Newbie first post

Hi all
Even though Ive grown veg on and off for the last 30 years, Ive never had a polytunnel. After buying one about 4 years it just sat there in the shed this year Ive decided to do something about it!!. Its my pre-retirement project amongst other things but came across this site to pick the brains of your subscribers. The garden is about 400 m2 on a slope more like an allotment. My plan is to get rid of as much grass as I can (thinking about bad backs in the future!) to leave more leisure time. The garden is roughly on 7 terrace levels which needs to come down to 3. Top will be summerhouse and decking overlooking the valley (next year), middle bit will be grass for the time being and bottom level will be polytunnel and decking (only decided that bit in July to avoid more grass!). Anyway, I will be seeking advice as we go along. Getting close to adding the cover on the 6 x 3 m tunnel and have read a few nightmares about zip doors so have added frames already to build separate door and window at the rear of the tunnel. Not a clue what to grow in it as yet!! Need to get the infrastructure finished first as there’s no rush. So any advice for filling the raised beds gratefully received.

Cheers
DaiWig

 

Welcome, and Wow!

I'm guessing from your name, and the lovely hills in the background, that you are in God's own country - aka Wales?! It's helpful to know your location when the experts come along to give you planting advice.

I'm just going a tad green with envy at the polytunnel!

 

Thanks Sian and yes, West Wales. Good guess. Looking forward to learning a lot from the experts in here. Hopefully cover going on this afternoon - dreading it to be honest but there we go, we’ll see and I’ll let you know how it goes. I take it with your name theres a welsh connection too?

 

Thank you Fat Controller.

The beds are made from treated 9 x 2 inch x 4.8m planks so each of the large beds are about 2.4m long and 1.1 m wide and 18 inches high. The tunnel is 6m long and 3m wide but wanted enough space to move about easily. Theres approximately 4 tonnes of riddled soil (god that was boring!) from the middle banking hence saving a small fortune! Ill wait til the sun comes up before putting the cover on hopefully later on today. And thank you for the welcome.

 

Oh, forgot to say that each bed is lined with industrial DPM to protect the wood and stop any leeching into the soil - porous membrane in tunnel for drainage as well covering the whole tunnel.

 

The raised beds look great. I'm considering adding some raised beds to our polytunnel but need to see how we go this winter with bringing the tender plants inside, which has depressingly already started !

'Proper' doors is a good idea. How are you securing the cover ? trenching or base plates ?

 

Hi Andrews
Thank you. Mmmm cover on just now and skirt is only 4 inches long!!! I may have to sandwich the cover between 9 x 2 x 4.8m boards. Still thinking about it as I dont have many other options i.e. build a frame round the outside of the tunnel and add ‘noggins on the inside and screw together tightly. Any suggestions gratefully received!

 

Well, an interesting activity putting the cover on - see previous response. Still not sure the best way forward but progress being made. Started the retaining barrier (not really just back fill) down the path to the polytunnel and gravel inside. I am on a mission as you can probably guess - digger coming in 3 weeks to start the top bit so on a timetable to complete. Got really frustrated with the cover so will go for polythene when this one either blows off or degrades, or both, then I can bury it to shale gas levels! Until then, Ill workaround quick fixes. Only managed to rip slightly one corner with all the pulling and pushing and coaxing an its obvious that the polytunnel cover is about 3 inches too small on the length. Hey ho, thats life - at least the frame ain’t going anywhere. As the wind is non existent for the next few days, I’ll sleep on the best way forward unless a fellow member has gone down the route of securing the cover in another way. Help! Anyway todays pics below in no particular order. Time for wine!

 

Ahhhh. Thought it was a polythene cover. But thinking about it, you did mention a zip so I should've realised that it wasn't

Ive no experience of this type of cover so don't know how strong they are although I will be putting one on my polytunnel inside the polytunnel this weekend

 

Yes, married to a proud Welshman ("valley boy, see"). I'm a bit more complicated - my mum's from the Rhondda, and there was a Welsh grandmother on my father's side. So I've been brought up to think I'm Welsh, 5/8 by blood, but born in England, as that's where my parents worked at the time. Raised 10 miles on the wrong side of the border, but uni in Wales, and a Welsh (ail-iaith) speaker....

 

Welcome DaiWig.