[shokkyy]

Last year I did a lot of experimenting with various crops in my tunnel. Among other things, I grew chard, spinach and perpetual spinach, and I have to say they seem much happier in there. I'm growing the same crops outside as well, and the inside ones are bigger and healthier plants giving me a much bigger crop of leaf, which is also nicer leaf because it hasn't been nibbled or chewed or battered by the weather.

Sadly, I didn't get the timing right with the new chard I started off for winter cropping. I sowed them in Aug, potted on in Sept and planted in the tunnel bed in October and it was too late. They're too small for cropping now but I guess they'll grow on in the spring. What's the best timing to use for winter chard in my tunnel?

And has anyone tried growing curly kale in their tunnel? That's the one thing I didn't try last year and I don't want to waste the space if they're not going to work, because they do take up a bit of space. I know they're hardy and I have some growing outdoors, but the leaves do look less appetising at this time of year because they're nibbled and showing a bit of frost damage at the edge of the leaves, even on the nice new ones. So if they'll be happy in the tunnel, I'll get nicer leaf from them and probably a bigger crop. Anyone tried them?

[mumofstig]

I don't know if they'd work because it would be still quite hot in the tunnel when it's time to plant them out 

[grinling]

Try doing some kale in large pots and move into the polytunnel in winter.
Spinach and chard did better indoors, but found chard was bolting quicker. I still have some of each as I moved them to one side so the chooks have greens.

[LivvyW]

Last year i had some very successfull curly kale in the PT. I'm afraid i can't remember when i started it off.  I think it was probably very early i.e May kept in pots until Aug'ish and planted into pt soil after I took out some onions. It was my first year and was very slapdash about what i tried in there and when. I definitly had 3 large kale plants around this time though. Gave us plenty of leaf.
Last autumn i left it too late,(poss July) and I've only got scutty kale plants both inside and out.

[RichardA]

could try spring cabbage
R

[shokkyy]

I have got a few cabbage in there. It wasn't intentional, just that I started off a new batch too late and they were so small that if I planted them outside I didn't think they'd survive the weather so I stuck them in the tunnel bed since there was a gap there. They're not doing  much at the moment but I'll see if they grow on when the weather starts to get a bit warmer. Hopefully they will, and should grow faster in there than outside, in which case they'll crop before I need the space for something else. But now I've got used to growing stuff in there, it's spoiled me for growing leaf crops outside cos they just look so nice and perfect

[brianbishop]

Tried brocolli, sprouts, and kale, july sown in p/tunnel. grew really well at first but got powdery mildew in december.

[Squibbs]

I have some curly kale in the polytunnel still that are going strong. They came from plug plants reduced at the garden centre and were marked as broccoli.

I am not that keen on kale - so most of it goes to the quail