Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Growing in Greenhouses & Polytunnels => Topic started by: GrannieAnnie on February 14, 2009, 13:43

Title: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: GrannieAnnie on February 14, 2009, 13:43
I've been asked to put a sticky on here to help those of us who either want to start growing in polytunnels and greenhouses, or those of us who already do.

So I will add links to interesting sites and information, and perhaps put down some of my own experiences of my last 4 seasons growing under glass and polythene.

If you have anything to add, please put a thread on here, and I can add it to this sticky.

This was my first and tidiest growing season!

(http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l33/grannieannie_2006/Garden/TUNNEL01.jpg)

Thanks

BOOKS
Vegetables and Herbs for the Greenhouse and Polytunnel by Klaus Laitenberger (https://amzn.to/2pFxn1M)
Gardening Under Plastic By Bernard Salt  -  How to use Fleece, Films, Cloches and Polytunnels (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0713484489?ie=UTF8&tag=allotment5-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0713484489)
The Polytunnel Handbook by Andy McKee (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1900322455?ie=UTF8&tag=allotment5-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1900322455)
The Polytunnel Companion by Jayne Neville (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1904871151?ie=UTF8&tag=allotment5-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1904871151)

WEB LINKS

Polytunnel Growing & Monthly Guides (https://www.allotment-garden.org/polytunnel-growing/)
http://www.citadelpolytunnels.com/
Home - Polyhouses (http://www.polyhouses.com/)
http://www.polytheneone.com/
Polytunnels | Poly Tunnels | Polytunnels for Sale (http://firsttunnels.co.uk/)
http://www.polytunnels.com/
http://polytunnels.me.uk/



edited to remove faulty link
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: GrannieAnnie on February 15, 2009, 09:11
OOOh another one!  I'll add them to the sticky later on, but we going out for the day in a minute!  (Only to step son and snotty DIL, but OUT!!!!! yyyaaaaayyyyy
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: mumofstig on February 15, 2009, 09:20
As the say ..............have a nice day :D
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: GrannieAnnie on February 15, 2009, 23:20
Thank you!  Actually, we did have a nice day!  we took the children their Christmas presents as we hadn't seen them for ages, and they are into Lego at the moment and I'd got them lots of bits of lego like doors and fencing and bushes, and some bases.  they were really pleased with the bases especially
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: GrannieAnnie on February 22, 2009, 22:10
Thanks for reminding me about this post RG, just lately I've been getting carried away talking about chickens!

Oh yes, polytunnels are good as a winter dust bathing area for chickens too!!    :D :D

Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: mumofstig on March 29, 2009, 15:16
My small tunnel will go up soon, so can you tell me please ...when do i sow cobra beans for growing in large tubs inside it?
I am also going to grow a couple of squash, as they did so badly outside last year......... so will i have to hand pollinate them?
It seems funny that for all the usual culprits.........toms, peppers, aubs there is info easily available but for anything else it's difficult to find :(
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: GrannieAnnie on March 29, 2009, 16:25
Hi Mumofstig, I usually put things in the greenhouse a month earlier than I do outside.  I have grown some beans and peas in my polytunnel, and they did reasonably well, but not as good as those outside, probably because I sometimes forget to water them enough! 

I think to get better pollination of your squashes in there, yes hand pollinate them, but with the door open, you will still get a fair amount of bees and other things buzzing around in there.

I'm not an expert on polytunnels though, just got asked to do a sticky as several people know I have one of my own! lol.  Mainly I grow tomatoe and chillies in mine, with a few odd things like cucumbers and anything left over from outside.  I even grew some potatoes in the one year.  Yield wasn't as good as outside potatoes, but there was no scab or anything on them!!!

I dont' usually hand pollinate anything, but then my last lot of melons in the polytunnel didn't do very well.
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: mumofstig on March 29, 2009, 16:49
Thanks Grannie....i better get me beans started then.....good job i've been making paper pots today :lol:
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: GrannieAnnie on October 02, 2009, 21:31
Whilst watching the poultry video on The Garden Channel yesterday, i also noticed this one on polytunnel growing, made by First tunnels, so I thought I'd put it in here.

someone may find it interesting!

http://www.thegardenchannel.tv/feature.aspx?id=156g21a20&title=Why%20A%20Polytunnel
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: rowlandwells on February 04, 2010, 14:10
hi Mumofstig i to have found my two poly tunnels very useful i started of with one polytunnel some ten years ago i installed a hot box heater in the tunnel when i was growing bedding plants but found it to expensive to run so i packed up growing bedding plants and concentrated on other things we now have two tunnels one we grow strawberries in and the other for general use mainly starting of our cabbage brussels broccoli etc and then plant up the beds with tomatoes after there finished  its used  for winter storage but yes they are to my mind a valuable asset. just a word of advise for what its worth some councils do require you to submit a planning application for polytunnels depending on its size and location its worth checking into that if any ones thinking of getting one again it  depends where you are what council if its near your house on your ground or on the allotment
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: mumofstig on August 09, 2010, 20:24
what are you all planning to grow in your tunnels over the winter?
I'm planning on winter hardy lettuce and endive/radichio, corn salad, parcel, some chard and a few onions to start from seeds.

There must be lots of other things :unsure:.................................
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: sunshineband on August 09, 2010, 21:28
My new polytunnel is very small (2m x2.5m ) and still in the box becasue the patch it is going on still has some potatoes in it  :ohmy: :lol:

But the plan is to grow winter salads, spuds in bags, and get the leek soff to a good start again after Christmas

 (Arrgghhhh I mentioned the C word in August -- sorry!)
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: GrannieAnnie on August 09, 2010, 21:37
Unfortunately, after Brian giving his workshop up to the turkeys 2 years ago, my lovely polytunnel is now his workshop and storage facility!

He has his table saw in there, dust extractor, rotovator, lawn mower, all his odd bits of plywood and all the bits of wood he is cutting up for the winter! oh and a workbench! No room for my stuff at all!  :( :(
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: sunshineband on August 10, 2010, 18:45
I think I shall need Mr Sunny's help to put the thing up but he is not, repeat not, going to copy Brian this time  :lol: :lol:
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: mumofstig on August 10, 2010, 19:16
make sure you fix the frame down with some rods or angle iron, though sunny ;)
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: sunshineband on August 10, 2010, 19:31
I was going to use council weight paving slabs (2ft square)  around the flaps of the cover, and metal pegs for the frame itself.

Does that sound OK?
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: mumofstig on August 10, 2010, 19:39
 Sounds ok to me.........I hope you enjoy using it............I enjoy growing in mine.
I must source a new cover for mine during the winter though..or I won't be able to use it next year :(

I'll have to refer back to all those 'how to fit a cover' threads from the top :lol:
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: mumofstig on September 20, 2010, 16:46
What are people sowing or planting in their polytunnels for the winter?
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: Poolfield2 on September 21, 2010, 23:16
Mine will keep me going in parsley, thyme, oregano, salad onions, corn salad, rocket and winter density lettuce. I have strawberries that will fruit a month earlier than outside and french tarragon that wouldn't survive outside.

I start off some very early potatoes in January, sometimes it works and sometimes I lose them, I also start onions off in January.

My polytunnel has 6 small beds and the rest is storage, I'm wondering whether I can pinch enough space for an extra bed this winter.
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: GrannieAnnie on October 08, 2010, 12:55
All I've got in mine these days is a lawnmower, 2 non working rotavators and loads of wood and ply sheets!
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: mumofstig on October 08, 2010, 13:08
I seem to have bad ventilation in mine........things going mouldy :(

I sure couldn't use it for storage........how do you keep yours dry and ventilated  :unsure:
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: arugula on October 08, 2010, 13:25
We still have the (very green) Roma tomatoes in there and some turnips and spring onion.

We have our central panels at either end, one opening and the other fixed, made out of windbreak fabric which can be covered fully or partly in ply etc, during the months when the weather is doing its worst.

:)
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: GrannieAnnie on October 08, 2010, 15:13
All the holes the rats gnaw through the poly and the rips the chickens make when they are abseiling down the polythene!  So it gets plenty of ventilation :lol: :lol:

It's getting on now, the polythene was already 5 years old when we got it and we've had it 5 years, so its not doing badly except there is more repair tape on it than poly!!   :lol: :lol:

But its very dry.
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: Poolfield2 on October 12, 2010, 13:16
I leave the double doors open both ends all through the summer and in winter I'm not watering much so it's fine and like Grannie we have a fair few holes some caused by me mowing too close ::)
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: natpod on October 23, 2010, 20:37
We've just finished putting our tunnel up, in the Midlands. What shall I get in now?
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: Goldfinger on October 23, 2010, 21:27
on my new lotty, we have a greenhouse with no :( glass in the sides but the roof's complete, so that's not in use at the moment.

I so want a poly! But don't have the space.  :(  It's only a half plot.
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: rowlandwells on October 23, 2010, 21:50
we bought our first tunnel some twenty years ago and then 2 large greenhouses and then another small tunnel about 7 years ago found both tunnels and greenhouses good value for money just a bit concerned about the cost of replacing the poly covers  ???

don't grow much in the winter in the tunnels or greenhouses use them more for storage usually start things going about the end of February with our solid fuel boiler heating pipes under the benches when i put the tunnels up i buried the poly cover  in the ground  :D
had no problems doing it that way also have raised beds in both tunnels for those of you who have polytunnels do you cover the tunnel up with shading in the summer to protect from the sun we always cover our tunnels with shading  :)
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: mumofstig on October 23, 2010, 22:52
what are you all planning to grow in your tunnels over the winter?
I'm planning on winter hardy lettuce and endive/radichio, corn salad, parcel, some chard and a few onions to start from seeds.

Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: DirtyShovel on December 21, 2010, 15:43
I'm personally put off polytunnels as a few friends of mine's have been utterly trashed by weather down the years !
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: Poolfield2 on January 11, 2011, 23:26
Ours has withstood 80mph wind on an exposed site but we have trouble getting more than 5 years from one cover, they seem to split where the fold lines are in the plastic.

The only greenhouse that is designed to cope with the weather here was £25000 so it's polytunnels for me unless we win the lottery (which given I don't buy tickets is unlikely).

We are on a replacement year next year and I hate doing it, I'm getting too old to dig around a 14 x 34 foot polytunnel but the call of growing will get me through ::)
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: Colin of Oxford on January 12, 2011, 08:48
When choosing a (small) tunnel is it worth having one of the more expensive covers?
By this I mean either double-thickness (like super-bubble wrap) or reinforced with fibres.

By the way . .
I have experimented this winter (not realising that the temperature would descend to minus 13C) with a low tunnel over broad beans.  This has a green mesh cover (that stood up to the snow!).  Beans in the open are dead, but those under the tunnel look to have survived.
I rather suspect that it was the snow that insulated them, and the ground that kept them warm.
(the picture is just to compensate for all the dogs)
PS I have reduced the picture size, having been told that it would appear on all my posts.  I do not think that this is correct, as this is not my signature, but Ah! So!  I tlemble and obey.
Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: GrannieAnnie on January 12, 2011, 21:25
Sorry I can't help you there Colin.  We bought our tunnel 2nd hand over 5 years ago.  It has ordinary poly over it, which is still there, albeit rather riddled with holes and splits that I keep repairing.  It was 5 years old when we got it and they say never re-use the poly if you move the tunnel, and the poly only lasts 5 years!  And we live in very windy Lincolnshire!!

But ours is now nearly 10 years old, and will hopefully last me another growing season, if I can get Brian to take his spare wood, 3 lawnmowers and 2 rotavators out of it!!!

Title: Re: Polytunnel and Greenhouse Growing
Post by: mumofstig on February 10, 2013, 12:39
I've locked this old thread now - please start your own topic  :)