POLYTUNNEL

Gardening to 'grow your own food' from square foot to half an acre !!
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Chookaholic
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POLYTUNNEL

Post by Chookaholic »

Ive ordered a polytunnel!!! a big walk in one : I am literally jogging on the spot with excitement ... tons of seeds await and this broadens my horizons!

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!

Tomatoes here i come! >veg5< >veg5< >veg5<
Maggie1

Re: POLYTUNNEL

Post by Maggie1 »

How big is it. Ours is 14ft x 30ft
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Chookaholic
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Re: POLYTUNNEL

Post by Chookaholic »

oh cripes it isnt that big! :-D

Its 12 by 6 ...i was going to get little ones on the floor but Mr chookaholic just treated me and im so happy . ...no one will be in it but me and the occasional chook as im the only one likes planting and gardening

I will be concreting into lace so if we get high winds again it stays put

What do you grow in yours Maggie? This is a first for me >veg4<
Maggie1

Re: POLYTUNNEL

Post by Maggie1 »

We got a big one as we are so exposed. We look out onto Croagh Patrick and the other side is the Atlantic so lots of wind.

We don't use it to its full capacity. I have daffodils in there and when they've gone back into the ground I plant tomatoes. I always have a 10 hanging baskets with strawberries in. Last year we was eating fruit at the end of April. Always have runners, peas, carrots, courgettes, kale and aubergine. All salad veg and last year we tried Chinese lettuce which was nice but the celeriac wasn't any good. Also not much success with melons.

And of course I always have an archway of sweet peas. Thats law

This year I'm going to grow some Cape goosberry. We planted a grape vine last year but I think its dead.

Personally I would have some more flowers but OH moans
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Chookaholic
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Re: POLYTUNNEL

Post by Chookaholic »

Sweetpeas are my crush also i do them every year in my kitchen ...

I have trailing cherry tom seeds on the way so that will be a first for me and strawbs but they`re the enormous gigantic version (daughter wanted them). Now this is ordered ill try my hand at peppers too )t'

Have you ever tried the cucumelon? that looks interesting. Its such a long time since ive been this excited about something ... :-D :-D all because i got some chickens!

just realised ill need shelving ......
Maggie1

Re: POLYTUNNEL

Post by Maggie1 »

I forgot about peppers.

Before the tunnel I bought a couple of those mini 4 shelved greenhouses with plastic covers. Of course they would never have survived with the winds we get so I took the plastic cover off and use that shelving. We also have a floorboard hanging from 2 structure hoops. However with the winds we get we don't put much on them, as the tunnel does move with the wind knocking stuff off of the floorboard. So the hanging baskets are suspended from them.
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Chookaholic
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Re: POLYTUNNEL

Post by Chookaholic »

yes thats why im concreting ours down ...obviously your wind is worse than mine as youre on the coast (im NW England) but if id had it a month ago itd have blow way so im being very safe

i may just pick your brains about planting and feeding soon Maggie if you dont mind


P.s. ...i mean the weather wind not yours or mine personally! {rofwl} {rofwl}
Maggie1

Re: POLYTUNNEL

Post by Maggie1 »

Because we are so exposed we dug a 2 foot trench all round the tunnel. Then after putting the plastic on we filled the trench with stones and soil. It still moves with the wind but so far so good it hasn't blown away.
We have doors at both end which are left open in summer as its like a furnace there sometimes. I also have a hook and eye on the inside of the doors so when inside we can keep the doors from flapping if windy.
This is how exposed we are
This is Croagh Patrick which we look out at down the back garden

Image

And this is 2 years ago when we last had snow
Image

I might have repeated myself on some things as I've lost 2 posts whilst doing this
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Chookaholic
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Re: POLYTUNNEL

Post by Chookaholic »

wow what a beautiful place! You are exposed out there but it is stunning i have to say
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lancashire lass
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Re: POLYTUNNEL

Post by lancashire lass »

)c( another polytunneller - have fun growing stuff. Tomatoes, chillies, peppers and melons this year for me >veg4<
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Chookaholic
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Re: POLYTUNNEL

Post by Chookaholic »

Thanks LL! Im so excited I cant tell you

some seeds were delivered today ... beefeater tomatoes, bell peppers and pumpkins ... the pimpkins wont go in there after a certain point as theyre a very large variety

I am going to try cucumelons and maybe another type: not sure which yet. Will be fantastic eating our own produce plus we have our very own bug pickers in the chooks )t'
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Chookaholic
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Re: POLYTUNNEL

Post by Chookaholic »

i mean pumpkin not pimpkin...think thats a variety with a lot of bling {rofwl}
Maggie1

Re: POLYTUNNEL

Post by Maggie1 »

As you say don't put the pumpkin in as it will take over
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Chookaholic
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Re: POLYTUNNEL

Post by Chookaholic »

yes i have heard they run riot Maggie. I have a good sized garden so theyll get plonked somewhere and wire put round so the chickens dont get to them

For tomatoes do you both use the bags of tomato compost and grown from those or pots? I love gardening and flowers and fruit trees are what im used to , veg is new to me ...im going to have to stick my head in some books and pick brains here :-D
Maggie1

Re: POLYTUNNEL

Post by Maggie1 »

I put seeds of tomatoes in pots of compost to start with and then plant them straight into the ground in the tunnel. I also put them straight out into the ground and in grow bags outside but due to being so exposed the latter isn't very successful.
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