Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: mumof4 on February 02, 2008, 20:10
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Can anyone suggest what veg/fruit I could plant that would make use of the ceiling space of a polytunnel.
This week i ordered a 12x20 foot polytunnel and it's got crop bars so i want to make best use of the space. I think it's 7ft foot high in the middle of the tunnel.
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Tomatoes
Climbing rather than trailing
Okra
Sweet Potato
Cucumber
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Tomatoes
Climbing rather than trailing
Okra
Sweet Potato
Cucumber
Sweet potato sounds good - have to get my books out have no idea how to grow it.
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See the Veg Index in the WYSIWYGGY link in my signature
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See the Veg Index in the WYSIWYGGY link in my signature
Thanks WG I'll give it a go.
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why not have a go at grapes?
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A friend of mine grows some mental looking squashes on a frame that's at least head height. I think they're called Spaghetti Squashes but can't be sure. He had 5ft long fruit on them last year.
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A friend of mine grows some mental looking squashes on a frame that's at least head height. I think they're called Spaghetti Squashes but can't be sure. He had 5ft long fruit on them last year.
1-Apr-1957
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/1/newsid_2819000/2819261.stm
PS - yes I have heard of Spaghetti Squashes :wink:
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Winter squashes do well in tunnels, but will need to be trained and supported as they are not true climbers. I've had great success with butternuts in a tunnel.
Climbing French beans do amazingly well under cover, much better than outdoors in the north. They can be trained back and forth, the plants will grow to at least 20' given the opportunity, and crop more heavily and for longer than outdoor grown beans. Successional sowing will give you beans from May to November.
I do miss my tunnel :( but aint got room for one on my new plot.
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Winter squashes do well in tunnels, but will need to be trained and supported as they are not true climbers. I've had great success with butternuts in a tunnel.
Climbing French beans do amazingly well under cover, much better than outdoors in the north. They can be trained back and forth, the plants will grow to at least 20' given the opportunity, and crop more heavily and for longer than outdoor grown beans. Successional sowing will give you beans from May to November.
Rob the rake was you PT heated ????
Climbing F/beans - might seem dumb but could you explain back and forth do you mean go up canes and then arranged them around crop bars etc or to wind around canes on the way up and on the way down. May to Novemebr would be great.
Grapes - some on my site suggested planting one but wasn't sure how much room they would take up so will research that idea
Butternut squashes - last summer had 10 plants but only fruit from 4 plants but did end up with 10 good sized squashes so will try them in the tunnel.
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A friend of mine grows some mental looking squashes on a frame that's at least head height. I think they're called Spaghetti Squashes but can't be sure. He had 5ft long fruit on them last year.
1-Apr-1957
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/1/newsid_2819000/2819261.stm
PS - yes I have heard of Spaghetti Squashes :wink:
They're called 'god-grated' in some language. :lol:
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I send the beans up canes, and tie string to the top of the cane. The string is stretched along the roof of the tunnel for the beans to follow, and they grow seriously long but do lose their vigour after a while. I get over this by making successional sowings a month apart in March, April, May and June. The early sowing isn't always successful, but the others more than make up for it.
Blue Lake is the variety I use. I believe that it was selected for indoor use, if I remember rightly. The tunnel, and now greenhouse were and are unheated.
Additionally, because the vine is horizontal the beans are much easier to see and harvest.
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I send the beans up canes, and tie string to the top of the cane. The string is stretched along the roof of the tunnel for the beans to follow, and they grow seriously long but do lose their vigour after a while. I get over this by making successional sowings a month apart in March, April, May and June. The early sowing isn't always successful, but the others more than make up for it.
Blue Lake is the variety I use. I believe that it was selected for indoor use, if I remember rightly. The tunnel, and now greenhouse were and are unheated.
Additionally, because the vine is horizontal the beans are much easier to see and harvest.
Oh - will defo try that that makes real use of space
Many thanks
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How long's your tunnel, and what's it's orientation?
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How long's your tunnel, and what's it's orientation?
It's 20foot long and 12ft wid. I'm in Bristol so weather isn't too bad. The plot gets the sun allday but the poly will be sited so the sun hits one long side for 1/2 day then the other for the afternoon. Behind about 50" from the rear of the poly is a fence with bushes and then trees. The plot on my left there are a green house and shed the plot on my right (mine too) is a shed and three plots area there are small trees. So i guess it s quite sheltered. Although being Bristol it is on a hill.
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So it's north /south then, so plant your beans at the northern end of the tunnel or they will spend the whole time trying to go south. You can train them back in the other direction by gently twining them round the string yourself, but they much prefer to go the other way.
You will be amazed how fast they grow indoors, 12 to 18 inches a day is not uncommon when they really get going.