Building a fruit cage out of old scaffold

[HawkEye244]

I had four 3metre lengths lying around on my allotment plot doing nothing so decided to use them as corner posts and managed to source a few lengths and connectors so now I have what look like two goal posts either end of my fruit bed.

The trouble is the length of the bed is 4.7m so to avoid having to put another two posts in the ground to split this length in two, I was hoping to make one long length of scaffold for both of the longest lengths.

I would be making the 4.7m out of an approximately 3m length + a 2m length cut down to size, connected with a coupler... the question is, is this safe ? Or can it be done ? Does the strength of a scaffold coupler/connector make it just as strong as an uncut piece ?

If I can't do this I will need to make another goal post half way between (buy two more bags of postcrete) and then faff about trying to source a bunch more connectors

 

[ladylola]

It may sag a bit simply under it's own weight , a single complete pole would do that. I don't think it would be too much of an issue as you'll only be holding up netting. As you will have a couple of 1m off cuts , if I'm reading it correctly it wouldn't hurt to scrounge a few swivel clips and put in some braces. And if you could scrounge a couple of other short poles , well then you'll have four braces.

 

[Brigadier]

Why not concrete in the uprights securely, then run braided steel cable as your horizontals?

Less ugly, plenty strong enough, and won't fall on anyone's head?

 

[HawkEye244]

Good idea lady. Yeah you understood correctly. I'm going to have to source a few more odds and sods either way I do it. I try to avoid making more holes in the ground because postcrete isn't that cheap, and it'll only mean more connector pieces.

Why not concrete in the uprights securely, then run braided steel cable as your horizontals?

Less ugly, plenty strong enough, and won't fall on anyone's head?

Can you link me a product ?

Keep in mind it will need to withstand the worst environmental conditions + be sturdy enough to have netting attached to it. If there is movement it is going to eventually rip the netting attached to it.

 

[Brigadier]

Wickes Galvanised Steel Wire Rope 4mmx10m
Prod



Best link I can manage, on my phone!

 

[LastMagicBean]

Scaffold poles??...Postcrete??...Steel cable???...

F*ck me, how heavy IS this fruit net.???

 

[HawkEye244]

Wickes Galvanised Steel Wire Rope 4mmx10m
Prod



Best link I can manage, on my phone!

Expensive stuff. I'd need about 3 rolls and no clear way of how to attach that to the poles besides wrapping, knotting it around etc. A 4.7m stretch would cause that to deflect considerably in the wind.

 

[HawkEye244]

Scaffold poles??...Postcrete??...Steel cable???...

F*ck me, how heavy IS this fruit net.???

I build things to last. If I wanted an enclosure that won't survive 12 months I'd make it out of bamboo sticks and twine.

People who have allotments in this country know just how much damage is caused by British weather. Plastic greenhouses, fruit cages, for example, can be completely uprooted, you find it in pieces at the other end of the allotment, all the smaller parts smashed to pieces. Same with flimsy fruit cages that come in kit forms. Nice idea, but doesn't work in practice.

Stuff like this : http://www.harrodhorticultural.com/dome-roof-decorative-steel-fruit-cage-pid8031.html

Wouldn't last 2 years.

 

[ladylola]

Stuff like this : http://www.harrodhorticultural.com/dome-roof-decorative-steel-fruit-cage-pid8031.html

Wouldn't last 2 years.

How much? That's a lot of money for something that might not last very long. I built mine from reclaimed materials and off cuts . It's 3x3 timbers , roof lath and a nylon netting scrounged from a site and it's lasted around seven years so far with no problems except for a hole where I slipped and dropped a slab through the netting. I've seen others use lengths of reclaimed blue plastic water pipe for fruit cages and also for poly tunnels . If you've got poles for nothing it makes perfect sense to use them rather than buy something else. To be honest I probably wouldn't bother with the concrete I'd just ram the holes firm.

 

[LastMagicBean]

I build things to last.

Yeah, you ain't kidding.
Fort Knox for strawberries.

 

[HawkEye244]

Stuff like this : http://www.harrodhorticultural.com/dome-roof-decorative-steel-fruit-cage-pid8031.html

Wouldn't last 2 years.

How much? That's a lot of money for something that might not last very long. I built mine from reclaimed materials and off cuts . It's 3x3 timbers , roof lath and a nylon netting scrounged from a site and it's lasted around seven years so far with no problems except for a hole where I slipped and dropped a slab through the netting. I've seen others use lengths of reclaimed blue plastic water pipe for fruit cages and also for poly tunnels . If you've got poles for nothing it makes perfect sense to use them rather than buy something else. To be honest I probably wouldn't bother with the concrete I'd just ram the holes firm.

I'm saying I WOULDNT BUY THAT, I'm not saying I would. All the scaffold I'm using has been salvaged. The only money I've spent has been on postcrete and petrol.

I don't like timber because of it's propensity to bow and twist out of shape. Can't find it in adequate lengths either.

Don't like plastic either because it as a tendancy to offgas, which isn't good for the soil and the plants that live in it.

I was using plastic pvc single leaf doors to cover my cold frame but the whte frame had weathered to the point where the painted coating was rubbing off on the fingers. I think there are enough toxins in the soil and water without adding to it.

 

[HawkEye244]

I build things to last.

Yeah, you ain't kidding.
Fort Knox for strawberries.

You're irritating me. Trying to be funny ?

 

[renishawphil]

I built a fruit cage out of scaffold poles and netting. Even being well built any weight of snow weighed it down as it covered a decent sized area.

Depending on your ground it's easy to ram scaffold pole deep into the ground . Concrete wouldn't do any harm though

 

[Brigadier]

A 4.7m stretch would cause that to deflect considerably in the wind.

I doubt it, no more than a scaffold pole anyway. Have you tried stretching even 2mm braided steel cable?
Put it another way - on astroturf football pitches, they "curtain-off" areas of the pitches, to enable them to subdivide the entire area, and rent it out to three or more parties.
The curtain is a 10ft high nylon net, which is a couple of hundred feet long. Suspended from a braided steel cable, something like 6mm.