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Building a Greenhouse Over the Tomatoes - late one night!

1/5/2013

1 Comment

 
At the beginning of April, the temperatures suddenly started to get much lower at night. It seems the beginning of frosty weather was imminent. My tomatoes, which were planted very late, were growing so well - it seemed a shame to lose them! I mentioned to my husband that perhaps we should cover them with plastic or something, to see if we could keep them going a bit longer. He said something along the lines of "we need a greenhouse anyway" which got me thinking - the tomatoes were actually growing in a spot that would be pretty ideal for a small greenhouse......

On April 10th, we had a very, very light frost in the morning. THAT'S IT! I decided - off to the building supply store with a sketch and some measurements, and home with a load of supplies for a simple, quick to build greenhouse. My daughter and I began digging post holes about 5pm, shortly before my husband got home from work as it was becoming dark. "Family" said I, "We're building a greenhouse tonight, and no one is going to bed until it's done!"

So, by the light of a portable lamp, we did, indeed, build a greenhouse. The temperatures were dropping rapidly - we all had to rug up in jerseys and jackets, hats and gloves. We finished about 11pm, by which time WE were frozen. But the tomatoes were safely covered.

The funny thing is, a casual observer from a distance could have been forgiven for thinking we were working in our clandestine "weed" patch. LOL
Picture
First, a frame work of timber.

Picture
Then steel reinforcing mesh over sides and top.

Picture
Then plastic over the lot. A 4m wide roll of greenhouse plastic went up one side, over the roof, and down the other nicely. I used lighter plastic for the ends, as they're temporary - intended to be replaced with a door at the front etc later on. Meanwhile, the front is hung in two pieces which overlap when down. Simple, but it works. At 11pm my husband declared it was time for bed. Finishing touches to be added later.....

1 Comment
Tejinder
28/11/2013 02:33:04 am

You could make hoops from thick wires or PVC pipes and would have covered the hoops with plastic sheet. You could have put rug/blanket, thick cloth sheet and would have put barrels of waters for more safe could have installed Christmas lights which supplies some heat. Make sure not to leave space to loose trapped heat in side. Move with candle inside the greenhouse to find any wholes or gaps

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    This page is my blog formerly known as Kiwi Urban Homestead.

    I'm a Kiwi homeschooling mother of 5 living in a small town. After growing 1000 kg of produce in my back yard in 2013, I'm now expanding my edible gardens even further.

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