No thanks to Storm Kathleen.
"Portugal" my beloved polytunnel took a real beating on Saturday morning. It looks like it will not or can not be repaired.
Look at trees and grass, they're supple and bend and contort to the wind. Why build a robust structure with a few millimetres of plastic to stand up to the wind? Because (never start a sentence with because) I need my sanctuary and escape from domesticity and hoovers and to be in my and my own vegetables and plants space. Here endeth the sermon.
Of course I can not claim on the outbuildings insurance.for storm damage. I t is an act of God or Storm Kathleen even? They also do not cover ashtrays on motorcycles and chocolate teapots and chocolate fire guards.
It's less than a year old and I am not a happy bunny. We have had eleven gales this gale season. I suppose living in the countryside next to the sea which joins the Atlantic Ocean doesn't help?
It's our third polytunnel cover to get wrecked. We will have to wait and see if it stops raining and drys everywhere up and see if it can be repaired. If not I will grow my perennials and vegetables in a very damaged polytunnel or outside like we always did before I bought my first tunnel in 2013.
It's not the end of the world but it does depress me and it's been great having some where to potter about to keep dry this last winter and Autumn and Summer and now Spring.
How could a bit of expensive stretched polythene stand up to the harsh weather of eleven gales? Perhaps I should go for polycarbonate sheets next time?
Are there any countries in Europe that are no too hot to grow vegetables in Summer and don't say England Wales, Scotland or Ireland? Central Portugal appeals because its cooler than the Algarve and rains more often. Any ideas please? Somewhere relatively cheap and they speak or understand English like they do in the Algarve.Perhaps it's time to look at new pastures? Where would you grow vegetables if you lived abroad?
I read online yesterday that six out of ten of our European bought vegetables are grown under plastic in Spain. I liked growing them under our plastic in Ireland. I suppose plastic and nature are not really compatible.
Are there any cheap smallholdings in Almeria with a polythene polytunnel thrown in? There are? Almeria it is then.
I understand your devastation, I checked my greenhouse first thing this morning, I will keep everything crossed it can be repaired and you keep your sanctuary. The amount of storms each year ( I was going to put winter but it's not the only storm season) is getting ridiculous, anyone not believing climate change needs to wake up.
ReplyDeletePlease accept my sincere commiserations with regard to the damage that Storm Kathleen caused to your beloved polytunnel. I know you are never one to feel sorry for yourself and expect that you will pull up your long johns in order to move forward. Even so - ****ing Kathleen!
ReplyDeleteThank you Marlene. Yes climate change is definitely happening. The polytunnel was my pride and joy. The weathers been going down hill since Chernobyl and now the war in Ukraine. Everything looks dandy in the polytunnel this morning thankfully.
ReplyDeleteThanks YP. I feel like that Hannah Hauxwell documentary: Too long a Winter, made by Yorkshire TV.
ReplyDeleteI have blogged about her before if you search my blog.
DeleteI will do. Thanks. Is there any update on her old farm? I know it was bought because it had never had any chemical fertilizer spread on it.
ReplyDeleteA sad sight...I know how you feel..been there....horti polythene should last 3-5 years....but a storm like Kathleen is something else.
ReplyDeleteYou can understand why the polycrub has been developed in Shetland, but as far as I know the smallest one is about £3k.
It's fine to start a sentence with 'because' - or but - or and... All the stuff we were taught at school is nonsense and antithetical to good writing ! I am so sick of this weather and the storm has just about finished me off!
ReplyDeleteHi GZ. The polythene cost over nine hundred Euros. I would like a polycrub very much.
ReplyDeleteInteresting The Bike Shed. I thought they were literary rules. The storm is not good for mind, body or soul. It's been horrendous for months.
ReplyDeleteMy mother-in-law was called Kathleen. You should have seen what she could have done to it.
ReplyDeleteI had an aunt called Kathleen, Tasker. " I'll take you home again Kathleen across the ocean wide". Bing Crosby. I am up to date with all today's hits.
ReplyDeleteMany people here use shade clothes over their summer gardens. But all those tomatoes and zucchini need plenty of sunshine. You'd have a huge learning curve if you tried gardening here? Hugely different from the Irish Riviera. Poor Portugal. I hope you can repair her/him
ReplyDeleteThanks Linda. I think I would need to be near a good source of water if I lived in a hot country like yours. Our problem is the opposite with too much rain and wind. It's raining here again today. There is no let up from it.
ReplyDeleteI thought Algarve was the name of your polytunnel. So where is Algarve in real life and where is Almeria? would you leave Ireland just to be able to grow vegetables under plastic?
ReplyDeleteOne was called Algarve and the other is Portugal River. Almeria is in Spain where most of our tomatoes 🍅 come from. America lost a nuclear bomb near there. Honestly!
DeleteI feel for you.
ReplyDeleteI have 3 polytunnels, plus one now at the other end of the field ! I have lost a number of covers over the years, south west Wales is also very windy 2 years ago we lost 40ft caravan and the end of the barn, but this year we have had no serious damage, Climbing over the barn roof when you are 84 is not ideal.
One badly damaged tunnel,I repaired with heavy duty tape and kept the tunnelin use for a few more years. I used the 1" tape to 'stitch' the 2 edges together, then covered it with a wider tape. You can get tape upto 6" wide or more and its clear.
Good luck.
Kathleen in Wales
Thanks Kathy. I think we sharethe same weather. It may be possible to lose a couple of hoops and make a slightly smaller tunnel. It's throwing it down today. Thanks for the advice. All the plants and veg are none the worse for wear thankfully.
ReplyDeleteKathy seems to have the answer - we used some of that tape to repair plastic the first year we tried a plastic covered growing space - the tape lasted really well (the plastic not so much).
ReplyDeleteShe does Tigger's Mum. We have polytunnel repair tape but it's not the six inches one.
ReplyDeleteOh no! I am sorry to read this. As I did, I thought, didn't he just replace that?? I see that my memory serves me. Given these storms, I'd probably be inclined to go with the polycarbonate. It would be more expensive, but in the end, you'll save a great deal on replacement.
ReplyDeleteThanks Debby. It was inevitable that it would get wrecked sometime. But we didn't think it would be so soon.
ReplyDeleteDriving to erie with the Amish today. Levi has a question. Can you not have a tarp to pull over your poly tunnel during bad storms to protect the plastic from direct wind damage. You could pull it off and put it away when the danger is past.
ReplyDeleteProbably Debby. We would have been pulling it on and off eleven times this gale season.
ReplyDelete