I tried building a hinged hoop house, raised bed baths but it was a BATTLE!

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Which project did you prefer? The bath beds or the mini polytunnel?

[@kimstockwell721]

polytunnel as I'm about to make some.

[@logtothebase2]

Polytunnel.

[@leslietarboxjr4287]

Polytunnel is quite awesome but My mom use to use clawfoot bathtubs, old tractor tires or anything else she could find for garden tubs or flower tubs, so I guess I am partial to bath beds. Love everything that you do because you put your heart and soul in everything you do.

[@lesliedickinson198]

both are good projects for different reasons and btw the baths if you use sifted soil and compost will give you perfect straight carrots,,,,,if you want to be extra cautious with carrot fly try addine a few onions to the planting as they dont like the onions

[@alangordon1677]

I think you will find the mini polytunnel very limiting because they are height restricted down the sides. I have square covers on my raised beds covered in Veggi Mesh which are at least 25 inches high. This means there is no height restrictions along the edges, however my onion sets still reached the top of the covers.

[@andyc972]

Thanks Vikki, I love your enthusiasm ! Your carrots will happily grow in sand and will fork if sown in over-fertile soil so consider this when you formulate the sowing medium in the bath-bed ! I know you were frustrated with the polythene, but the hoop house came out great ! I think you need to get some compost heaps up and running, get that donkey dung creating fab compost !

[@dianahenderson]

Nice job...garden is coming together nicely! ...Although my back is starting to ache just watching you!😂

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks 😆😆😆😆

[@kinetic747]

The word I'd use to describe you is "resourceful" as well as inspirational 😊

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks! Limitations, or not wanting to spend unnecessarily really do make you think more creatively!

[@shirleyfielden8006]

Loved your raised bed covers. Have you thought of using enviromesh instead of plastic sheet. It lets the water through, and keeps the insects and wildlife out. Just a thought. I use it and it does the job.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks so much. I'm currently getting some samples from premiere nettings to check out as plan on using mesh with the others for brassicas, etc. Are you referring to the insectonet one?

[@shirleyfielden8006]

@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK I just know it as enviromesh which I get from my garden centre. Comes on a roll. Not expensive . You could use it on your baths too. Keep off the carrot fly!!!

[@hutchinson69]

Don't let perfection be the enemy of good. They look great.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Great words! I'll pass that on to Mr TCD 😆

[@njuham]

The area is starting to look very managed and tidy, come summer it will look very nice and mature. Earlier it looked like a field of muck and mud - what a change!

[@duncanstreet4955]

So impressed by your work ethic, both you and Mr TCD! Things look great -the difference in a relative short time is great to see. Keep up the great work!

[@dodgem259]

Regarding the hinged polytunnel, to support it staying open I was thinking of the locking method that is used by old wood clothes horses and old wooden deck chairs where you lift them open and a rod catches a cut out in the wood to hold the rod in place. I remember this method well on my mothers old wooden clothes horse. To open it all you did was grab the top part and lift, as you lifted the horse a bottom piece would slide into a notch that was cut into the base. When you wanted to collapse the horse all you did was lift the up the horse and it would come out of the notch and collapse into a small pile. You could do the same. drill in a piece of dowel onto the inside of the lid frame then have a piece of wood mounted to the base of the raised bed with a notch cut of it so it catches the dowel. This would keep the lid open. It's a very very simple locking mechanism made out of wood.

[@sandraallen4142]

That's a great idea, I was wondering about that too

[@JohnJones-wo1bc]

I loved the way that you upcycled those baths. Ugly into practical. A lot of hard work, but boy do they look good. Loving the journey.

[@ronguille9721]

I've waited until mid or more in April before planting Courgettes. They come on quickly at that point planted right in the vegetable bed as seed, with the summer temps. They don't need a polytunnel unless you have "starters" ready to be planted. Those could just be put in larger pots and left in the greenhouse until being planted in the beds. Generally a polytunnel is used for early crops likes salad greens etc. and again used late in the season for the same.

[@mikebe2090]

I’m blown away by these raised beds & the covers you’ve made, you must be really proud 😊. One of the things I love about your channel is you keep it real. I think we all watch this & think I could give that a go 👍

[@davidnash9343]

Your videos are a highlight of my week. That poly tunnel looks fantastic

[@katieallen3927]

I use old sponges in drainage holes; keeps the soil in and lets the water drain out.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks for the tip! Might do that for the overflow as took it off to frame close to it

[@m0ther0ne]

Love your beds. Plant a row of carrots and the a row of onions together. They are companion plants and confuse their predators.

[@davidkettell5726]

I love your accent,it takes me back to my youth in Leicestershire ,i could listen to you all day. Forty four years in the U.S. AND NO DESIRE TO COME BACK TO COLD WET DAMP MISERABLE WEATHER You should always have a comfy chair and a bottle of wine in your greenhouse . I know my wife does and on rainy days i get several hours of peace and quiet ?

[@stephenhall5430]

Amen😅

[@darrenpaulgreen]

Great job Vickie! For the plastic, I found that polytunnel suppliers offer a really decent polythene that will be far more robust. They offer a size meant for this purpose rather than full-size poly tunnels. Try northern polytunnels.

[@susanelms4590]

Oh wow what a transformation I’m absolutely loving your videos. Thank you 😊

[@thegodsonuk]

I thought I had posted this already so sorry if duplicated. If heavy barrow gets stuck in mud pull it instead of pushing it .. less likely to bog down … have fun.

[@OriginalRaveParty]

Great progress. It's a lot of work, but you are ploughing through it all, and soon enough the land will start working for you instead 💪

[@shaun30-3-mg9zs]

Hi Vikkie, great job on making the mini poly tunnels, now you have them hinged screw a piece of wood on both ends so as you lift the cover the wood drops down using the screw as a pivot and it will act as a prop to hold up the canopy. Great video Take care

[@stephenhall5430]

You my dear are one energetic knowledgeable lady. Not afraid to tackle anything. Good job.😅

[@camillaanderberg2956]

I love your chanel! And I love how use reuse all the things left behind. The tubs look great! 🎉

[@Liam....]

Everyone seems to be obsessed with raised beds, they have there uses but theres nothing wrong with just turning the ground over and digging some compost and manure in. Runner beans and french beans are a good easy crop to grow to get you going.

[@SPCoulson]

On the hinge top - mount a piece of wood the length of the side piece on a single screw with a washer in front and behind. When you lift the lid, it becomes a leg support for the lid.

[@Pete.Ty1]

👍👍👍 Scaffold netting is an alternative to plastic. Same design, the netting protects the protects the plants from pests and lets in rainwater. Thanks Vikkie.

[@leslietarboxjr4287]

Lovely job on your garden beds. Your whole back yard is starting to look very tidy and neat. By summer you will have plenty of veggies growing and a nice clean mowable yard. Looking forward to next Sunday to see what you have in store for us.

[@sandraallen4142]

How are you going to support the hooped lids when you're planting or watering when it's windy? You'll need a lock on the handle side for the wind too. I think you'd have been better off drilling holes in the bottom of the baths, if there's a lot of rain it could get very soggy by the time it's drains enough. You need to get yourself a 4 wheeled tipper barrow and pull heavy weights and on muddy ground. You're flying along with the work, well done 💪

[@HouseFairyDIY]

Gosh, you do work hard but you never complain about having a bad back, knees, etc. I'm crippled after a good DIY session! 😂 You're well set up now for veg. Well done! One thing that I thought of though was you fastening the black plastic under the large beds and then up the sides. I think that will make water pool, so the wood will sit in water. I think it would be better if you trimmed off the plastic at the bottom of the sides and pushed it in. Good work anyway. One step closer! 🎉

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks! I have wondered this a lot and I'd have loved to tucked the bottom lip between the two layers of wood as I built then, buy this would have needed to be done after I burnt all the wood. But I think you've inspired to me to make a slice either end of the out supports and Bury them under on an angle away from the beds (or maybe leave trim and leave 2" incase of movement, then add chippings or whatever path we choose! 😊

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

I do moan off camera about my knees 😅

[@HouseFairyDIY]

@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK It's my lower back that gets me the most. I have to walk on hands and knees sometimes! 🤣

[@HouseFairyDIY]

@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK I think tucking the plastic between the two layers would have stopped water from draining from the covered piece of wood. Instead of sitting in soil it would have sat in water. If you ever get the chance to pick up bald lorry tyres, grab them! I got three, cut the sidewalls off and have them in a three leaf clover layout. I've painted them with garden paint and the paint adhered very well and lasted a few years already. Non-toxic in my opinion as they're not breaking down. No rot worries either. Also, as they're circular, you don't need to worry about buldging sides. Cutting the sidewalls off is a bugger though!

[@Rockhopper1]

where the tapholes are if you put in posts around 1.5 meter in through both the holes into the ground underneath and you can suspend a bucket from the top, and when in summer, you can put in a irrigation hose, then when you come out, you fill up the bucket with water, and let gravity do the rest. Saves you having to stand out there for hours watering the baths, and if you are extra clever on the bath nearest the other raised beds you can put in a extra bucket and lay diagonally across the raised beds a extra length of irrigation hose.

[@Rockhopper1]

For the plastic on the hoops, if you make a cardboard template of the ends and work out the length of the plastic, and using a thicker plastic, you can plastic weld the polythene. use the template to cut out two ends. It would be best if you were 2 inches oversized on all measurements, then, in the conservatory's warmth, you, with tape or bulldog clips, join the ends together on a table. Then, you place a sheet underneath and over the top using thick grease-proof paper. With a soldering iron, you trace slowly around the join. Once done, remove the grease-proof paper, and the polythene should be welded. You then invert like you would with a piece of clothing, then it should be tailored to fit snugly over the hoops, If you don't have thick enough plastic you can double layer it at the time of welding. I do this in my job when making stuff for special effects, for film work, having to make bespoke covers for cameras and suchlike,

[@philcrockford5534]

Our house has a 100ft back garden that was 6ft high in brambles when we moved in, after cutting it all down we resorted to using a line marking spray can and spraying every bramble root we found before doing them all in one hit. Or so we thought. Think we lifted over 100 in the end and the resulting bonfire was quite spectacular. I don't envy you trying to find them all!

[@annehoy9224]

Great video VIKKIE as always, what a brilliant idea for the cover of the raised beds ,you make it look so simple ,you are definitely going to have to get more freezers because there's going to be an abundance of produce, WELL DONE a job well jobbed roll on next Sunday for another upload thank you VIKKIE xxxxx❤

[@juliequinlan6564]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏Well done!

[@crickettjd]

You could use one of those bathtubs to mix your homemade potting mix in larger amounts.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks for the idea

[@katieallen3927]

I have an old bathtub that I grow potatoes in. In my area I get Colorado Potato Beetles. They live in the soil and once they've decimated the potatoes will eat everything else in the garden. My potato tub is located away from the rest of the vegetables by 100 feet to minimize contamination should I get the beetles. Every spring I remove the top half of the dirt and replace with new soil and compost. Carrots do best in loose sandy soil.

[@ohasis8331]

@34:16 I could hear angels singing as you lifted that poly tunnel frame. Like to suggest you get yourself a worm farm. They'll take care of vegetable scraps and give you a rich liquid fertiliser in return.

[@dianelaws9589]

Another amazing video......I like the raised beds/polytunnels.

[@stephendavies6080]

Couldn’t agree on it how to make it look good,,,,,,,,,,,, in other words you had a Barney😄👍👍👍👍👍

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Hahahaha

[@wisher21uk]

Wow Vikkie that is coming along nicely you and Mr are doing a fantastic job well done to you both 😊

[@normanboyes4983]

Wonderful work all round. Just one suggestion you may need a hold down for those raised bed hinged covers - lest the wind plays up.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks! I didn't have time in this video, but did in yesterday's video 😀

[@MrsBadger]

Well done! Looks great 🌼

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks so much 🥰

[@beverleytaylor5859]

I absolutely love your channel! I am learning so much and being inspired. Sending love xxx

[@lesliedickinson198]

The baths will make really good carrot beds as carrot fly usually doesnt get above 18'' your doing so many things that are right 🙂

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks so much! That's also what I'd heard 😀

[@andreacrashe9894]

*Vikki, put a couple of the hook thingees on the side that you lift up on the garden... cos if you get high strong winds all that work will be destroyed when it lifts up and over! 🙂nz*

[@edcross1]

just a tip. You don't need to raise a bath to give it a fall towards the plug hole. The fall is build into the bath so the rim can be level and there will still be a fall to the drain. As always great work and thank you for sharing.

[@HouseFairyDIY]

That is true but she raised them up so she could collect the drained liquids to use as fertiliser. I think it's more that she needed to put a collection vessel under the drain.

[@shaunsmith690]

Well done the poly tunnel looked a good job. I like what you did with the old baths using up as much old stuff you have lying about recycling as much as possible.The little extra things you are doing as well by framing and covering it going that extra mile as they say just finish,s it off.

[@ianpearse4480]

Interesting. Great share, thanks.

[@nonoyorbusness]

Well done Vikkie & Mr TCD nice ideas should all work well, the wind however could cause problems so put a catch on the unhinged side!

[@gkkes]

I love watching you and the progress of this fascinating project. I have a large allotment myself. Call me old-fashioned but aren't bathtubs designed for water to flow to the plug when completely level? You may be interested in researching No-Dig methods, Hugelkultur and Terra Preta. Charles Dowding is a modern proponent of No Dig and it's reliance on composting (important at this stage of your project). Good Luck

[@zsofiagasparek2966]

Wow! Amazing work! Great tips many thanks this video couldn’t have come at a better time :) ❤❤ well done 👏👏👏

[@kevinhoppenworth6708]

On th e ends of the covers, do the same thing you did to the Long sides. Fold the plastic over so water drains off.

[@robertmclendon1328]

Try cutting the weed fabric with a propane/butane torch, and make holes for planting as well.😀

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

I've seen that!! It looks a really cool idea!

[@etafws]

excellent video, as always - maybe worth watching rag&bonebrowns video on the 3 year test with various treated woods - quite interesting and also some of my findings on fences and gates etc.

[@thegodsonuk]

Just a quick tip … if you have a heavy barrow in mud don't push it … turn round and pull it .. stops it bogging down.. Good luck

[@franceshawe9572]

And keep the tyre pressure pumped up. Soft tyres are energy sapping I'm envious of your energy. Great job.

[@petemoring67]

I think the Dickie-Birds Rats and Squirres are going to find that plastic just a little to easy to breach 😉😄 .... But it looked good - EH?? 😀

[@Sheim-b4k]

Plant marigolds around your beds and baths. They attract the insects and they leave your carrots alone. Companion planting looks good and serves a purpose

[@sandraallen4142]

That works well for tomato plants

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks so much! I'll try and pick some up! I'm also taking this week to sow nasturtium seeds and alyssum for just that... to prevent aphids, etc and want to grow garlic!

[@markhutton6824]

Handsaw... circular saw or jigsaw depending on the size of the wood. Given the project you are on you could approach tool manufactures for sponsorship.

[@heatherwalton9501]

Bath beds are great - l love a bit of recycling. I had the same problem with brambles on reclaimed ground and used old woollen carpets ripped out of the house turned upside down to suppress them. Sure others have said but carrots like light sandy soil so no manure for them. 😀

[@DavidGibson-pz8xh]

Usbourne do a book called "grow all you can eating three square feet" which will show you how to get the most out of your raised beds. I know your not short on space but it will maximise the raised beds you have and give you tips on starting up

[@molsky13]

Have you given irrigation a thought ,harvesting rain water ?this is so much better for your crops than tap water

[@garywalker6964]

Would putting a catch onto your covered raised beds to stop it blowing open. Because it's quite a flimsy plastic sheeted 'dome' roof, I think if the wind got hold of it and blew it open it would destroy the fragile framework.

[@janh6639]

Looking good and so much more hard standing 🙌🏼

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thank you and yes, plenty of vehicular access now 😀

[@FloralSmith-u7k]

Very nice. Well done.

[@paulmarriott2544]

Excellent tunnel. I feel your pain with plastic on a windy day. I've had many a scrap with plastic trying to escape. Lil seedlings are coming on a treat.

[@alangordon1677]

I think the raised beds are too shallow to use twigs in the bottom for Hügelkultur type beds.

[@TheBenilady]

Do you think you should put restrainers on each end in case a gust of wind makes the whole top fold back and hit the ground? Love your vlogs and look forward to them each week.

[@grahamlane1313]

Hi you may have years of trying to pull up the brambles as if you leave in one little piece of root it grows back i know as my parents brought an old cottage with two gardens and they had fithteen years of brambles in it took about a week to cut them down and burn them then alot of digging and weeding so good luck

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks! I think we'll eventually get a digger for some of the bigger areas!

[@ronguille9721]

With a long handled shovel will save you lower back. With it, you lift soil, gravel etc. with your arms and not your back. You'll appreciate that at the end of the day and as you age!

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thank you and agree! We'd lost our longer one until after We'd finished... typical lol

[@oldwelshgit]

really look forward to your vids, all that rotted down pony poo is too much to hand sieve.... but you could build a trommel ? surprisingly easy build and really good content.. i have probably put at least 15 ton of soil/manure through mine and sooooo much easier than using a riddle..

[@keithmaker51]

Have a look at first tunnels plastic it’s uv proof and last for years and there is a measuring chart available

[@kimstockwell721]

Great stuff Vikkie, hoop house looks good. Watching you with the wheelbarrow full of gravel bought back bad memories for me though. I actually wheelbarrowed 11 ton ! of dorset chard gravel over the first year and a half of moving into my place. Like you I put down black membrane as my issue was bindweed everywhere as well as bramble crowns. My garden is huge, everything is in planters and raised beds as growing from the ground would just bring back the dreaded bindweed and brambles. Had originally wanted to do things very differently but couldn't, you are always having to adapt when it comes to gardens. Keep up the good work.

[@DeafMaker]

awesome stuff there, so looking forward to pinching your raised beds and poly tunel ideas.

[@lukebirmingham9387]

You could use a bit ot guttering under the plug holes of the baths to catch the warter in a bucket

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thank you!

[@frankyates7910]

good job lets hope you have success with the plants. good luck.

[@WhatTheTarnation.]

Ash is also a soil amendment. Have you given any thought to a burn pile? Are you even allowed yo have burn piles? There are just so many Brambles, and don't they come back every year?

[@ProZombieVeteran]

Would rubble dust sheets be better? I think they're a lot thicker than that. I bought 4mx5m for £12.99 from B&Q online. I think the seller increased the price recently though.

[@rogersmith9235]

I also have a small farm (23.5 acres, but only 3 acres for veggies), and raised beds, and am going to build at least two of your hinged hoop house for this winter. Now, I live in a very severe weather zone - from 0 to -40 in winter, with high winds), so will see if they work for me. I am thinking of a double layer hoop house, with about a 1 inch gap between the two. Any advice for me? Also, I will be visiting Lincoln next March for a week (never been there before) and would love to come visit - how would that be?

[@yorkie75]

Carrots grow best (long and straight) in light, sandy soil

[@brianhume4743]

Grow them two feet long drainpipes

[@David_Banner]

Making some really good progress. You are going to have so much veg you won't know what to do with it all.

[@MarkDurbin]

Another day in the black hand gang :)

[@jasonsummers4634]

Hi I'm new to the channel and noticed your glass missing on your greenhouse I used cling film or shrink wrap as a cheap alternative

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thank you so much! I do indeed need to do something with it soon. Thanks for the idea!

[@36ydna]

Watching in Budapest😎😎😎

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

👋 🤩

[@karlpopewoodcraft]

When you cut the first pipe I was hoping for it to spring back into your noggin 😂

[@PaulSmith-pr7pv]

😆

[@harpo187bling]

Nice video

[@helentaylor4911]

It would be concrete in the bath plugs as they were probably used as water troughs for animals

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Yes, you're right! The previous owners had ponies and there are bath dotted around the paddock 😀

[@georgeobrien7716]

After I finished watching, I see you didn't need the TOH video. Well done.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks! What is TOH?

[@georgeobrien7716]

A US PBS program: This Old House@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK

[@Bird1966]

Will you be cleaning the fishpond in a video?

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Yes, very likely. Although I may empty it to convert it into a hottub shelter

[@williamfrasermilne]

Polytunnel plastic would be better as a lot stronger. Or you could use Evrio mesh it lasts for years.

[@paul-fk7de]

Well done vikkie ❤

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks so much!

[@markturton7658]

Why don’t you build a stud around baths an clad ?

[@stephenhall5430]

Ternmites may attack your stakes.need treated lumber.

[@joelsjkd1]

I think you may have been better off getting a local farmer to come in and rotavate all the ground and then you can pick up all the crowns and anything else that may come up, then you would have a clean slate to start?

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

We plan to hire tools eventually when we're feeling more flush

[@simonhinson9367]

What purpose is the cardboard??

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

It's meant to block sunlight and prevent weeds. It's called no dig gardening

[@simonhinson9367]

Do you have to keep on replacing the cardboard once it’s rotted away please ?

[@rogersmith9235]

Sorry - I live in Saskatchewan, Canada - think of the Russian steppes for severe winters

[@gwenstrachan7073]

Hi, maybe turn the baths into a horseshoe (U-bend or H shape ) shape, not to overstretch your back to reach the middle bath...? 👍🏻😃

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Great idea! Although they're now all full now, but will consider that for the cast iron ones when we eventually move them!

[@pman2916]

That looked too good to be used😂

[@Morpha-Ahprom]

💖

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

❤️

[@KewiCampervan]

❤

[@neilgrice8821]

You need a shovel instead of the spade.

[@ikabod6908]

That chicken mesh would be ideal for protecting your plants from unwanted visitors. Someone else will likely have said this. Don't waste it.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Thanks! No one has mentioned it, but I plant to make a top frame piece for the baths to place on top with stapled chicken wire just incase. Annoyingly I ran out of time!