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By Gymgirl | This handy little garden tool is invaluable when it's time to protect your seedlings from the cold, wind, or sun or to harden them off for transplanting into the garden.
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Name: Rick Corey Everett WA 98204 (Zone 8a) Sunset Zone 5. Koppen Csb. Eco 2f              RickCorey Mar 11, 2014 7:38 PM CST |
| Thanks for the tip about perforated plastic film! I always worry that my seedlings will cook, since I leave for work while it's still cold, and any sunny day is likely to be a complete surprise. If I opened a poly tunnel every morning, they would chill before the day warmed up. If I left it closed every gray, cold morning, I'm sure that one sunny day would kill them. But if I use a perorated film, plus a sheet for extra-cold nights, maybe I can have the best of both worlds without being home to open flaps when the sun surprises everyone by coming out! Also, being able to move it around looks handy. Carrying trays one at a time makes bringing them indoors impractical. But your greenhouse could be made to fit just 3-4 trays, and carry them all at once! Thank you! Just because it ISN'T complicated doesn't mean I can't MAKE it complicated! Weather Links ~ Sunset Zones ~ Degree Days ~~ National Gardening Association Kitazawa Seeds ~ Tainong Seeds ~~ ATP Member Map ~~ My Blogs ~~ Coop Extension Finder Seriously Hot Peppers ~~ Seed Library Resources ~~ Piggy Swap Chat #11 |
Name: Anna North Texas (Zone 8a)       canadanna Mar 11, 2014 8:21 PM CST |
| Great idea! Thanks for sharing |
Name: David Reaves Austin, TX (Zone 8b)    david_reaves Mar 11, 2014 10:42 PM CST |
| I think I could make this sort of frame for a wind screen for my Earthbox planted ttomatoes. Would have to take it down when it's time for adding the plant supports, but the stems would be strong enough by then to take a good breeze. David R |
Name: Carole Clarksville, TN (Zone 6b)       SongofJoy Mar 12, 2014 3:32 AM CST |
| Very nice idea, Linda. The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched -- they must be felt with the heart. ~ Helen Keller |
Name: Debra Garland, TX (NE Dallas suburb) (Zone 8a) Service dogs: Angels with paws.          lovemyhouse Mar 12, 2014 6:34 AM CST |
 Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cackle maniacally and people back away from you slowly. |
Name: Carole Clarksville, TN (Zone 6b) SongofJoy Mar 12, 2014 6:46 AM CST |
| I have something similar to this but could make several of yours for the same cost. http://www.littlegreenhouse.co... The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched -- they must be felt with the heart. ~ Helen Keller |
Name: Linda SE Houston, Tx. (Hobby) (Zone 9a) "Godspeed, & Good Harvest!"     Gymgirl Mar 12, 2014 8:01 AM CST |
Glad this tip is helping you guys. Keep in mind, you can get PVC pipe cheap or even FREE, if you just keep your eyes open!  RickCorey The portable mini-greenhouse does not have a floor to it. The frame is set over wherever you set your seedlings trays. If you want to, I suppose you could redesign it to have a floor so you could carry your seedling trays - but, keep in mind, picking up trays of seedlings will add to the overall weight. And, if you don't glue the couplers together before you move any trays sitting on a bottom, you run the risk of the bottom falling out. Just be mindful! My Blog: Fall/Winter 2011 Veggie Garden My Cubits: Bucket Gardening! **Beginner Vegetable Growers **Growing Veggies By Zone ** |
Name: Rick Corey Everett WA 98204 (Zone 8a) Sunset Zone 5. Koppen Csb. Eco 2f RickCorey Mar 12, 2014 12:21 PM CST |
| Linda, Good points. Rigging it for carrying would be rather different. Probably that would go better if I made a sturdy tray separate from the lift-off-greenhouse/cold frame. I've been daydreaming about a portable low poly-tunnel for years, but making something both windproof and portable is challenging.   Just because it ISN'T complicated doesn't mean I can't MAKE it complicated! Weather Links ~ Sunset Zones ~ Degree Days ~~ National Gardening Association Kitazawa Seeds ~ Tainong Seeds ~~ ATP Member Map ~~ My Blogs ~~ Coop Extension Finder Seriously Hot Peppers ~~ Seed Library Resources ~~ Piggy Swap Chat #11 |
Name: Linda SE Houston, Tx. (Hobby) (Zone 9a) "Godspeed, & Good Harvest!" Gymgirl Mar 12, 2014 2:32 PM CST |
| RickCorey, A portable mini-greenhouse would fit perfectly over that little seed bed! Just change the dimensions on the length and width and height of the frames, set it over the site, and cover it up!  My Blog: Fall/Winter 2011 Veggie Garden My Cubits: Bucket Gardening! **Beginner Vegetable Growers **Growing Veggies By Zone ** |
Name: Rick Corey Everett WA 98204 (Zone 8a) Sunset Zone 5. Koppen Csb. Eco 2f RickCorey Mar 12, 2014 7:53 PM CST |
Well, it became my pole-pea raised bed once I braved gravity and crept up a ladder high enough to pound in a pair of (7' ?) green T-stakes. You probably saw it elsewhere, on the thread where you introduced me to "pea pots"  But then I could set one of your gadgets anywhere on my beds, really, like a very big cloche, and call that a seedling bed. Nurse one section until they were big enough not to bolt, then move it along to the next block. Probably also use it as a holding pen for plants trying to harden off before the weather settles. Hmm! Just because it ISN'T complicated doesn't mean I can't MAKE it complicated! Weather Links ~ Sunset Zones ~ Degree Days ~~ National Gardening Association Kitazawa Seeds ~ Tainong Seeds ~~ ATP Member Map ~~ My Blogs ~~ Coop Extension Finder Seriously Hot Peppers ~~ Seed Library Resources ~~ Piggy Swap Chat #11 |
Name: Anna North Texas (Zone 8a) canadanna Mar 12, 2014 9:20 PM CST |
| Glad you clarified the base. I got confused when I watched the video. PVC is one material I can handle although the heating part might be tricky.. I think they also make angled connectors but maybe not the right degree. |
Name: Linda SE Houston, Tx. (Hobby) (Zone 9a) "Godspeed, & Good Harvest!" Gymgirl Mar 13, 2014 8:44 AM CST |
| Canadanna, Go buy a heat gun! Trust me, it is as easy to use as a blow dryer. The key is to use one hand to keep moving it back and forth on the area you want to bend. You can feel it getting soft enough after about 20-30 seconds, then you just gently guide it on the bend with the other hand. Make the jig in ldsprepper's video, and use it for all the A-frames. It goes pretty quickly with that jig. And, if you need to customize a jig, turn it over and use the other side, too. The heat gun will pay for itself after a few bends. It costs a LOT less to just bend the PVC with the heat gun. Those couplers can add up quickly. Here's the model I use. About $25 at Home Depot or Walmart. It is well worth it to have around for other PVC bending/heat projects, too. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Wag... Watch out for sales, too. I got mine for $20, on sale. My Blog: Fall/Winter 2011 Veggie Garden My Cubits: Bucket Gardening! **Beginner Vegetable Growers **Growing Veggies By Zone ** |
Name: Anna North Texas (Zone 8a) canadanna Mar 13, 2014 9:38 PM CST |
| Thanks for the info! |
Name: Rick Corey Everett WA 98204 (Zone 8a) Sunset Zone 5. Koppen Csb. Eco 2f RickCorey Mar 14, 2014 12:03 PM CST |
| I finally followed the "PVC bending" link and learned that it's OK if the pipes get some kinks when bent. I had given up on bending PVC when I read about ways to prevent it from kinking: too much work. I started thinking about using EMT conduit instead. I wonder if I could prevent kinks by using enough nails to give each bend a wider radius? Just because it ISN'T complicated doesn't mean I can't MAKE it complicated! Weather Links ~ Sunset Zones ~ Degree Days ~~ National Gardening Association Kitazawa Seeds ~ Tainong Seeds ~~ ATP Member Map ~~ My Blogs ~~ Coop Extension Finder Seriously Hot Peppers ~~ Seed Library Resources ~~ Piggy Swap Chat #11 |
Name: Linda SE Houston, Tx. (Hobby) (Zone 9a) "Godspeed, & Good Harvest!" Gymgirl Mar 14, 2014 1:29 PM CST |
| Rick, When you're bending the PVC for these A-Frames, they don't make that much of a kink to really matter.... I actually have some old play sand I could fill my tubes with before bending them, but, it's not all that for a project like this. Once the bends cool (in about a minute), they're still solid. And, the tubes only flatten wall-to-wall if you heat them to red hot before bending them. I keep the gun moving from side to side, heating the whole area as equally as possible. As soon as the tube starts bending down, I give it a tiny bit of pressure, backing off on the heat gun. My kinks aren't flattened entirely... Hope this helps! Linda My Blog: Fall/Winter 2011 Veggie Garden My Cubits: Bucket Gardening! **Beginner Vegetable Growers **Growing Veggies By Zone ** |
Name: Rick Corey Everett WA 98204 (Zone 8a) Sunset Zone 5. Koppen Csb. Eco 2f RickCorey Mar 14, 2014 3:33 PM CST |
| >> Hope this helps! Definitely. Just knowing that "a little kinkiness is OK" makes the project sound 2-3 times easier. Ummm, that didn't come out sounding quite right ...  Just because it ISN'T complicated doesn't mean I can't MAKE it complicated! Weather Links ~ Sunset Zones ~ Degree Days ~~ National Gardening Association Kitazawa Seeds ~ Tainong Seeds ~~ ATP Member Map ~~ My Blogs ~~ Coop Extension Finder Seriously Hot Peppers ~~ Seed Library Resources ~~ Piggy Swap Chat #11 |
Name: Linda SE Houston, Tx. (Hobby) (Zone 9a) "Godspeed, & Good Harvest!" Gymgirl Mar 14, 2014 4:03 PM CST |
| No, not at all, LOL! Have a great weekend! My Blog: Fall/Winter 2011 Veggie Garden My Cubits: Bucket Gardening! **Beginner Vegetable Growers **Growing Veggies By Zone ** |
Name: Rick Corey Everett WA 98204 (Zone 8a) Sunset Zone 5. Koppen Csb. Eco 2f RickCorey Mar 14, 2014 4:06 PM CST |
| You, too! I think it's time to "hoe, hoe, hoe, MERRRY Weeding" Just because it ISN'T complicated doesn't mean I can't MAKE it complicated! Weather Links ~ Sunset Zones ~ Degree Days ~~ National Gardening Association Kitazawa Seeds ~ Tainong Seeds ~~ ATP Member Map ~~ My Blogs ~~ Coop Extension Finder Seriously Hot Peppers ~~ Seed Library Resources ~~ Piggy Swap Chat #11 |
  sondradudl Mar 29, 2016 12:07 PM CST |
I've known about the full size version but air head me didn't think to make one the size of bed and it shorter. So I wouldn't be able to stand up in it. Can't wait to get the supplies and get mine made. My garden bed is small about 4 x 4 so not to hard.  |
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