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When planting seedlings in open ground in spring, summer residents are often forced to shelter them from cold air at night, and sometimes during the day. In order not to constantly mess with covering material, whether or not a cold snap will follow, it is easier to start at least one greenhouse on the site for these purposes. This is why the Accordion Greenhouse was created, it is perfect for growing vegetables at the beginning or end of summer, where this time is not very comfortable for heat-loving vegetables.
Design features
The greenhouse is a frame made of polypropylene arches with Agrospan 60 covering material attached to them. Hollow pipes with a diameter of 20 to 30 mm and a wall thickness of 4 mm act as arcs. Modern polymer material is more convenient to use in the garden than metal or wood. It is much cheaper, lighter, in addition, it has a number of advantages that allow you to use it longer without worrying about saving. So polypropylene is absolutely indifferent to ultraviolet radiation, temperature fluctuations, and the effects of chemicals. It does not electrify, does not rot or corrode, and is not to the taste of insects and rodents. A greenhouse with a polypropylene frame can be used for at least 4 years without any concern about its condition.
The greenhouse has the same height and width – 1 m, but you can choose the length you need, it can be 3 or 4, or maybe 6 m. The arcs are located at a distance of 1 m from each other. Covering material, and this is most often “Agrospan 60” (numbers indicate a density of 60 g per 1 square meter) or “SineSvet” with similar characteristics, is a non-woven material of white color. It allows sunlight and water to pass through, but limits UV rays to protect plants from sunburn. The material is light, strong and elastic, but it is able to protect plants from rain or hail. Serves without complaints and complaints for at least 3 seasons. It can get dirty, then it will have to be washed with a strong jet of water.
Advantages of a greenhouse
A greenhouse of this type is small and inexpensive (from 1 thousand rubles). It is easy to transport, because when assembled it does not take up much space and weighs a little too. You can install it in a couple of hours without involving specialists, even a woman can install it, although it is better to do it together. Dismantling also does not require much effort or time. The greenhouse can be moved from place to place, if the need arises. No special conditions are required for winter storage – modern polymers are not afraid of rodents, they do not need to be protected from moisture and light.
Such a greenhouse installed in the country is able to maintain the microclimate necessary for plants. It is used not only for rooting seedlings, many vegetable growers grow tomatoes, eggplants or bell peppers in it in order to get fruits before their neighbors. It protects vegetables from the wind, heavy rains, the mercilessly scorching sun, retains moisture in the ground, that is, reduces the amount of watering, plants get sick less in it, and are not attacked by pests so often. Thanks to Agrospan 60, vegetables can bear fruit until late autumn, since the greenhouse is able to protect them from autumn frosts and daily temperature fluctuations.
Agrospan (or “SineSvet”) is fixed only in the middle of the arcs so that it can be lifted for ventilation from any side. The set includes special clips with which it is fixed in the desired position on the arcs. Since the material perfectly passes water, it is not necessary to raise it for irrigation, it can be watered from above.
How to assemble
Manufacturers suggest sticking arcs directly into the ground to a depth of 8 cm. They start doing this from the extreme arc, then they install the rest in the same way, pushing them a meter apart. When the frame is installed, the covering material is pulled from the ends and sides, it is fixed in the ground with the help of special pegs at a distance of 50–70 cm. That’s the whole installation. After a day, the soil warms up and you can start settling plants.
To make it easier to deepen the arc, first it is better to make a hole in the dense earth with a peg (reinforcement). The sagging canvas “Agrospan 60” can be stretched and pressed to the ground with a stone or an additional peg.
Among the unanimously positive reviews about the Accordion greenhouse, there is only one point that many summer residents pay attention to – this is its stability. It is easy to assemble a greenhouse without a lower trim and a base, simply by sticking arcs, but this design will only be stable in places that are reliably protected from the wind. A light greenhouse can be overturned by a strong gust of wind, then the plants will suffer. To avoid this turn of events, many experienced vegetable growers advise better strengthening it.
You can use pieces of reinforcement 25 cm long, which are inserted into hollow arcs by 10 cm, and 15 cm go into the ground. And you can make a wooden base, securely fix it in the ground, and attach the greenhouse itself to it.
Video “Installation of agrofibre greenhouse”
This video demonstrates the assembly and installation of an agrofibre greenhouse on a garden plot.
