Polytunnel protection

[spamvindaloo]

I have never had any problems with my polytunnel on the allotment whilst almost everyone else has. I put this down to doing exactly as skeggijohn suggests, i staked every down post in the polytunnel frame to a sturdier post buried at least 2-3 ft in the ground, then just used a couple of heavy duty zip ties to strap the posts together, this and burying the cover all the way round in a trench.

Thanks unclefudgly. That's kind of what I was intending to do - I'd planned to use the screw in ground anchors at each corner and at a couple of points along the sides (with it being 6m long) then fasten the frame to the anchors using cable ties and then trench the cover. I was mainly wondering what skeggijon was doing with the ratchet straps...

[skeggijon]

I'm trying to picture how you use the ratchet straps....the only thing I can come up with is a long strap around the outside of the tunnel and over the frame and then fed underneath the cover and frame and joined in the middle but I would have thought that would put a lot of pressure on the frame so I suspect I am completely wrong....

Or am I getting completely the wrong end of the stick and the ratchet straps are just to keep the frame in place and not to keep the cover taut?

Can I ask how you use the straps and perhaps any other suggestion for getting the cover taut on a cheap tunnel?

The straps are hooked onto the frame and then ratcheted down. they are just for the frame, but if the frame is really secure and the cover is fitted properly with th side flaps fully buried, it should give you a nice tight cover.

I'll try to remember to take some pics over the weekend, but after the horrendous winds we've had this week, my tunnel hasn't budged an inch, whilst a couple of people on the site have lost theirs.

[DeniseOlive]

to hold my poly down I have added plastic ropes over the top at each end, secured to brick, pots - anything heavy .