I am trying again, I don't work very fast so the site times me out before I can finish a post. This
time I am writing it all in notepad first
I don't know if using the stuff you have on hand as gear rather than using it for it's intended
purposes qualifies this post for this forum or not, but the fact that Mr Fokin took what he had to
make what he needed, made me think I could do this.
I am going to build a greenhouse that I can stand up in, yet narrow enough so it doesn't
interfere with the other requirements for my little corner of the apartment complex. Among the parts
to build it is some 18" rebar stakes, pretty expensive if you ask me, but I only need 10 and I
don't have the equipment to cut it, so, I bought it.
Rebar is regularly used in cement work but I am using it as a type of post anchor for the PVC
pipe to make the hoops of my greenhouse. The pressure of the bend helps it stay in place over the rebar but in order for it to be tall enough I had to use two pvc pipes joined by a connector coupling and glued. I found out quickly though, that you can't bend a jointed 18' of 3/4" PVC into an arc with a base of only 6'. The coupling will not hold, at least not the couplings I have on hand. So instead of being defeated, and giving up I decided to just use one 10' section at each end of the garden I had so far. I'd worry about the rest of it later, along with exactly where to put the greenhouse. I now know I have some modifications to make.
I was in a panic about losing my tender babies I got the idea of skipping the frame I worked on for the greenhouse and just focus on a way to hold plastic off my plants for a day or two so they would survive this cold snap. I could always uncover them during the day. Then it just hit me that I didn't really need the frame anyway not for this short time and I could just use the rebar without it. The frame is just insurance for longevity.
As a tool I first used the rebar to make holes in the ground for marker stakes that I made from lose twigs and branches that wouldn't hold up to pounding into this hard ground. It was the only thing I could think of at the time, now my long screwdriver is coming to mind, oh well too late now. I also used it to make furrows for my radish, bean and Brussels sprout seeds.
Come to think of it PVC isn't meant for hoop-houses any more than rebar was meant to anchor it in place, so I'll take this as a double win for creativity... or just panic mode clear thinking.
Okay let's see if this posts up,
Evelyn