Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Growing in Greenhouses & Polytunnels => Topic started by: Flagstaffview on January 10, 2019, 13:34
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Polytunnel is 15 x 21 ft in Newry Northern Ireland
I am keeping to the guide paths 2ft wide and bed 2 ft reach.
But I notice 2 layouts have the same “planting area”
Doors at each end on a N to S axis. Allowing a 2.6 ft bed along the 2 long sides with a 2.6ft entrances bay inside the gables.
If I select a Captial E path arrangement with 3 planting bays 8ft x 4ft or I can have 3 long paths down the length of the tunnel and this would give me 2 long planting bays of 16ft x 3ft.
Both these arrangements have the same edge planting areas and the same effective area in the centre space 48 sq ft.
The E arrangement would have paths on the West side and the planting areas - the insides of the E are on the East the Sun side. But this leaves some of the crop rods over a path rather than a growing bay. However with a 3 long path system the centre path is in the middle of the best growing space. But the 2 long bays 16 ft long by 3 ft.
But which is the best solution for raised beds?
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My tunnel is almost exactly the same size as yours. Its long ends are facing North East and South West I also agonised about layout and in the end opted for two long beds with a normally sized central pathway about 2ft wide and narrower (18" wide paths at each end and on the outsides (next to sides). Very happy with it
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My tunnel is 9ft x 20ft approx and I've got mine split into 3 beds with two paths around. Bit of a tight squeeze when the tomatoes are full size but it works for me!
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Thank you both for your helpful comments. I will start with the long beds and maybe try a machine in the big ones to mix the soil. The side ones I will do by hand as they will be too close to the plastic. I like the wooden rail in the photo- for protection of the plastic?
Louis
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That tunnel is a homemade/ botch job of mine. The wooden frame is for stability! Built the whole thing for about £100 and most of that was for the cover.