Blowaway blewaway

[Jimmy]

In a recent post I mentioned I got a £10 mini greenhouse to off load my main GH of veg seedlings.
Once assembled I positioned it and placed 2 huge kerbstones on the base to prevent any chance of blowaway.
I stood back and smugly admired my cleverness!
However that well known scientific law "sod" was watching.

Yesterday evening I was watching the TV, it was quite blustery outside.
I heard a strange noise from the garden, thought some canes had blown over.
Went to investigate.
The kerbstones had suceeded, the base was indeed still in place. However the rest of the assembly had pulled the four poles from the base and the whole shebang had taken to the air and landed next to my car.
Fortunatly it was undamaged and there were no plants inside.
I think I will dismantle it till next spring.
Not quite as smug now, Jimmy.

[Bren In Pots]

Jimmy glad to hear you had no damage, there was a thread on here years ago about a blowaway that took the drain pipe it was fastened to with it when it blew over

[Penellype]

I find with these plastic covered cloches and shelf units you need to secure the plastic to the ground with something like bricks or strong pegs in several places. If you tie the plastic to the uprights without securing it (not just the frame), there is tremendous force on the joints in a strong wind. The things are made to be easy to dismantle, and anything your hands can pull apart relatively easily the wind will have no difficulty with.

The taller and narrower the structure the more likely it is to be blown over. Anything more than about 2ft high needs shelter and preferably securing to a wall or fence, unless it has a rounded top, which helps the wind to flow over it (hence the standard shape of polytunnels).

If the front is open things are much worse, as the wind gets in and has nowhere to go. I had a graphic illustration of this in 2004 when a gust of wind managed to blow open my locked up and over garage door. The garage, built of bricks, ended up in a heap in my back garden.

[Jimmy]

Well the base stayed so I think a bit of washing line from the base over the roof should secure things.
Although sod may have different ideas!
Jimmy

[4Shoes]

Aye, it has been a bit windy these last few days.

[burnie]

Only use mine inside the greenhouse as a halfway between the heated propagator and the glasshouse

[Stan79]

Bricks in the base and the tabs 3/4's of the way up the rear of the plastic cover looped into hooks screwed into the wall. Has worked brilliantly for 6 years. And the houses next to us are called Windy Ridge Cottages so you get the idea of how calm our particular spot of peace and seclusion is!!!

[Jay22]

Mine ended up at the other end of the street, didn’t know where it had gone until I drove in later and noticed my neighbour had the bits in her driveway!!

[Jimmy]

Guy across the road had an 8x6 GH clad in plastic glazing panels.
He was forever running down the street recovering bits of his GH
Had a spell of using sealant to secure them in, but to no avail.
In the end he abandoned it.
Jimmy

[Jimmy]

Latest attempt at preventing blowaway but still have space at the base.
See pic.
Also note the dam marestail peeking out from under the flags!
Jimmy

[nickdub]

Drill a couple of masonry bolts in to the brickwork and wire the GH to them would be my solution - I'm not the tidiest person when it comes to solutions though :-)

[Jungle Jane]

If it’s wired to bolts how can you get the plastic cover over? I had this problem once & couldn’t work out how to wire it to the wall without having to make holes through the plastic which would make it deteriorate quicker & tear with movement etc?

[nickdub]

Not sure precisely how the plastic fits as I've never had one of these = how about if you put the bolts on then used bungee cords right the way round the front plastic and all ?

[treepixie]

Happened to me too, had all my seeds in it at the time!

[Jungle Jane]

Not sure precisely how the plastic fits as I've never had one of these = how about if you put the bolts on then used bungee cords right the way round the front plastic and all ?

Yes but put the bolts in an easy to access position because when the frames against the wall,you can’t reach behind it. My bolts are at the back in the middle but I just put patio chairs around mine