polytunnel

[pigletwillie]

I have a 10x6 greenhouse at home but am part way through building a 20x10 polytunnel on my allotment fitted with 2 off 20x4 raised beds. I hope that the tunnel will be operational by the end of March

Aside from the usual caveats regarding ventilation is there much of a difference in growing between the two. It is mainly intended to grow tomatoes for passata along with chillies and a few aubergines.

Could a pot grown apricot survive a winter in one and what other early or late crops will be worth while in it.

On my allotments I already grow a good spread of
crops such as sweetcorn, brassicas, peas and beans. I really want good value perhaps more interesting ideas, such as root ginger etc.

[Guest]

The most important pointers are that
Almost anything that grows outside will grow in a polytunnel
The season starts about a month earlier and ends a month later.
The temperature at night can be nearly as cold as outside as heat goes through the plastic. Moisture reduces this somewhat.
It can get very hot suddenly inside, some plants don't like this.
If you go to the expense of putting it up be generous with the soil improvers, manure etc. otherwise it's wasted potential.
The plants depend on you supplying almost all the water they need.
Try to have follow-on plants raised elsewhere ready to put in as each crop finishes, this way you can get 2 or even 3 croppings per season.
Allan

[Tigger]

Hello Piglet. This will be my second year of tunnel growing. Last year I had tomatoes - cherry types, traditional ones and cookers - in one of the tunnels. We had tomatoes from Easter until the end of November. In the other tunnel I had early potatoes, then cucumbers, aubergines, peppers, chillis and melons. Everything was good, but the stars were the cucumbers which tasted better than any we had had before.
This year I'm growing all of the above, increasing the variety of tomatoes and melons, and adding a few more fruits, such as bananas in pots.
Last autumn I put 4 vines (eating grapes) into the unheated tunnel (the one I grow everything but tomatoes in). I'm planning on training them on wires to give the plants below some shade in the summer. I pinched the idea from the vine man in Hereford - as per last autumn's KG article. We bought the vines from him and we'll be ordering our outdoor vines (planning for retirement wine supply) too. Fascinating set up he's got there.
Sorry - back to the tunnels. I found the first few weeks of growing a bit hairy - lots of whitefly and mozzies and other things, but I left it alone and it balanced itself out just fine. Toads and frogs used it as bed and breakfast accommodation. During the hottest period, I leave buckets of water need the thirsty things - like cucumbers - to keep the atmosphere moister.
I found you can't grow too much. There's always a grateful crowd at work who can't quite believe the taste and they're already asking me what they'll be getting each week this year.

[Allan]

Tigger, I suggest you keep the space under the vines for rhubarb, there is far too much shade from the vines for any normal summer crop but the rhubarb will be on the way out when the vine leaves spread.
Allan