On Tue, 24 Aug 2010 05:41:23 +0100, "Kate Morgan"
wrote:

I have finally decided to invest in a polytunnel -

A friend has just bought one, and I was impressed with the size and
price, have no connection with the firm but have been told they were
at 'gardners live' and they were certainly at the Lincolnshire show.

Haygrove Ltd

www.gardentunnels.co.uk






Divingbrit

www.lincolnfuchsiasociety.info
www.lincolnfuchsiasociety.info

I have finally decided to invest in a polytunnel - my greenhouse is simply
not big enough - I have googled tunnels and they seem to be available in a
large range of prices and quality. I am a bit confused at the moment in what
to choose and who to buy from so any advice at this stage would be
appreciated

kate

On 24 Aug, 05:41, "Kate Morgan" wrote:
I have finally decided to invest in a polytunnel - my greenhouse is simply
not big enough - I have googled tunnels and they seem to be available in a
large range of prices and quality. I am a bit confused at the moment in what
to choose and who to buy from so any advice at this stage would be
appreciated

kate

I have a large polytunnel. They are OK. Get the best plastic,
which in my experience is "Visqueen". It lasts ten years at least.
There are "anti condensation plastics". Not sure how well they work.
Don't bring a strimmer anywhere near it. :-) Get the biggest
possible doors in BOTH ends for ventilation.

The other variable is the metal tube that go in the ground. They have
means of adjusting the hieght of the hoops. Some of them are very
awkward to work, so have a look at this. Mind you, I have never needed
to adjust them once the thing is erected.

It's possible to get them very cheap these days second hand from
failed garden centre businesses. You get good hoops but would have to
buy new plastic.
Failing that you need to look in nursery trade magazines, there is a
lot of ripping off off the general public goes on with these.

It's very important to tape the joints and to have the insulating foam
tape accurately placed to keep the plastic from touching the steel
frame.

If you have a huge one it's possile some nosy b****d might report you
to the planners & cause hassle. There are recent new regs about
tunnels, I don't know the details. If you ask, be careful, just
asking provokes the curiosity of these gits from planning. Don't give
them your name/address if just asking anything.

The awkward aspects are that yo can't easily rig up any way of
collecting water off them. Its also difficult to rig support wires and
shading cloth inside.
These things can be surmounted but it's more awkward than a
conventional greenhouse.

On 24 Aug, 05:41, "Kate Morgan" wrote:
I have finally decided to invest in a polytunnel - my greenhouse is simply
not big enough - I have googled tunnels and they seem to be available in a
large range of prices and quality. I am a bit confused at the moment in what
to choose and who to buy from so any advice at this stage would be
appreciated

kate

Oh forgot. There are some non-semicircular ones available. Close to
the "walls" it's very low esp. with the smaller ones. The non-
semicircular ones have a short vertical bit by the walls that
overcomes this problem.
More expensive needless to say. Probably only worth it on small
diameter tunnels.

In article ,
says...
I have finally decided to invest in a polytunnel - my greenhouse is simply
not big enough - I have googled tunnels and they seem to be available in a
large range of prices and quality. I am a bit confused at the moment in what
to choose and who to buy from so any advice at this stage would be
appreciated

kate


Given most of the cost is the cover, go for a good make like Northen or
fordingbridge the steelwork is much bigger and stronger, Big double door
openings at both ends are essential.
Trenching in the plastic is hard work but very strong and makes it all
very wind resitant. When covering with trenches start by placing a long
sheet of black polythene in the trench that also comes up inside the
tunnel about 6", this will prevent weeds growing next to the polythene
cover on the inside, I cover the trenches with loose laid slabs to
prevent weeds outside (don't go near a tunnel with a strimmer!)
If you have the space an 18' wide or bigger tunnels will provide a much
more comfortable working space than a 14' or smaller.
standard length of 64 feet is too long to ventilate so either make the
tunnel 32' and cut the cover in half so you have a spare, or form an
extra door in the middle ( can send you a picture of this )
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

On 24 Aug, 08:56, Charlie Pridham wrote:
In article ,
says... I have finally decided to invest in a polytunnel - my greenhouse is simply
not big enough - I have googled tunnels and they seem to be available in a
large range of prices and quality. I am a bit confused at the moment in what
to choose and who to buy from so any advice at this stage would be
appreciated

kate

Given most of the cost is the cover, go for a good make like Northen or
fordingbridge the steelwork is much bigger and stronger, Big double door
openings at both ends are essential.
Trenching in the plastic is hard work but very strong and makes it all
very wind resitant. When covering with trenches start by placing a long
sheet of black polythene in the trench that also comes up inside the
tunnel about 6", this will prevent weeds growing next to the polythene
cover on the inside, I cover the trenches with loose laid slabs to
prevent weeds outside (don't go near a tunnel with a strimmer!)
If you have the space an 18' wide or bigger tunnels will provide a much
more comfortable working space than a 14' or smaller.
standard length of 64 feet is too long to ventilate so either make the
tunnel 32' and cut the cover in half so you have a spare, or form an
extra door in the middle ( can send you a picture of this )
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwallwww.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

Hard to answer your question without some idea of the size you are
looking for.

I wonder if these gits from planning are the same gits that protected an acquaintance of ours from having their garden collapse by a developer undermining the retaining wall; and prevented the whole street having their evenings disrupted by the erection of a licensed party venue?

On 24 Aug, 10:22, kay wrote:
harry;898321 Wrote:

On 24 Aug, 05:41,

these gits from planning. *

.

I wonder if these gits from planning are the same gits that protected an
acquaintance of ours from having their garden collapse by a developer
undermining the retaining wall; and prevented the whole street having
their evenings disrupted by the erection of a licensed party venue?

--
kay

No, that would be the building inspector. There are ways for
nieghbours to comment on undesireable developments.

One piece of advice is that which ever company you choose or what ever style or type of cover, get a good number of folks to help put it on the frame and do it on the hottest day you can manage. That way the cover is stretched over the hoops when it is cold and windy.

I have finally decided to invest in a polytunnel - my greenhouse is
simply not big enough - I have googled tunnels and they seem to be
available in a large range of prices and quality. I am a bit confused
at the moment in what to choose and who to buy from so any advice at
this stage would be appreciated
-
Have a look at 'Polytunnels and Greenhouse Hybrids from Solar Tunnels
based in Sussex' (http://www.solartunnels.co.uk) for something more
robust than
most (?all) conventional polytunnels.

--
Malcolm

One piece of advice is that which ever company you choose or what ever
style or type of cover, get a good number of folks to help put it on the
frame and do it on the hottest day you can manage. That way the cover is
stretched over the hoops when it is cold and windy.
--
Owdboggy



Thank you all very much for the words of wisdom and advice, I have plenty to
think about now. A friend visiting from New Zealand tells me that he leaves
a gap between the bottom of the tunnel and the earth, I said surely rabbits
and other creatures will get in with ease but he said he did not have any
trouble, perhaps they don't have rabbits where he lives, needless to say
that is one bit of advice I wont be taking.

thanks again

kate

wet and windy Gloucestershire

Thank you all very much for the words of wisdom and advice, I have plenty
to think about now. A friend visiting from New Zealand tells me that he
leaves a gap between the bottom of the tunnel and the earth, I said
surely rabbits and other creatures will get in with ease but he said he
did not have any trouble, perhaps they don't have rabbits where he lives,
needless to say that is one bit of advice I wont be taking.

thanks again

kate

wet and windy Gloucestershire

Kate, we have 3 quite large polytunnels here and they are *very* firmly
buried in the soil to help hold them down! I think that in NZ they
*might* do that (depending on where they are) because of the very hot
summers and the extra need for ventilation. You're quite right not to do
that! However, ventilation at each end with polythene 'doors' that roll
up on a wooden strut and can be held open, is very important. They get
incredibly hot in sunny weather. In summer those are left open night and
day. If there's a rabbit problem, we send in the JRs and the dachshund.
;-))
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon



Decisions decisions, I have been so busy trying to decide where to put the
polytunnel that I had forgotten about the blasted rabbit`s, we do have
rather a lot at the moment. The last of our dogs has just gone to the big
kennel in the sky so we are dogless at the moment. Hubby is itching to have
another one or two so it is possible he will get his wish sooner rather than
later :-)

kate

snip

Decisions decisions, I have been so busy trying to decide where to put
the polytunnel that I had forgotten about the blasted rabbit`s, we do
have rather a lot at the moment. The last of our dogs has just gone to
the big kennel in the sky so we are dogless at the moment. Hubby is
itching to have another one or two so it is possible he will get his wish
sooner rather than later :-)

kate

I was talking to Ray about this tonight and he said that if you're going
in for a really big tunnel, you can get ones that have mesh on the sides
for ventilation. But if it's going to be a fairly normal domestic size,
it should ventilate well enough from either end.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

I don't think it need to be too big, only hubby John plus visiting family
to feed, seasonal veg and fruit. with a bit of room for a chair and radio
:-)

kate
still raining in Gloucestershire

snip
Solartunnels have a small (1-2 cm) gap at the bottom all round which is
helpful for ventilation and certainly wouldn't allow rabbits to get in,
though we don't actually have any in our (walled) garden :-)

Also, the cover has metal pipes running through sleeves at the bottom
which are clipped on to a ground frame so the stretching happens then. No
burying in soil is required.

--
Malcolm

Wont the dear little bunnies just dig underneath the bottom and in that way?

kate

Wont the dear little bunnies just dig underneath the bottom and in that
way?

Or they could chew through the plastic, I suppose! Incidentally, the
plastic on a solartunnel is a weld-mesh sandwich so much stronger than on
a normal polytunnel.

--
Malcolm

that is good to know, it all helps me make a decision which I have not done
yet :-)

kate

thanks for the vote of confidence - we're very proud of our polytunnels!