I am venturing into the challenging arena of 4 season gardening. I tried a small amount of crops for late fall harvest. That went about 50/50. But I have been reading and learning more and more.
I do want to invest in economical/durable collapsible tunnels to get a jump start on the season and extend the harvest into winter. I live in WV zone 6. Typical winters avg in the 20's for lows. It does sometimes get into the teens and and single digits. Once and awhile below 0. I would think the benefit of fleece is that it does allow more sun and moisture as well as air circulation. With some frost protection. The poly would not allow water or air circulation, but would have more of a greenhouse effect.
I want tunnels that are easy to access, collapsible, easy to store, and economical.
Any recommendations? Thanks!
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evtubbergh
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I will be interested to see what people say. We used fleece on small trees last winter and it helped but was not completely effective. The thing is we put it on late and in some cases incorrectly so this s not a definitive test at all.
This year I would like to help get proper protection on all sensitive plants in time and correctly and I have suggested a mixture of fleece and plastic for different plants, depending on their needs.
Everything you say is true. I would think it is very cold in the US so that poly-tunnels are the best option. You can also allow movement of air during the day, depending on the amount of work that would take.
We use conduiting on metal stakes and then overlay the material. Fixing the material is a challenge but we have staff to do it. This is collapsible because the conduiting are very thin and you can simply fold whatever material you are using. On the other hand, it is labour intensive. I will get some photos for you.
This year I would like to help get proper protection on all sensitive plants in time and correctly and I have suggested a mixture of fleece and plastic for different plants, depending on their needs.
Everything you say is true. I would think it is very cold in the US so that poly-tunnels are the best option. You can also allow movement of air during the day, depending on the amount of work that would take.
We use conduiting on metal stakes and then overlay the material. Fixing the material is a challenge but we have staff to do it. This is collapsible because the conduiting are very thin and you can simply fold whatever material you are using. On the other hand, it is labour intensive. I will get some photos for you.
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applestar
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I'm still only casually trying different things, but my conclusion so far is that I'm going to need something more permanent or semi-permanent/sturdy for the "winter months" -- defining this as when the ground is frozen.
I like the concept of walk-in height double poly tunnel with internal low fleece tunnels in case of severe low temp.
With hoop type structures, the support system needs to be in place with no room for adjustment BEFORE the ground freezes.
With any type of covering but especially loose fleece and poly, serious thoughts about HOW TO SECURE THE BOTTOMS. When air is frigid, poly stiffens and is difficult to manipulate. When ground is frozen, the material also freezes to the ground and fleece will rip easily.
Also MUST consider the force exerted when strong winter wind gets in somehow -- but venting may be necessary on warmer sunny days for a tight structure with poly.
Also must consider collapsing under weight of ice and snow.
Ergo -- air-tight structure with sturdy (and automatic) vent system and personal access ABOVE average frozen ground level as well as what to do if it snows above the access sill. I'm stuck at this point because it seems like some serious construction is in order and this is looking more like a greenhouse.
But for a temporary seasonal tunnel structure, I'm thinking I still need a solid insulated north wall/entry/vent. I've been thinking about using DIY shed braces/brackets somehow.
Another BIG problem for me is the angle of the sun during winter. ALL of my backyard and side yard becomes blocked by neighbors houses and a stand of trees on the east-southeast of the property and there is no where that gets any significant amount of direct sun. Only winter sunny space is in way out in the front yard on the side away from the front door and impossible to get to from the back door if the garden gate freezes in the snow
I like the concept of walk-in height double poly tunnel with internal low fleece tunnels in case of severe low temp.
With hoop type structures, the support system needs to be in place with no room for adjustment BEFORE the ground freezes.
With any type of covering but especially loose fleece and poly, serious thoughts about HOW TO SECURE THE BOTTOMS. When air is frigid, poly stiffens and is difficult to manipulate. When ground is frozen, the material also freezes to the ground and fleece will rip easily.
Also MUST consider the force exerted when strong winter wind gets in somehow -- but venting may be necessary on warmer sunny days for a tight structure with poly.
Also must consider collapsing under weight of ice and snow.
Ergo -- air-tight structure with sturdy (and automatic) vent system and personal access ABOVE average frozen ground level as well as what to do if it snows above the access sill. I'm stuck at this point because it seems like some serious construction is in order and this is looking more like a greenhouse.
But for a temporary seasonal tunnel structure, I'm thinking I still need a solid insulated north wall/entry/vent. I've been thinking about using DIY shed braces/brackets somehow.
Another BIG problem for me is the angle of the sun during winter. ALL of my backyard and side yard becomes blocked by neighbors houses and a stand of trees on the east-southeast of the property and there is no where that gets any significant amount of direct sun. Only winter sunny space is in way out in the front yard on the side away from the front door and impossible to get to from the back door if the garden gate freezes in the snow
My poly film tunnels are easy to store but those which are of walk-in size do not have re-use for the same purpose. What I mean is that they have a framed window at one end and the other end is either a simple framed door or a shed. The 2nd year use for the poly film is as a short, low tunnel because I have attached it to the wood frames with lathe and nails. Those parts will have holes and that part of the film will be cut off. I still have a fairly big piece of film for shorter tunnels, however.
Hoops are pvc pipes set over rebar driven into the ground. It only takes a few minutes to roll the film, dismantle everything, and shove it out of sight into the crawl space under one room of the house.
AppleStar, I don't know what you can do about the winter shade problem. Is it for the entire season? My sunlight problem for the greenhouse is 3-fold: lots of cloudy winter days, few hours of sunlight, and a very low sunlight angle here at the 48th parallel ...
If you build something with wood, won't that have to stay up though the year? If it was only a wall, would that be okay?
When I built a greenhouse at another home I knew that it would be dismantled and moved in a few years. It was built against the south wall of my garage, a lean-to. I used bolts for those 3 walls and roof. When I moved, my new garage wasn't in the right place so I built a wall ... the greenhouse leaned against that, until it was replaced by a larger structure.
You could use pipe fittings to attach the hoops to free-standing wall.
Steve
Hoops are pvc pipes set over rebar driven into the ground. It only takes a few minutes to roll the film, dismantle everything, and shove it out of sight into the crawl space under one room of the house.
AppleStar, I don't know what you can do about the winter shade problem. Is it for the entire season? My sunlight problem for the greenhouse is 3-fold: lots of cloudy winter days, few hours of sunlight, and a very low sunlight angle here at the 48th parallel ...
If you build something with wood, won't that have to stay up though the year? If it was only a wall, would that be okay?
When I built a greenhouse at another home I knew that it would be dismantled and moved in a few years. It was built against the south wall of my garage, a lean-to. I used bolts for those 3 walls and roof. When I moved, my new garage wasn't in the right place so I built a wall ... the greenhouse leaned against that, until it was replaced by a larger structure.
You could use pipe fittings to attach the hoops to free-standing wall.
Steve
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pepperhead212
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Here is an album of photos I took of many greens I grew under cover, showing the setup, dates, etc. This was the first year I did this, so I was not sure what was going to happen! Each time I heard that it was going to get down in the single digits, I would go out and harvest whatever I could, figuring that it may be the last harvest, but a couple weeks later, it would look like some of them had not been touched, they would grow back so fast!
https://s24.photobucket.com/user/pepperh ... t=2&page=1
I made hoops of 1/2" conduit, using a pipe bender, and now I secure them to the ground with a length of 1" PVC, with tees and short lengths of pipe to give something to put the hoops into. Here is a photo showing the setup, plus the T-tape irrigation setup I use. I just leave that there the entire winter, but usually don't need it again after sometime in Nov., until the spring comes.
https://s24.photobucket.com/user/pepperh ... ort=6&o=28
I use remnant poly film from greenhouse makers, and that lasted 4 years, and I only replaced it because of holes I had made in it - it was not decomposing! This year I got a piece 85'x17' for $22 something! Plus shipping, but I was amazed how little I paid for it.
I forgot to add, that I have never had a problem with moisture under the poly. These plants don't seem prone to any fungal diseases, as would happen with many other plants. The cold may have something to do with that, too!
https://s24.photobucket.com/user/pepperh ... t=2&page=1
I made hoops of 1/2" conduit, using a pipe bender, and now I secure them to the ground with a length of 1" PVC, with tees and short lengths of pipe to give something to put the hoops into. Here is a photo showing the setup, plus the T-tape irrigation setup I use. I just leave that there the entire winter, but usually don't need it again after sometime in Nov., until the spring comes.
https://s24.photobucket.com/user/pepperh ... ort=6&o=28
I use remnant poly film from greenhouse makers, and that lasted 4 years, and I only replaced it because of holes I had made in it - it was not decomposing! This year I got a piece 85'x17' for $22 something! Plus shipping, but I was amazed how little I paid for it.
I forgot to add, that I have never had a problem with moisture under the poly. These plants don't seem prone to any fungal diseases, as would happen with many other plants. The cold may have something to do with that, too!
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applestar
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I totally forgot about this discussion but having re-discovered it, will post photos of my *almost* completed structure and will update with relevant details later and try to flesh out the discussion with links to other threads and helpful comments that have been posted in the 2015~2021 interim that have contributed to realizing my own project 
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applestar
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I was going to do a little here a little there and be willing to give it up if it got too cold or too hard this year.
But this video is making me greedy/ ambitious…. (MUST prioritize — structural snow accumulation bracing/support and internal low tunnels first!)
But this video is making me greedy/ ambitious…. (MUST prioritize — structural snow accumulation bracing/support and internal low tunnels first!)
How Our Winter Garden Survived -23°F (-31°C) With No Heat - YouTube
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