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Making supports for row cover
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Posted by
wlynnp_TN 7a (
My Page) on
Wed, May 28, 14 at 16:03
| I am using tulle draped over stakes/cages to protect my eggplants, but my eggplants are growing taller than I expected them too and will soon be too tall for the current set up (see picture below). I was looking at using rebar pins and pvc pipes to make a tunnel and perhaps cover the whole section the width of the bed...to include the peppers. the bed is 3.75 feet wide. I'm thinking that a 10 foot pipe wouldn't give me enough height..would it? any suggestions? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Making supports for row cover
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| The cages on the peppers look awfully high, and you risk breaking them if you take them off. It might be better to make the hoops just cover the eggplants, 2ft wide. Not sure how tall they will grow? PVC won't bend that narrow, so I suggest more cages (upside down if necessary to fit over eggplant) or something like 10 gauge wire that you can bend and clothespin the tulle over the eggplant only. If you think the peppers need to be covered too, you'll need to join two 10ft sections of UV-resistant (gray) PVC, I don't think you'll need to glue them, just slip end of 1 into belled end of the other, clamp the free ends to the sides of the beds and you'll have enough height - but will need a bigger cover. |
RE: Making supports for row cover
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| A 12 ft PVC pipe would work. |
RE: Making supports for row cover
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| Do they make 12 footers? That would have a peak of only 1' 10.5" though - still not tall enough for those peppers, probably not the eggplants either, even if they were in the middle. (3.75ft x pi = 11.78ft, remember the height of the semicircle will be half the width, radius = 1/2 the diameter - but if you use 20ft of PVC you can have a tall arch instead of a semicircle) |
RE: Making supports for row cover
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| You're right, I was focusing on the width and not on the height! LOL! Yeah it will be far too short. |
RE: Making supports for row cover
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| Just wondering, why the cover on just the eggplant? |
RE: Making supports for row cover
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| I've only seen precut 10 ft pvc schedule 40 pipe. I think the 1in dia. may be too thick to bend. I would suggest 1/2 or 3/4 in. dia by 10 ft schedule 40 pvc pipe. The height once bent creating a hoop will be about 5 to 5.5 ft high. I think that would be adequate for pepper and eggplants. I think row covers are the way to go if you want to reduce pests issues for your veggies in the summer and you can use the hoops for extending your growing season in the fall. You tube has some great videos on this. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Constructing Row Cover
RE: Making supports for row cover
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| Good suggestions. I've seen the stacked cages before...that might be the easiest and cheapest option for this year. In the fall, when the eggplant are done, I think I will put up the pvc tunnel. I've seen 20 ft. long sections listed at lowes.com and I believe it was the schedule 40. Tom, the eggplant are the hardest hit by the pests and the tulle cover seem to work better than any insecticide, although I have them sprayed with kaolin clay as well. between the two the eggplants look great. |
RE: Making supports for row cover
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| AJsmama, the tall cages are ones I had on hand and wasn't using for anything else....why buy new ones, right? I could probably get them out without doing too much damage to the plant, but they are loaded with peppers and I wouldn't want to disturb them at this point. I have bolt cutters and could cut the cage down if I had to...... |
RE: Making supports for row cover
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| Pepper plants are pretty brittle - I'd leave them, double-cage the EP for now and at the end of the season when you pull out the EP and peppers you can do your hoops and row cover, get a fall crop in (I'd start them late summer, not sure when in your zone, maybe August?). Can't see cutting down the cages - you may need them for something else next year. BTW, how do you plan on getting 20ft lengths home? |
RE: Making supports for row cover
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I think you are right. I looked at them yesterday and decided just to leave them. I can't believe how loaded my pepper plants are! I tried a couple of new varieties this year and so far I'm impressed.
several eggplants were pushing against the fabric, so i went ahead and removed it this morning and coated the plants with the kaolin. I may just leave them without a cover. they are pretty big and healthy and may do alright now without the fabric.
I'm in southeastern tennessee...7a. I should still be harvesting eggplant and peppers in August, but I may be sick of them by then. I'll see how it goes. Ha! I hadn't thought about how long they would be in regards to transporting them....but you would be suprised what I can fit in my vehicle. ;) |
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