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To: Diana in Wisconsin; metmom; Pete from Shawnee Mission
Diana; updated photos. I need to thin out the tomatoes and move them to 4"x4" pots for a while. (As you intimated that I would need to do (with the exception of the 6 tomatoes I planted into the low tunnels...3 EarlyDoll and 3 Celebrity.)

Metmom; You can see the inside of the low tunnels here. You can remove sections of the low tunnel one at a time. Its not perfect, but I like this better than draping fabric over hoops and weighing it down with stones or fabric pegs. You do need to secure it against blowing away. I put them down starting on the lee side and work back to the windward side so that the structure sheds the wind. I put block the opening so the wind will not pick it up and blow it off to the next yard. I will probably try some bungee cords with hooks to secure it. Here, Red Tabby and giant viroflay spinach, Cilantro and dill, then Chinese vegetables (Chinese Cabbage, mizuma, golden Choi.) and a lone cabbage plant!

6 tomatoes in a different tunnel with chinese vegitables and lettuce. By the time the lettuce is picked --4 or 5 weeks--we will have had our last frost and I can plant basil and marigolds behind the Tomatoes.


92 posted on 04/04/2022 1:07:02 PM PDT by Pete from Shawnee Mission
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To: Pete from Shawnee Mission

Neat.

Thanks for the photos.

I showed mr. mm those and told him I want to try that.


95 posted on 04/04/2022 1:38:38 PM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith…)
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To: Pete from Shawnee Mission
Some people in windy areas reinforce their high & low tunnels with criss-crossed ropes. It helps to keep the plastic from billowing out when the wind blows in one end and also helps keep the roll up/down sides in places.

Some screw in ground anchors would give you something to lash down to as opposed to lashing to the frame like they do with high tunnels.

There are quite a few different styles. Some might work better in sand where another would be better for clay.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=screw+in+ground+anchors&iax=images&ia=images

The orange ones above are 15" long with a 4" dia helix and are 4 for $20. https://milspecanchors.com/ground-screw-anchor-1-2-x-15-with-4-helix-set-of-4/

Orange Screw ™ brand looks like they'd be good for rocky soil but are pricey. $25 for two large anchors. https://www.orangescrew.com/products/large-ground-anchor-black-2-pack

I would imagine you'd find china knock offs on ebay/amazon. They were designed with tens and canopies in mind. Paracord would work good as the rope/line because it's smooth and less apt to rub through the plastic. It's also strong and cheap.

I made a bunch of ground screw anchors once using 1/4" fender washers which are thin and almost 1 1/2" outside diameter. I made a cut with tin snips from the outside edge to the center hole and then used pliers to bend into a helix. Then I slid one on an eye bolt and tack welded it and repeated for the rest. That was for Florida sand and just holding 4x8 tarps for a day.

For this clayey loam I have here in MO, I would use 3/8" fender washers and eye bolts or maybe try and find 3/8" rod or #3 rebar, cut them to length and bend my own eye on one end. The #3 means 3/8". The #4 rebar is 4/8" aka half inch. A 20 foot length or #3 rebar is $15 or so and fender washers are $0.30 ea. That's a lot of anchors for $25-30.00 but I have a welder and torch so that would work for me.

97 posted on 04/05/2022 9:00:47 AM PDT by Pollard (PureBlood -- https://youtube.com/watch?v=VXm0fkDituE)
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