And so, our brave little 12 foot wide, 20 feet long PVC tubing structure had served us well for two winters, but was not strong or adaptable enough to handle both hot and cold months.We needed something Bionic; bigger, stronger and able to allow generous air flow.
Prompted by a heads-up from Lisa M about an ad in our local Buy and Sell, we contacted the owners of a nursery in our region who were downsizing and selling off their extra hoops. Made of metal, taller and with a wider span, at only $40 per hoop this was a perfect solution. Our only challenge was transport and once again, Lisa M came to the rescue; we were able to trailer enough hoops to construct our new 18 foot by 20 foot structure.
I began by installing the new structure over the existing house. This revealed the amount of sod I would have to remove (which was transplanted to other parts of the property), and the amount of tarmac we would still have to remove.
With the new, larger footprint prepared, we were able to dismantle the old structure. I imagine at this point the plants, which had toughed it out all winter in their plastic prison, gasped at the fresh air and breeze. The freedom this afforded our leafy greens, also welcomed hungry snackers and shitting cats. Aw, the joys of urban gardening (more about that later).
During the demolition we reserved the old plastic to re-use on the end walls. The existing walkway, once the centre of the garden, was to become the south arm of an expanded "U" shaped path.
We were now into August and the biggest tasks were still at hand; to construct the end walls with a door and windows, cover the structure with plastic, and solve our unwanted visitor problem.
Following that, we would still have to plant our winter crop while we had sufficient sunshine for things to take root.
