Blow away greenhouse.

[noviceveggrower]

Hi,
My sister has offered to buy me a big blow away greenhouse for the allotment.
I have one at home that she is thinking of getting me the same type. It has the flaps to tuck under and you can lash it down with wires and I'm sure it came with some pegs to.
My original is getting battered on the decking in the wind.
I was wondering if I did get one for down the allotment how would be the best way to stop it moving. If I dug down and buried the flaps with soil and then pegged and lashed it down could I keep it still like a poly tunnel?
Can't afford a greenhouse at the moment and I don't want a flimsy greenhouse because of the kids bashing it and I ain't just talking of my own.
Any ideas?
Thanks

[Mikey]

Does it have a frame you can secure to the decking? or is it just the cover you are concerned will blowaway?

Not sure what this looks like

[noviceveggrower]

The decking is down the bottom of the garden and very high up. Well 4 big step up not indoor steps high. And they are high when you are trying not to fall down them.
The problem is the decking is high up because the person that actually owns the house built it so he could look down on everyone. The back fence panel are busted, repair them every year and the decking boards have a certain 'bounce' to them.
The problem is the wind goes up the decking gaps and underneath the broken fence panels so the blow away starts to inflate like a hot air balloon.
Just concerned about the cover blowing away but last year the cover shook that bad it rattled several trays of seedlings onto the floor.

[Bohobumble]

The decking is down the bottom of the garden and very high up. Well 4 big step up not indoor steps high. And they are high when you are trying not to fall down them.
The problem is the decking is high up because the person that actually owns the house built it so he could look down on everyone. The back fence panel are busted, repair them every year and the decking boards have a certain 'bounce' to them.
The problem is the wind goes up the decking gaps and underneath the broken fence panels so the blow away starts to inflate like a hot air balloon.
Just concerned about the cover blowing away but last year the cover shook that bad it rattled several trays of seedlings onto the floor.

Maybe just take the one in your garden down as that sounds like a seedling massacre waiting to happen and assemble it at your allotment?

As to lashing it down, use all the guy ropes/pegs it came with and maybe try burying the flaps so the wind can't get underneath?

[noviceveggrower]

Maybe just take the one in your garden down as that sounds like a seedling massacre waiting to happen and assemble it at your allotment?

As to lashing it down, use all the guy ropes/pegs it came with and maybe try burying the flaps so the wind can't get underneath?

Think I need a new cover as I'm sure its got damaged in this lot of wind. Was flapping about quite a bit at one point today.

[Jay-ell]

Haven't been able to check my tent after the last couple of days of wind but mine has been up since last spring. I have the flaps covered with soil a little and then piled bricks down over them. I put in extra tent pegs on all the bottom rails. I added para cord from the frames top corners to their opposite bottom corner tied tight to act as internal bracing. Before I put the frame together I wrapped the ends of each of the plastic connections with a couple of layers of self amalgamating SOS pipe repair tape to create a rubber sleeve to help with strain and stop them cracking (especially when putting it together). The only space for the wind to whistle under if the door flap which is 2 foot away from a hedge for some shelter and is then help down with bricks.


The growhouse is in a sheltered area with hedges, fences and walls protecting it from some winds but still gets a reasonable decent amount of son. I'm going to be putting another one up this year's in. similar fashion to try growing melons in.

[Bill HH]

If you are erecting it on soil then from the inside using a good mallet drive in a 2x2" sharpened stake at each corner then idealy drill your frame and stake and bolt them together or perhaps just tie the frame to the stake.
Where you have it on decking an old carpet would stop air coming up from underneath.

[Jay-ell]

Haven't been able to check my tent after the last couple of days of wind but mine has been up since last spring.

Whoop whoop it seems to have survived and is still standing where I put it instead of flying about somewhere near Hexham.

I was thinking that it would probably be in tatters as on Friday morning I had to help someone put their glass and aluminium greenhouse back along the concrete to where it originally was.

[Bill HH]

Most of these blow away disasters are to be honest the fault of the owner. You cant expect any light structure to withstand a gale unless you pay good attention to securing it in a high wind. That includes garden sheds which need stakes at each corner preferably bolted through the shed corners.
My polycarb GH has at the moment large pots just touching the panels (outside) to stop them bending in a wind, its the bending that pulls them from their fixings. In the worst places I have attached canes across the centre of the panels to prevent this.

[Jay-ell]

totally agree with you Bill. So often you read reviews with the buyer complaining because the cheap flimsy lightweight grow tent blew over with the wind.
A little bit extra work and some extra bird (which don't cost much) can give a longer lasting result.

[Sarico]

my tunnel/blowaway was so good that last a long time but one windy day i wanted to make sure that everything was ok inside and as a stupid i open the zip and up in the sky ahaha.... the fram was still there put the cover was like a giant flag.... but the good news that now i have a green house and im using the frame as a netting cage... i learn my lesson

[veggiechicken]

A little bit extra work and some extra bird (which don't cost much) can give a longer lasting result.

Cheap birds, eh??

[Jay-ell]

Cheap birds, eh??

It's always a good idea to have some extra cheap birds on hand.