Poly-Tunnel Gardening

Ours is now 14 years old and looks just as it did when bought. We don't need to do any maintenance on it at all.

I would always start tomato seeds in a heated propagator, not move them into a polytunnel until May, and even then be prepared to cocoon in fleece or even bring back indoors on cold nights.

My three 6 x 10m tunnels are fixed down at the perimeter using 4 L brackets cast int concrete pads each side bolted to tunnel framework, plus 3 timber raking struts either side of central path bolted at tops to tunnel framework and bolted to timber stakes at base driven into ground with...

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Scrungee: Did you ever get round to making a hinged door for this?

Many thanks for the info, saved me wasting money.

Thanks for your reply's. Can you indicate how to understand ventilation required? I do not want to seal completely as this will generate problems, but I wish to maintain as much heat and favorable growing conditions as possible.

Just about any crop you like except the most tender ones like toms and runner beans.+ what lori mentions, Spuds, Beetroot, Leeks , so many to choose and try.Got any heating or heated areas in there to help start off the seeds ?Hmmmm...... think the last time @Nosivad in the...

Nope, they are from a shop fixture I re purposed. It used to be a stand in a garden centre that held sheet materials (weed membrane, polythene etc), so my crop bars where the rollers of that. Super strong and heavy duty.Steve...

Weeding done now the hard bit of removing the cover, my bodies not made for digging anymore

I've just viewed this video by Charles Dowding - see from approximately 11 minutes onwards.His observations seem to match my own. Looks like it could be due to lack of air movement inside the PT.

If your tunnel is similar to mine and the main frame is fitted onto ground anchors, then the bolts can be loosened to lift the frame on the anchors to tension the cover if necessary. This comment is for onlookers too as I'm certain andrew has this done already.Nice tidy job andrew, I made one...

Misting now ordered.Like a lot of things, the original idea has grown a bit.The system will be 1m misting over the heated sand bed and then 3m over the benches. I'll be able to turn off the benches in 1m segments and turn off the section over the heated bed.

And it might seem a minor point, but I think it is useful when you form the 'pleats' in the cover at the ends, where it is attached to the doorframe, to try to get all the pleats 'facing downwards' inside the tunnel. That way any water from your watering system doesn't hang about in the grooves...

I did this on my first, small tunnel on a plot full of voles and moles and nothing got through the skirt, but voles got through the door opening.I didn't bother on subsequent tunnels (where voles still got through the front door!), and when replacing covers I've never found holes through the...

@Marley Farley Thanks @Tetters Thanks I am in Inverness. @CarolineL Thanks. I think those foams are expensive. I need to purchase lots of them. @Gail_68 Thanks. @Steve R That is a very good advice I feel so stupid now, I didn't think of doing that. I might even lay the foam I mentioned as a...

All 3 of my 3 x 6m (10 x 20 feet) polytunnels have double doors covered in mesh at the west facing entrances and identical mesh panels at the rear. Whilst I'm growing in them they are only covered with polythene during colder weather, and then they're closed up again in autumn.Despite the...

Or it might be just as easy to buy a new hose after fitting the rainwater gutter filter, I think they are fairly cheap?

The ones with 'green' covers are normally much, much cheaper than those sold with clear covers.Green covers start rapidly deteriorating after a couple of years, so can either be replaced when the polythene between the mesh begins to shower down, or immediately re-sell the supplied cover on...

Used them for years never had a major problem with them. If you live in a cold area then take them off and store frost free over winter, remember to lock vent after removal.