polytunnel flooring?

[SimplyPotty]

Evening all! Just got a huge polytunnel (yay!) Just wondered if I need to put any flooring down and if so what?

[sewer rat]

It all depends on what you wanna grow and how you want to grow it. I have a 24' x 60' tunnel with 48" wide staging down one side. Obviously I need access to the staging so I do not have a central path, but one which runs alongside the staging. The rest of the floor area is just one giant bed - currently home to 120 Climbing French Bean plants, 60 cukes, 60 early cabbages, 200 lettuce, 100 Chard plants and two double rows of runner beans. My staging currently is home to 1000 Calabrese plug grown plants, more lettuces in plugs, a selection of culinary herbs in 3" pots, leeks growing in 1 litre pots and various other items, as well as my work area. This works for me at the moment, but I am planning a second tunnel - slightly larger which will have a hardcore floor. This will be used to raise all my young plants, tabletop strawberries and possibly CCA salads. The reason for the hardcore flor is that it is easier to keep weed free, pest free and disease free - important for me.
As I say, there is no hard and fast rule - you can have raised beds if you wish, you can put down a weed suppressant material and grow through that, or hardcore the floor and use growbags and pots - or hydroponics should you wish !
All I will add is that if yuo are going to continually crop the floor area of your tunnel and work it hard, you need to be very good to your soil and be aware of pest and disease build up.

[kentvegplot]

I've got a (fairly) central path, covered in weedproof fabric. It's beginning to break down so the odd weed (and some spilt coriander seed) are taking root, but it's pretty good. I'm cropping in the beds - tomatoes, peppers, salads etc. If you're on clear ground, you could just keep to an earth path.

[brooklynodog]

As I only have a small tunnel (15x10) I have a central path of 2ft slabs giving two runs of 4 foot raised beds either side made from scaffold boards. I dont need to walk on them at all.Currently eating cabbage, caulis, spinach, turnips, salads and peas, and raising toms (3 varieties) peppers, aubergines, cucs, squash and corgettes. Down the path earlier in the year I had potatoes in pots (outside now if not eaten). I also have a small 4 tier staging from wilkos for raisng tender stuff

[SimplyPotty]

Thanx for the help guys. Wow rat! sounds like you've got enough to keep you busy!

[sewer rat]

Hi again Simplypotty
Just in case you think I'm a greedy vegetarian, I took the plunge last year and now grow and sell veg from my 5 rented acres. Growing the veg is okay, selling it is getting better but running the whole thing as a commercial enterprise is a hell of a steep learning curve. I have survived my first year (just !!) and there have been a lot of things done differently already this season - mainly in crops grown and quantities of each, but also in the polytunnel, where the cropping is going to be fairly intensive all year round. Anyway, good luck with your tunnel, gives you about a month head start in Spring !!

[welsh veg grower]

Hi Sewer Rat

I also have about 5-6 acres. I am looking at becoming more self sufficient and selling any excess, not to make money as such but if selling excess gives me the money to buy stuff for my own use that would be great.

I have one p/t and some outdoor beds as well as chooks. Any suggestions /advice would be great.

Hope growing season is going well for you