I've had many an occasion to be thankful my neighbour's a plumber. He connected up the washing machine the day we moved in, saved the pre-school from flooding with the timely intervention of some scary looking rods and even rehung the shower door after it fell on me (I did make sure I was both conscious and dressed first).
Now, this week he saved me from hunting for hula hoops. To avoid confusion, let me explain - we're not talking the baked potato snack, but rather the O-shaped, waist jiggling apparatus. And, no, I wasn't planning on restarting a 1950s fad, instead I needed some materials for my cloche.
You see, my pre-school gardening club has resurfaced after the summer recess and I'm desperately searching for weekly activities. We've already planted up the hanging baskets and harvested sunflower seeds, but I was keen to get some new crops planted - namely runner beans, garlic and onions.
With temperatures dropping I thought a cloche was in order and, as usual I was keen to save our non-existent budget and use old materials if possible. Apparently, old hula hoops, cut in half, are ideal supports. Fantastic, except this isn't an item I see rolling around everyday and I was running out of time. Then I remembered Colin's pipes.
My lovely plumber had knocked on the door a few months ago and said "I thought you might have a use for these." In his hands were various offcuts from water pipes. He had no idea how I might use them but obviously had enough faith in my both my weirdness and skip-diving mentality to believe it possible.
And yes, I used some for creepy crawly compartments in my insect hotel, and now I've used the rest, stuck onto short lengths of bamboo sticks for a cloche.
I strengthened these uprights by strapping across three longer bamboo sticks, tied on with twine, and then used old plastic balls to ensure the kids don't poke their eyes out on the ends of the canes.
The whole structure was covered with horticultural fleece - or the 'plant duvet' as my pre-schoolers now know it - and secured with clothes pegs.
It all appears to work remarkably well - and all you need is some fleece, plastic balls and proximity to a plumber - what could be easier?
Never mind the pre-schoolers, I think I'm going to make one of these for my garden!!!
Posted by: Liz (aka Nutty Gnome) | October 05, 2009 at 03:37 PM
Liz - would you like me to ask Colin if he has some spare pipe for you... ?
What is it about plumbers that means I have to make dreadful double entendres?
Posted by: Dawn/LittleGreenFingers | October 05, 2009 at 04:12 PM
I could do with knowing a plumber. I searched high and low for piping to make a netting frame to cover my brassicas. I ended up just using canes.
Posted by: Jo | October 05, 2009 at 08:16 PM
Jo - I have also found my local Freecycle group good for this sort of thing - you can pick up all sorts of weird and wonderful things there for making strange garden-based structures.
Posted by: Dawn/LittleGreenFingers | October 05, 2009 at 08:30 PM
That is so smart. It looks good too. I've never had a plumber neighbor but looks like he's a blessing to lots of people.
Posted by: Anna/Flowergardengirl | October 06, 2009 at 03:12 AM
Did Diarmuid Gavin help to design those cloches?
Posted by: Martyn Cox | October 06, 2009 at 12:06 PM
Anna - I can highly recommend them - second only to doctors and handymen.
Martyn - I knew they reminded me of something!
Posted by: Dawn/LittleGreenFingers | October 07, 2009 at 01:14 PM
Proximity to building sites or extensions also helps - I've managed to cart home loads of pipe they've just left around in ditches etc. instead of clearing up. They also make great tubes for root watering of newly planted trees etc.
Posted by: VP | October 08, 2009 at 11:27 AM