Glasshouses | Page 5 of 6

Snow on Polytunnels

Weather conditions over the winter period can vary from mild to extremely cold. If we are fortunate enough we may get a White Christmas it would be very wise to clear the snow from your Polytunnel or Glasshouse. Snow is very heavy and can cause structural damage if it builds up. You can remove it using a soft brush, a bed sheet or a rope (but if using a rope on a Polytunnel do be careful not to scratch your polythene as this reduces light transmission).

Many of our competitors Polytunnels were damaged by snow last year, luckily very few of our customers had any issues. Crop support bars are particularly helpful in Polytunnels to strengthen and protect against snow damage. A frost protection heater (which we supply a range of) can have the advantage of making snow melt before it can build up, helping to protect your Polydome Greenhouse or Polytunnel against structural damage.

The Perfect Gift

Its that time of year again, if your anything like me, then its safe to say that you have at least, another 4 days before you even consider starting the christmas shop. However if you are planning ahead, why not cosider one of our Christmas gift cards as an option. It can used on Accessories, Polytunnels, Glasshouses or any stock item. Gift cards are valued for 12 months.

So why not put the spring in someone step this christmas and give them a Polydome Greenhouse Giftcard.

Wind and Greenhouses

I just heard that it has been the windiest May on record since they started taking records. And even yet as i look out my office window i can see that the weather still has not really settled as much as one would expect for this time of year.

Never the less, listening to the weather forecast this morning it appears that things might be looking up coming into next week.

So why do i need to worry about my greenhouse if its windy outside. Well hear is a prime example.

Before looking into getting a greenhouse remember to think carefully about its location, its use, and its strength. If you take glasshouses as an example to highlight the importance of this. Say a 6′ x 8′ aluminium finish with horticultural glass. It may cost between €500 and €650 depending on the brand. Sounds like a bargin, but normally glasshouses in this price range are designed for very sheltered gardens. If its located in a windy garden, then it may end up like the glasshouse in the photo. Although it was a cheap buy, its an expensive loss.

So shop around, view the products where possible and remember a cheap bargain is not always the best buy.

Carrot Fly

The carrot fly is a pest for all gardens, and mainly affects carrots, but can also attack parsnips, parsley and celery. Around early may the flies lay their eggs around the developing carrots; the larvae, once hatched, burrow into the root.

To help prevent against the carrot fly one can erect a barrier around the crop at least 60cm high, as female carrot flies are very low flying this will prevent them from landing on the carrots and laying eggs.

Alternatively horticultural fleece or crop protection fleece may be used as a floating mulch to cover the crop. We have different type of fleece at our base in birr and can send it via post or courier if people require it. You can view more details about it on our website.

Offaly County Enterprise Awards 2011

Polydome Greenhouses of Birr are the ‘Overall Winner’ of the Offaly County Enterprise Awards. Sean Gallagher of Dragon’s Den presented the award to Jonathan Pyle, Director of Polydome.

The award recognises excellence in business generally and specifically the criteria judged included the business plan, marketing strength, financial strength, use of technology and innovation in the business as well as the entrepreneurial skills of the promoter.

Polydome supply Glasshouses and Polytunnels in the 32 Counties and were first established in 1985. Their range includes Timber as well as Aluminium Glasshouses and they are one of the leading manufacturers of Polytunnels for Gardening Enthusiasts as well as Commercial Growers.

Snow On My Greenhouse

Hi all just a quick reminder in this cold weather. You might not be in mood for entering into the garden, however if you’re the proud owner of a greenhouse i would recommend it, Why? you might ask.

Well certainly for those in the east who are encountering the most snow fall at present they will find that a certain amount is building up on the roof of your greenhouse. At first glance it may seem harmless; however it might be worth noting that potentially it could do more damage than you might think.
For example, the weight of freshly fallen snow is approximately 100 – 150 kg / cubic meters. And once it has fallen on a solid surface the effect of compaction due to its own weight the wind and other additional factors rapidly increases the weight of the snow.

View from the inside of a snow covered glasshouse

To put it in context if the roof of your greenhouse had a surface area of 16m squared, and we received 50mm of snow which is about two inches, you would have .9 of a cubic meter of snow on your roof. This equates to approximately 80 – 100kgs. If this snow freezes the weight on the roof increases. Depending on the model of greenhouse that you own, it’s worth noting this may affect the structure of the greenhouse.

To avoid any damage or the possibility of a complete collapse of the greenhouse I would recommend that you clear it of snow as it builds up. Please note that this is perfect excuse for going out to throw snow balls, so thankfully it’s not all bad news.

Happy gardening.

Community Gardens

Recently I saw an article in the Sunday Times written by Gabrielle Monaghan. It was great to read something more positive than the normal doom and gloom that is seen in our daily media reports thanks to our current economic crisis.

Gabrielle wrote about the Mount street club Trust. It origins and how it contributes to building and improving our community.

The Mount Street Club was established in Dublin in 1934. Its aim at the time was to give the unemployed the chance to work in return for food. As our state improved and social services increased unfortunately the mount street club services became more and more redundant.

However more recently the mount street trust has put forward new incentives to help tackle current difficulties in our communities. It now hopes to offer the employed an opportunity to get involved in growing their own again. They hope to do this through allotments and community gardens as part of €330,000 project.

The mount street club trust is using money from the 2006 sale of its former headquarters to fund the project. They are offering up to €10,000 in grants. Community gardens have been invited to apply if they involve the unemployed in the planting, growing and harvesting of food.

As part of the new scheme, gardening experts from Grow it Yourself (GIY) a charity established last year will provide groups with access to unused land or local authority plots. The fund is being distributed be the community foundation for Ireland.

Corrigan Cooks Naturally

Grow your own has enjoyed a new lease of life over the past few years. Now more than ever people are turning back to their gardens, small holdings and whatever free space they can find to try their hand at growing their own.

For those who are looking for some inspiration to get them started then I strongly suggest having a look at a television series currently running on RTE 1. It is hosted by celebrity chef Richard Corrigan and it’s called Corrigan Cooks Naturally. His mottos are Taste Local and celebrate what’s local, what’s good and ultimately what’s natural.

This year he has his own Corrigan Cooks Naturally Roadshow and he’s bringing it all around the country. He has recruited a few experts to give him a hand. Vivienne Campbell medical herbalist who can show you how plants and flowers can make remedies and even natural beauty products. Along with her is horticulturalist Kitty Scully who wants us all to reconnect with our food heritage.

I have to give it to them; it’s a great show and gets the mind going. As well as the fantastic ideas that can be gotten from the show you will also find great recipes that gets the taste buds tingling. So it one to watch. It’s on Wednesdays 20.30 – 21.00.

Siting your Greenhouse

A sunny position is most important for plants to grow well. For strength you must point the gable end towards the prevailing wind. If there is a slight slope on the site you should run the length of the Polydome down the slope (apart from structural reasons this will help ventilation). You need to allow room all around the Polydome for digging trenches and avoiding snagging the cover on things, if we are constructing we ask for about 1.5m on either side of the Polydome and 2m at either end if possible. You should have some shelter from prevailing winds using trees or windbreak net which will filter the wind. You should avoid choosing a stony, boggy or very sloping site if possible as it requires extra materials and work to build.

Polydome Blog

Hello All,

Welcome to Polydome’s new blog. We are delighted to be finally online.

Over the coming months we hope to use this source as a means to sharing with you our experience in the greenhouse industry. Over the past 25 years Polydome has become one of the largest suppliers of hobby polytunnels and glasshouses within Ireland. We now hope to pass on some of the knowledge and expertise we have gained over the years. We hope this information will help anyone making the next step in purchasing or making their own greenhouse.

So watch this space.