The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: Izzy on January 27, 2024, 05:26:57 pm
-
I have a second hand 6’x4’ greenhouse. It is bolted into railway sleepers. It is in the middle of my veg patch away from trees and hedges. I live at low altitude in central Scotland. We have just had some seriously windy weather and I have lost 9 panes of glass. I can live with the inconvenience and cost but I am really scared of the threat to life/limb. As far as I can see all the broken glass stayed within my garden but……and obviously you would avoid going out during the storm but you could be out there retrieving something in the teeth of a gale…..it terrifies me.
So…..the rubber tubing that the panes are set against is very old…..also not very rubbery…..would replacing that help? Or ratchet straps all round the greenhouse during winter? Or sticky tape? Please let me know what you advise
-
I have heard of people wrapping their greenhouse in cling film. Or you could replace the glass with polycarbonate.
I put my greenhouse inside my polytunnel as it's very windy here near Biggar. Now the cover has flown off the tunnel, I suppose the greenhouse will be the next to go.
-
Thank you F….that sounds like an achievable task. (I have vague recollections of a teacher’s car being wrapped in loo roll on the last day of sixth year.)
-
Thank you F….that sounds like an achievable task. (I have vague recollections of a teacher’s car being wrapped in loo roll on the last day of sixth year.)
....and the loos in the David Hume Tower at Edinburgh Uni (notoriously poor lighting) being covered in cling film. Those were the days :innocent:
-
I know it sounds a major job, but is there no way you could move it?
Ours is sheltered from the North, East and west by shrubs, (admittedly the leylandii to the east has got out of hand, needs major cutting back), but for safety and comfort and dealing with outside pots, its worth it.
shelter doesn't have to be very tall, eaves at the most.
-
Get rid of the glass, polycarbonate is much safer, the twin wall will help with head retention and will accept a more robust method of securement.
I suffer a lot from wind here (Ooo Errr ) in Aberdeenshire and in recent years have taken to deglazing and removing plastic covers from the greenhouses for the winter, a small price to pay.
-
We wrapped ours in plastic roll, a bit thicker than cling film. Usually though you lose panes if the greenhouse is not windtight. Presumably the pressure builds up inside during a big gust and the weakest pane goes. After that the wind can get in and then it's just a glass windbreaker.
-
We wrapped ours in plastic roll, a bit thicker than cling film. Usually though you lose panes if the greenhouse is not windtight. Presumably the pressure builds up inside during a big gust and the weakest pane goes. After that the wind can get in and then it's just a glass windbreaker.
I just have a plastic greenhouse, but that is exactly what happens.
Mine has a double side zip opening door, and when I let the dogs out at 10 on the night of that really wild storm a few weeks ago, I noticed the zips were about 6 inches up from the ground. It was too wild and woolly to go out so I left it - next morning the whole cover had blown off, even the guy ropes had been torn from it. But at least it was still there and I pulled it back over the frame
Next storm a few nights later I zipped it right to the ground and put heavy plant pots in front of it. Next morning nothing had moved and greenhouse was intact
So make sure there are no gaps in the door or ventilation window if you have one. Tape them shut and put a stopper of some sort on the door so, it can't slide open
-
Hi! You can use ratchet straps to help distribute the load evenly.
duct tape I don't think is a good idea
you can replace the glass with polycarbonate sheets. polycarbonate is more resistant to impact and wind compared to glass, and is safer