Polytunnel

[ian mcenery]

I am considering a polytunnel approx 15ft x 10ft for veg and overwintering of some of my less hardy plants including cyclamen seedlings. I intend to locate this on my allotment where I have the space.

I would be interested to get advice on:

Sources of good value tunnels
what aspect might be best and any pitfalls re not being located close to home


Any advice would be appreciated

[Diane Whitehead]

I wouldn't trust any precious plants to a distant hoophouse.

I have one near the house.  One horrible winter's night the door blew open,
and I was too cowardly to go out in the howling blizzard and do something
about it. All the pots froze solid, and  I spent several days in the spring,
tipping out the pots of bulbs to see if they were ok.  Almost none were -
all mush.

Now I have sheets of bubblewrap over the pots, a lightbulb on constantly,
and I go out and check every time the wind blows.

[ian mcenery]

Thanks Dianne for the useful advice I know being remote will bring a lot of problems not least from irrigation where I think I will install drip feed and for  ventillation leave only mesh doors for summer. Now to buy a robust tunnel but where from   

[David Nicholson]

Thanks Dianne for the useful advice I know being remote will bring a lot of problems not least from irrigation where I think I will install drip feed and for  ventillation leave only mesh doors for summer. Now to buy a robust tunnel but where from   

Couple here for you to seek further information from Ian. I haven't used either of them but they regularly advertise in 'Amateur Gardening'

www.ferryman.co.uk

www.citadelpolytunnels.com

[Tim Murphy]

Hello Ian, I have two 20x10 ft tunnels, both bought from Firsttunnels. The first one was bought in 2003 and the second in 2006. The website allows you to customise you tunnel (the price adjusts as you add or remove options). The prices are good, the delivery is fast and the customer support is good too. The installation instructions are excellent. I wouldn't consider anyone else if/when I need another tunnel.

Tim

[ian mcenery]

Thanks Tim and David I am on the trail. Funnily enough Tim I was looking at the First Tunnels site today and its looks very  professional. However there are lots of options for fixing strengthening and ventillation. Did you buy a simple tunnel with sides that are buried or did you upgrade in terms of structure, doors and ventillation and if so was it worth it?

http://www.firsttunnels.co.uk/?gclid=CNTK-POC6pACFQ4rlAodlGSZrA

[Tim Murphy]

Hi Ian, I didn't add any extra ventilation and I have the standard doors at each end of the tunnel. However, I did opt for the timber base rail kit and it was the best thing I could have done. I had both of my tunnels up in a single day for each (only two people working on them).

The timber base rail kit allows you to erect the tunnel without the need to trench the cover. You have to bury aluminium plate to anchor the hoops and the cover is kept in place by being sandwiched between the timber frame which goes around the bottom of the whole structure and some batten. Easy!

I have a couple of thousand cyclamen in one tunnel and several hundred hellebores in the other and they all seem fine without any extra ventilation.

[ian mcenery]

Thanks Tim that's just the sort of help or confidence I needed. Watch this space

By the way does growing your species under polythene accelerate growth or just protect them from the rigours and uncertainty of our weather?

Maggi it was thoughtful of you to add the link -thanks

[Tim Murphy]

By the way does growing your species under polythene accelerate growth or just protect them from the rigours and uncertainty of our weather?

It certainly accelerates the growth of the cyclamen species, Ian. I'm sure that this is tied in with being protected from the elements. Heat during the summer isn't a bad thing either. Lots of heat = lots of flowers.

It helps the hellebore species too for the same reasons. I find that the slower species (torquatus, croaticus, hercegovinus for example) like to be kept in small pots for the first eighteen months; 7x7x8cm pots. If I keep these pots in the tunnel during this time, then pot them into one litre pots and put the plants outside, I can have flowers on three year old plants.

The tunnel is a good place to grow Helleborus vesicarius too; I have a small bed inside the door of one of the tunnels. It's the perfect place to keep them protected from excessive summer wet. I've just dug up the two largest plants and potted them for a hellebore species display that I'm putting on at the next Cyclamen Society show on Feb. 2nd.

I hope you go with Firsttunnels, Ian. You even get a cheapo spade and a tea bag for when your finished... :-)

[Maggi Young]

I've just dug up the two largest plants and potted them for a hellebore species display that I'm putting on at the next Cyclamen Society show on Feb. 2nd.

AHA! So, Tim, can we expect photos, please? Pretty please?

[ian mcenery]

Thanks Tim my smaller species plants are all outside including 2 yera olds and are slow. I will give these a go in the tunnel once erected. Also the vesicarious I have is outside and growing oh so slowly - I cover with an open ended  cloche in summer hoping thius will give it the baking. I have some seeds and if they germinate I will plant them in the tunnel. I have seen this species growing quite well at Ashwood in similar conditions

I am going to speak to First Tunnels as you suggest

[Diane Whitehead]

Tunnels are a nice shelter from the weather for rats, too, which
eat my hellebore seedling leaves and flower buds.

[David Nicholson]

Ugh, I couldn't cope with those.

[Maggi Young]

At least in a polytunnel you should be able to set rat-traps, (I would suggest inside another, larger wire container, to protect cats and birds) and kill the damn pests more easily than in the more confined area of a greenhouse or shed.

[Tim Murphy]

Maggi, I will post photos from the show for sure.