In or Out advice please?

[gardening_gal]

I would have thought that there was a given way to grow things and that they would either be better in a tunnel or outside. I've come across a number of sites that have people completely contradicting the info I'd previously read so I wondered if you might offer opinions on whether the following would be better outside or undercover in a tunnel?

Onions

Spring Onions

Kale

Spinach

Lettuce

Sweetcorn


I already have tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, chillis in the tunnel and potatoes, carrots, radish in raised beds and pots outside.

The rest are sitting waiting to be planted in their final spaces and as I have spaces available both in and out I'm not sure what to do?

I always thought lettuce liked cooler temps for example but I've read of people growing them in tunnels so I'm now not sure.

I'd be glad of your opinions. Thanks in advance.

[Mudsweatandtea]

I would look at the native climate for the plants and the available space. So cool weather crops outside (there is a greater chance of bolting from stress in the heat of the polytunnel) and warm weather crops inside. There are always exceptions that will do well in either, but if you want to grow brassicas for example in the polytunnel, unsure they are very well mulched and prepare for them potentially going jurrasic. Likewise sweetcorn will love the polytunnel, but if you get an early variety bred for the climate here you can grow it quite successfully outdoors, and being wind pollinated they seem to have better pollination with less intervention. I'm on the NE Scottish coast and grow "northern extra sweet" outdoors in containers with success so I imagine it would be possible up by you

[bario1]

I would grow all those outside personally. I tried onions in the tunnel and they were smaller than the same ones sown at the same time outside - maybe they suffered from lack of water?
You can use a tunnel to extend your growing season, so lettuce through winter where it wouldn't survive outside... but at this time of year, i'd only use it for things that definitely can't thrive outdoors (here anyway!) - tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, chillies, cucs, melons etc.
However, i have a small tunnel so need every available inch of space for those things - maybe with a huge tunnel I would be tempted to try a wider range of stuff undercover?

[mrbadexample]

I'd grow all of those outside. I'm not saying that's right though...

[nickdub]

A lot depends on the weather where you live, time of year etc

Why no try a few in both sets of conditions as an experiment and let us know how it goes ?

[gardening_gal]

Thanks all, appreciate your input.

Nick I do have spares of things so I might just do that actually. I think the bulk of it all will go outside but I could put some of the smaller stuff inside too. It's the same raised beds with the same MPC in them in and out, so apart from the tunnel itself the rest of the conditions would be pretty similar.

[nickdub]

Sounds like a plan - I always have some spares when I sow seeds so I tend to assume other people will too.

Happy gardening :-)

[Small pumpkin]

I do this. But with you being even more up north, you might want more in the tunnel.

Onions out

Spring Onions both

Kale out

Spinach out

Lettuce out

Sweetcorn tunnel

[Penellype]

Sweetcorn is wind pollinated - would it pollinate in a tunnel? I don't grow it so I have no idea. Spinach will bolt if it gets too hot, so I would definitely grow it outside.

[Small pumpkin]

Sweetcorn is wind pollinated - would it pollinate in a tunnel? I don't grow it so I have no idea. Spinach will bolt if it gets too hot, so I would definitely grow it outside.

My sweet corn pollinated very well last year, I was quite surprised. Just gave it a gentle shake every day.

[SarrissUK]

I'd grow all of those outside, not in a tunnel, nor a greenhouse in the summer. However, I will be growing lettuce in my greenhouse come winter, and my kale will still be producing through the winter, simply by the sheer amount of kale I'm growing Spinach is great in cooler temperatures and is less likely to bolt, so again, through the winter and early spring, then rip'em out and replace with your tomatoes etc in the spring. Sow spinach again in July, August and let them replace the tomatoes when they're done

[Jay-ell]

Sweetcorn is wind pollinated - would it pollinate in a tunnel? I don't grow it so I have no idea. Spinach will bolt if it gets too hot, so I would definitely grow it outside.

Sweetcorn in pollinated when pollen from the male flowers (at the top) drop onto the female silks (lower down) - strong breezes can actually make it miss. A little shake of the plants whenever your passing helps the pollen move between them. I do this with my sweetcorn outside - especially on calm days.