I've used small sections of pipe ( a couple of inches) sliced through on one side and then placed over the fleece and hoop. To keep the fleece/netting down at ground level, pegs are good but they do tend to rip the fleece but soil can also be used to weigh it down.

[janeyo]

Well they were 8 feet by 3 feet, but I am now remaking them to be 10 feet by 5 feet. (will have 4 plus an 8 by 4 next the greenhouse)

raised up mainly to make it look more attractive as it's the end of our garden on a slope so you get to see it all the time from the house.

Love to know your ideas