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Post by johno on Apr 6, 2007 23:24:35 GMT -5
Hey, that's a good term for them. I keep waffling on what to call 'em...
I made some steel half hoops, about 4' wide and 2' tall after being stuck into the ground. I use them on my 20' by 4' wide beds, covered with plastic sheeting. They are great for a makeshift greenhouse. I use them mostly in the winter for cool weather crops, like lettuce, spinach, cabbage, etc. They are also good for protecting biennials which probably belong in one zone warmer, such as artichokes. When my seedlings are hardened off, but it's still early for planting, I can keep them on hold in these until the time is right. Probably my favorite use for them is simply to speed up the arrival of spring for direct sown plants, or delay the onset of fall to prolong harvests.
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Post by ohiorganic on Apr 7, 2007 6:22:30 GMT -5
You can higher tunnels by using rebar. Cut 2' to 3' long pieces and stick those in the ground at an ang;e corresponding to your steel hoops and put the steel hoops on the rebar. It is also helpful to use a washer of some sort to keep the hoops from being driven into the ground by wind. My husband makes his out of scap wood. He cuts 4" x 4" pieces and drills a hole in the middle that the steel hoop goes through
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LoreD
gardener
Posts: 226
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Post by LoreD on Apr 17, 2007 9:02:13 GMT -5
The square metal frames from election signs are bigger, more sturdy, easy to store, and free. You don't have to do any cutting to fit. They work great.
LoreD
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Post by shardul on Feb 18, 2008 13:46:47 GMT -5
Hi, i am planning for low tunnels can any one please send me detailed information of exact structure of Low Tunnels, what material and dimensions
Thnx & Regards
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sammyqc
grub
Urban, small raised beds, Zone 5 (Canada)
Posts: 94
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Post by sammyqc on Feb 23, 2008 23:30:46 GMT -5
What do you guys think of these kits? Worth the price? If I bought one, it would pretty much provide for covering my two long raised beds. I'm thinking if I did some extra heating on really cold nights (hot water jugs) and extra blankies, maybe a month early for the tomatoes, and I could plant some of the colder tolerant stuff even earlier. Plus if I try to get the soil warmed up, clear plastic on top for a while, should do the trick?
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sammyqc
grub
Urban, small raised beds, Zone 5 (Canada)
Posts: 94
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Post by sammyqc on Feb 23, 2008 23:42:37 GMT -5
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Post by ohiorganic on Feb 24, 2008 7:00:30 GMT -5
Sammy, that seems really really expensive.
You can 1200' rolls of each of the plastics (though I think IRT Red is so much snake oil after doing several years of side by side tests with red, black, green and white plastics. Black did best of all of them) for about $300 ea (maybe less for the clear plastic, which is NOT row cover despite their claims. Row cover is not clear and is made from spun bond polypropolene) and the wire hoops you can get at any farm supply store for around $13US for a roll of #9 fence wire that will make around 20 7' hoops.
In other words, if you want to do some of the work yourself cutting and sizing things you can do this same thing for about 1/3 what they want to charge. granted you will have to buy plastic in bulk rolls but than you will have a lifetime supply of material which I feel is always good.
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sammyqc
grub
Urban, small raised beds, Zone 5 (Canada)
Posts: 94
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Post by sammyqc on Feb 24, 2008 15:38:34 GMT -5
I've read up on the red mulch, and wasn't going to bother with it, but it was part of my birthday present last year, so I feel like I should at least try it. I've already got it.
I wish there were some farm stores around here, the closest is actually right by where hubs works, which is a fair drive from our house, so I'll get him to stop in and check out some prices and see what kind of stuff they have. I don't want the row cover, I want the plastic to really retain the heat. I'm not so worried about bugs, or rain (knock on wood- don't want to jinx myself), but I want a greenhouse effect so I can plant early. I don't mind doing some of the work myself, but I don't want to spend 10$ on gas, to get the materials, if I can get the same kind of thing from a kit for just a bit more, kwim?
I read somewhere that clear plastic is actually better for warming up the soil, rather than black. Don't know how true that is, but either way, I was going to use garbage bags laid ontop of the beds for a week or two, to hopefully warm it up enough so that I could plant.
I've got a few of those mini greenhouse shelve things, that I use to start seeds indoors, and move the seedlings outdoors weather permitting. I usually wind up having them outside sometime in early May, and just bring them in if the forecast for that night is really cold or cover them with old wool blankets for some added protection.
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Post by johno on Feb 27, 2008 0:54:37 GMT -5
I made a low tunnel last week (in lieu of my unfinished greenhouse) for storing seedlings as I run out of room in the house. On the low end and in the middle, I put in 3' X 3' hotbeds (buried manure to give off heat.) The ground temperature inside is 55*, which is 10* warmer than the ground temperature outside - I measured that before I added a perimeter of water-filled 2 liter bottles, which is good for moderating temperatures, so it's surely better now. I have some of the more cool-tolerant seedlings out there now, and of course as I add more the weather will be warming up anyway.
Pics and readings coming soon.
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Post by johno on Feb 28, 2008 20:45:21 GMT -5
My daughter came home (with her camera) with daylight left so I could have taken some pics, but I was busy trying to save a goat... But earlier today I did take some temperatures: Soil temp inside the low tunnel is now 66*, while the soil temp outside is 45*. The low air temp last night was around 27*, so I think the thermal mass is working as intended! The air inside was noticeably warm and humid, and the plants are growing much better than they had been inside the house.
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Post by plantsnobin on Feb 28, 2008 21:36:57 GMT -5
Johno, did the goat make it? We lost a couple of newborn bunnies today, have the third inside now. First time mothers sometimes aren't sure what they are supposed to do. Hope things turned out OK for you.
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Post by johno on Feb 28, 2008 22:08:22 GMT -5
Unfortunately, no. She has been looking worse for wear over the last week - hair not so shiny, losing weight, etc. - and in the last couple of days has been bloating on and off. I found her on her side this afternoon, bloated. We tried giving her liquid antacid and mineral oil, but we couldn't get her up to walk it loose. Eventaully I tubed her to try to let the gasses out of her digestive tract, but nothing much came out. As my wife was massaging her she noticed lumps - tumors. We tried, but when we realized it was cancer and she wasn't responding to anything, I had to take her out in the field and put an end to it. She was about ten years old.
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Post by plantsnobin on Feb 28, 2008 22:35:54 GMT -5
Sorry to hear that, goats can have such wonderful personalities. 10 years is a good run. Still, even when that is what has to be done, it can be hard.
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Post by johno on Feb 28, 2008 23:25:59 GMT -5
It was hard when it was my faithful companion (man's best friend.) But with farm animals, even goats with their unique personalities, when they are suffering I have no problem killing them out of mercy.
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Post by ohiorganic on Mar 5, 2008 10:58:04 GMT -5
Sorry to hear about your goat John But on a season extension note here is a neat web page about Eliot Coleman's low tunnels, with lots of pictures mofga.org/Default.aspx?tabid=833 |
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