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Latest Articles
Plums and Damsons
Find out more about plums and damsons
fruits
09:58, 17th Aug 2010
Review of The Treehouse Diaries
A review of the book The TreeHouse Diaries by Nick Weston
books
11:17, 26th Jul 2010
Storing Herbs by Freezing
Find out how to freeze herbs to retain their flavour for months
preserving
16:10, 4th Jun 2010
Make Your Own Leafmould
Find out how to make your own leafmould to improve your soil
grow your own
15:28, 4th Jun 2010
Greenhouse Thermometer
Use a suitable max min thermometer to track temperatures in a greenhouse
greenhouse
11:22, 3rd Jun 2010
Greenhouse from Plastic Bottles
Build a greenhouse from old plastic bottles
greenhouse
10:19, 3rd Jun 2010
Make Tomato Passata
Preserve tomatoes by making delicious tomato passata
preserving
12:00, 25th May 2010
Growing Outdoor Tomato Varieties
Tomato plants which will survive outdoors in the UK
fruits
11:56, 25th May 2010
Why Buy a Polytunnel
Learn about Polytunnels and their benefits
Why Buy A Polytunnel
building | grow your own | greenhouse | smallholdingMany small home or allotment gardeners own a greenhouse however, if you intend to be self sufficient in fruit and vegetables you should really consider purchasing a Polytunnel. Leaving your crops to the vaguaries of the weather is always a risk, and a warm covered plot extends your growing season enormously and also increases the number of different varieties of crops that you can grow.
What is a Polytunnel
Basically speaking a polytunnel is constructed from a metal framed semi-circular tunnel covered in hard wearing polythene with UV inhibitors to maximise its lifetime. Over 90% of light is transmitted through the polythene, and the light is diffused which prevents plants from shading one another. An enormous quantity of air is enclosed by a polytunnel and so it stays warm much longer than a greenhouse and also does not suffer from wild fluctuations in temperature in the summer. Inside a polytunnel it is possible to recreate a mediterranean climate and therefore grow exotic fruits and vegetables in your own garden. If bubble insulation is used (i.e. recycled bubble wrap), it is possible to ensure a frost free winter and an even longer growing season. The bubble wrap and be removed in the spring and then reused the following winter.
Advantages of Polytunnels
One of the major advantages of the polytunnel is cost. For the price of very small good quality greenhouse, it is possible to buy a polytunnel of four or five times the size and therefore cultivate many more crops. Polytunnels are not as permanent as greenhouses and therefore can quite easily be moved around the garden as required. It is for example much easier to move the polytunnel than it is to remove and replace the soil within a greenhouse: essential if you do not want disease to build up when you grow the same crop for a few years in the same place. (see our article on crop rotation.)
Disadvantages of Polytunnels
There are of course disadvantages of polytunnels over greenhouses. Firstly a greenhouse is much more attractive than a giant tube of polythene. Secondly, a polytunnel really needs to be located in a sheltered spot out of the wind or you risk losing it and all of your crops in the event of a strong storm. Thirdly, a polytunnel is much more difficult (or expensive) to ventilate than a greenhouse, and so the levels of humidity inside can promote the proliferation of fungal diseases amongst your crops. Finally, a polytunnel is vulnerable to playing children, excited cats, and stray lawnmowers/strimmers. Once you have torn the polythene of a polytunnel, no amount of taping and fixing will hold the damaged area together for long.NEW - Click here to visit our Polytunnel Directory with details of suppliers of polytunnels and related accessories.
NEW - Click here to read our new article Make Your Own DIY Polytunnel where you will learn how to make a polytunnel for up to 50% less than the cost of purchasing one commercially.
Article Published: 17:12, 17th Sep 2008
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Make Your Own DIY Polytunnel
Find out how to make your own robust polytunnel for half the price of the retail product
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The Greenhouse
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Greenhouse Thermometer
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Choosing a Greenhouse
Decide which greenhouse is right for you
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Greenhouse from Plastic Bottles
Build a greenhouse from old plastic bottles
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Watering Your Greenhouse
Find out how to keep your greenhouse plants well watered
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Greenhouse Ventilation
Understand the importance of venilation in a greenhouse
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Chicken Coop
House chickens in a suitable chicken coop
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Free Greenhouse Heating
Find out how to heat your greenhouse the environmentally friendly way
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