"General Schvantzkoph" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 09 Mar 2011 08:28:16 +1100, David Hare-Scott wrote:

General Schvantzkoph wrote:
I'm thinking of using some plastic sheeting to form a temporary
greenhouse or more precisely a green tent. I've been using steel garden
fencing poles as plant stakes. I'm thinking of putting them out earlier
this year and using them as tent poles by stretching plastic film over
them to form a tent. I'm hoping this might allow me to get an earlier
start, maybe April or early May instead of waiting to the end of May.
When the weather is reliably warm I'll take the plastic down.

I'm in Massachusetts, near New Hampshire.

I have a couple of questions,

1) Am I fooling myself? Will this really be helpful?


Yes it will help but how bold you can be starting early you will have to
work out on site.

2) What sort of plastic should I use. I see that there are things
marketed as greenhouse films. Are they any better than a roll of
plastic sheeting from Loews or Home Depot?

Plastic has various degrees of resistance to UV radiation after which it
weakens and disintegrates. The stuff that is not very resistant will
fail in a few months in the sun, the resistant will last a few years.
You pay you money and take your choice. You will need to fasten it in a
way that does not tear in a high wind.

Air circulation may become an issue. The tent may get very hot and
steamy which will encourage fungal diseases.

David

I'm only planning on keeping the plastic up in the cold months, as soon as
it's warm enough to worry about fungal diseases I'm going to take the
plastic down.

And elderly friend of mine has a plastic 'greenhouse' which she uses year
round - it's no posh structure, it is just some plastic sheeting pulled over
hoops of poly over tomato stakes - she's been using the same structure in
the same place for about 5 years at least. She lives in an area which gets
morning mists and the summers aren't overly hot but do get into the high
30sC. She just takes the ends of it in late summer until late autumn and
replaces them with plastic fruit tree netting to keep the 4 legged pests
out.