The Poultry Keeper

fenwoman · Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 12:56 pm Post subject: home made polytunnel?

Has anyone here made their own polytunnel or greenhouse using the blue water pipe and weither polytunnel plastic sheeting or that corrugated clear plastic?
I am clearing an unused space between the cochin runs and the hedge where my old conmpost heaps used to be and want to build a tunnel or summat. I plan on making better use of the space I have here this year, tidying up and generally sorting out. I have got too much junk laying about and too many odd corners doing nothing but collectiing said junk. Must get a skip delivered and have a big sort out and clean up, hard work and effort always helps to lift a fit of depression for me.

jaydee67 · Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 3:48 pm Post subject:

Not made one but read a good tip somewerhe - use steel reinforcing rods inside the water pipes to give stability, curve round to shape and leave some out each end for pusing into the ground.

fenwoman · Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 4:01 pm Post subject:

yikes steel rods sound expensive and how the heckanory do I bend steel rods?

jaydee67 · Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 4:40 pm Post subject:

We have some here left over from building the garage - but there's that distance thing again. AFAIK they come in different thicknesses and you wouldn't want the thicker ones! They can be bent over a barrel for smaller polytunnels - guess it depends how big you want it - and how windy it is where you live!

Motherbird · Joined: 26 Oct 2005 Posts: 54 Location: Dorset

there is a pattern for a poly tunnel in my Smallholdings magazine, made from bits of wooden battening and blue water pipe. How can I get you a photo copy?

Spana · Joined: 30 Apr 2005 Posts: 2133 Location: North Cornwall

Which one is it in Motherbird?

Motherbird · Joined: 26 Oct 2005 Posts: 54 Location: Dorset

Have to go and have a look, brb

Motherbird · Joined: 26 Oct 2005 Posts: 54 Location: Dorset

February, Artical called - Rising from the Ashes by Joe Jacobs, page 33.

Spana · Joined: 30 Apr 2005 Posts: 2133 Location: North Cornwall

Sorry, got Jan, March April but no Feb so cant help, sorry

kittoch · Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 170 Location: glasgow

think i posted on pp about making tunnels from the blue water pipe/and battening...........i seen it on allotments near here, and first one i seen had used the pipe salvaged from a skip, embedded in the ground and bit of cement round the bases of them, and wooden battening on inside around 4ft up, running full length.......lady that had it told me it had been up 5 years and skin cost her around 60 quid...it was a good sized tunnel, and that was her only cost...everything else was skip/dump found............including the green windbreak mesh stuff she had actually covered the tunnel over with, cut out a lot of u.v, so prolonging the skins life, shaded her plants in summer (in winter she took it off), and helped stop the scummy neds from damaging it when they periodically ran amok through the site. Evil or Very Mad