help needed on polytunnels....

[Kristen]

What do you want to grow?

Have you considered Glass as well as a Tunnel?

The smaller the house the more difficult it is to get an even growing environment IMHO.

Glass with top vents and a louvre down low offers quite a nice atmosphere - the heat rises, and air is drawn in though the louvre, so I think has less "draft". Tunnels you open the ends, and the breeze blows through (but if you point the end at the prevailing wind then a gale may make it take off!). Glass normally has vertical sides, so easier to grow up to the edge, or to have a table/staging up to the edge.

Tunnel is cheaper (although check eBay for second hand greenhouses, bargains to be had) but needs the plastic replacing every few years.

Glass houses are prone to yobs throwing stones (Polycarbonate or toughened-glass [expensive] are possible solutions to that threat)

[markwcel]

think for the price of the polytunnels i would prefer a polycarb greenhouse ...

[JennieAtkinson]

Living in Shetland and on an exposed site, my polytunnel has provided me with some great shelter to grow veg during the summer and the winter. I started with the tunnel (a North Tunnels 20 x 14 feet) and now also have a greenhouse (an extremely well built, very expensive one to withstand the wind!). This is my second season with the greenhouse and my sixth with the tunnel.

Do bear in mind that, depending on how north you are, you use the tunnel and the greenhouse for growing different things. I use the tunnel where most of you would use the garden - courgette, sweetcorn, salad, carrots, peas etc. Whereas in the greenhouse toms and cucumbers and more courgette do well. The only tom that grows in the tunnel well is Gardeners Delight, although Sub-Arctic Plenty is doing well this year. It is very difficult to maintain a constant temperature in the tunnel (hot during the day and cold at night) so anything that needs a "constant" is a little difficult.

Hope this helps. I would thoroughly recommend Bernard Salts book on Growing Under Plastic for anyone thinking of even a small tunnel. It is an excellent book.

[Stacey Steve]

I have a small greenhouse as well on one of my plots that I bought secondhand off EBay.

The roof had an automatic opening panel, which I thought was great but when I first put it up we had a quite sunny day but extremely windy. The roof stayed open a bit which allowed the wind pressure to build up and popped open the roof on the opposite side.

I was horrified to discover rising and falling in the wind by about 8 inches, quite how the glass didn't break I don't know but I had to go inside and tie it down with wire till the wind abated.

Scared the hell out of me, looking up trying to work out how I was going to do this, thinking what if the glass starts to break.

Have since put in braces between one side and the other to make it more solid. Only problem is now that some of the aluminium is bend and stressed, so I get some leakage in very wet weather.

Sometimes feel that I'm being told that I shouldn't be growing under cover!

[karlandben]

diy poly tunnel

hi bloomer in response to your question where do i plan to get my poly tunnel from. i found an address on the grapevine posted by another user. the address is as follows...........polytunnel

i intend to use this as a basic starting point,then adapt it to suit my needs. should be able to source bits from various areas depends on how you feel i will try anywhere from skips to building sites, not too fussy me as you may guess, but its all about saving money. failing that i will come up with my own design.

anyone with any ideas or tips would be gratfully recieved.

[Emmy]

Hi all - thanks so much for input so far - really appreciate it!

Kristen, I have considered a glass tunnel, but being new to this, I'm really like the idea of something collapsable in case I don't get on as well as I hope & want to store it for a while.

My garden is a typical courtyard, common to most Victorian terraces, so it will be a case of growing in shelving systems I think.

Jennie, thanks for the reply - I am based in the Midlands & your mention of wind did make me think.... However, because my garden is fairly small & has brick walls/house on all sides, it always seems very sheltered from the wind, while getting a good amount of light.

Here is the tunnel I am looking at - eBay UK Shop - bau-outdoors: Greenhouses, Marquees - seems a reasonable price & as I say, I really am keen that it can be stored/moved a bit like a tent in the future. What do you think? Is it about right for a "my first polytunnel" kind of thing?!!!

The company seem to have good feedback, so nobody has been dissapointed so far!

This forum is fantastic - thanks!!! Emmy x

[lynda66]

Here is the tunnel I am looking at - eBay UK Shop - bau-outdoors: Greenhouses, Marquees - seems a reasonable price & as I say, I really am keen that it can be stored/moved a bit like a tent in the future. What do you think? Is it about right for a "my first polytunnel" kind of thing?!!!

x

i have just been given one of these, the box is still in my hallway, so i cant give you any expertise, and i'm still not sure about the fact that it's green but hopefully i can get a space cleared today, and get it up over weekend.