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Regardless of what the calendar says or what the temperature is outside, most of us have our mind in our gardens all year long! Thanksgiving will be here in just a few weeks, and my garden is gearing down for the long Winter ahead. I still have some broccoli and Brussels sprouts growing, and plenty of green cayenne peppers that may still turn red, but the rest of the beds are ready for rest. Nevertheless, I was looking for some garden projects to keep me going until it’s time to start Spring seeds indoors again.
Some how I found out about a product called “PVC BENT-IT” at http://www.pvcbendit.com/ It is a devise that allows you to heat low-cost PVC pipes, bend and form them into any shape, and when it cools, it retains it shape. Immediately, my mind started wandering about how this could be useful in the garden. The first thing that came to mind was oversized row covers that were easy to set-up and take down. I use 4’ wide raises beds made out of 4 x 6 lumber. I am thinking that if I took 1” PVC pipe about 6’ long, formed it into an arch over the bed, and fitted the ends into, say 2” PVC pipes screwed into the bed wood sides, and placed them every 2’ or so, all I would need is some clear plactic to cover it. That would give me a row cover that would rival a mini-greenhouse, and extend my growing season up to a couple of months in the Spring and the Fall. And for only a few dollars in materials!
I also started thinking about a knock down greenhouse, perhaps even self-watering, that could snap together and easily break down for storage during the hot Summer months. I am envisioning the plans to build something like this in my head, as I write. Perhaps a home made drip irrigation system to eliminate the need for watering? It seems like the possibilities are endless! I bet formed PVC would make a nice trellis, and perhaps some coiled plant stands. Hey, I could really get into this.
I now have one of their 9’ Series A models that will bend PVC from 1/2” to 1 1/2”, and I suspect it will also handle up to 2” if necessary, although the manufacturer goes not advertise that. As time and space allows, I plan to start fabricating some garden projects using this produce over the Winter months, and I will be reporting back here, complete with photo’s. I suspect most of the serious fabricating will take place, once the weather warms, and I can do it outdoors. If any of you already have or plan to buy this product, and make some garden products with it, please send me a report and photo so we can share it with others here at “The Garden Guy”! If you come up with have other project ideas using formed PVC, please pass those along as well. As I am typing this, I just pictured a coiled length of PVC with holes along it, buried in the soil, with the top sticking out. Thus would be great for pouring liquid fertilizer, such as manure tea right down to the root system of plants like tomatoes.
I can see where I am going to have a lot of fun and make some great gadgets with this thing! :-)
Blessings,
Ron
“The Garden Guy”
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