Storm Doris Had it in for my Polytunnel :(

[cheapskate chaz]

Hi Marie, that`s exactly how my polytunnel looked last year, except is was on my neighbours allotment! haven`t errected my new one yet, just been marking out the new site, and getting suitable tie downs so it doesn`t happen again! hopefully. I`m using dog stakes to hold it all down with tow rope tied to the upper joints, I`ll take pics when it happens so you`ll get the drift.
Now then, the thought of a "female cave" ? do you dress up in animal skin?

[craftymarie]

@Chaz Oh no I would have felt so much worse if it had landed in a neighbour's garden. On mine, the cover was strapped down to the metal frame of the PT but perhaps should have anchored it properly as well - wasn't expecting it to move with concrete blocks over the base!

Polytunnels clearly need a lot of anchoring down to protect them from stormy weather.

@Trip so sorry to read about your greenhouse. Hope it won't involve too much in the way of repair. Not nice that you had to rush to work and could not check it all out properly.

I thought the winds were worse this afternoon. The netting came off my kale, no big deal but too windy to put it back on. Not sure if my kale is hammered as it is all leaning over to one side where the wind has blown it. What a pain.

And yes Dorothy, I am badly wanting a greenhouse but I didn't plan it like this just to get my way ha ha Got to find someone with a mini digger to clear the land first and level it as too large and too full of stones for us to dig it ourselves. Then we shall no doubt be arguing over the sizing but I say bigger is best!

[Bigmallly]

What I did with my tunnels Marie was put like a raised bed all round the base and fastened the bottom bars to it, I then threw ropes over the top of the tunnel & fastened them to the bottom timbers...........has been ok for 3 years so far................touch wood.............

[Penellype]

Sorry to hear about your polytunnel Craftymarie

Wind is incredibly destructive and anything like polythene or fine insect mesh just acts like a sail, putting tremendous force on the frame and anchors. I once put insect mesh on a walk-in fruit cage in summer. It lasted a week before a 20mph wind broke the plastic joints of the cage. On another occasion a polycarbonate sheet weighed down by 4 bricks took off in the wind and sailed over a 4ft high blueberry bush complete with the bricks.

I have a blowaway walk-in greenhouse frame which I use as a fruit cage in the summer, covered with insect mesh. Instead of draping the net over the frame, I fasten it under the frame using these clips https://www.harrodhorticultural.com/...s-pid9232.html. If the wind gets too strong the clips pull off the frame without damaging it, which has happened a couple of times. Whether these would be big enough to go onto a polytunnel frame I'm not sure though.

[Tripmeup]

Hopefully you can ressurect the tunnel Marie until the greenhouse arrives.. And yes, you are right ☺️Go for the biggest one you can!!

Well I got home to check the greenhouses and two are fine.. However I had taken the door off the third one and forgot to put it back on.
So disaster unfortunately with the roof more or less banjaxed!!
Including the panel I had replaced with the glass last year... Found that smashed too and it was a heavy pane, so shows the strength of the wind..

[lmayhow]

Oh no sorry to hear of peoples Doris issues our new pvc greenhouse decided to take up flying even though hubby had secured it to the base.... in the end we were outside when he was home from his night shift we carried it to a corner section of garden between a tree and fence and staked it down a million times (lots of holes in the grass now) 2 pvc panels broken and a little bent metal we seem to have gotten of lightly I guess....

But you couldn't go into the garden in the dark otherwise you would probably trip over stake lines

Good luck all!!!!!