I've Ordered a Polytunnel

My latest toy. It doesn’t take much to entertain me, just a bit of plastic with holes in it.

I took the plunge and ordered my new polytunnel this week.  Choosing which company to go with wasn’t an easy task. I wanted a very specific size to fit a very specific space at the top of the garden.  The dimensions needed to be 12 feet by 20 feet. Another foot either side of the prepared area and the tunnel wouldn’t fit. This eliminated a couple of local companies, who only supply 10’ or 14’ widths. I had one suggestion from a very keen salesperson about squeezing a 14’ frame into the 12’ space. I didn’t pursue that one; I don’t want to have to make do at the prices being charged for tunnels.

Because of the tight space I also wanted the frame to have straight sides up to about three feet, as this will increase the working area. My old tunnel started to curve from the ground and you were on your stomach sliding along to get to the edges, this again eliminated another local company who don’t do the straight edges but the “Gothic Arch” types like my old one. I also eliminated another company because they didn’t supply the doors and another one because the galvanised frames were too narrow. I did try to find something close to home but I had a specific, detailed checklist and didn’t want to compromise on anything.  Eventually after all of my market research I bought from a company in Lancashire called Premier Tunnels, who offered me everything I was looking for at a price that is very competitive, even taking the delivery charge into consideration. The tunnel is coming in 8 separate packages by courier... The joy will just keep on coming! 

 

Crop Bars

One optional extra for the tunnel are crop bars, these bars are about four feet long and run diagonally across the three central hoops making an ideal place to hang baskets or stash bamboo poles above your head.  The problem with this is that they reduce the head height by just enough for my lad to walk into (he is 6’5”) so I have opted for bars that run the length of the tunnel below the central pole.  I thought these were a better option, I can keep the head height and I can use the poles (which also strengthen the tunnel) to tie string to then grow tomatoes up them, or hang the washing on, whoever gets there first. I think they were far more practical than the crop bars and were the same price. 

Repayments

I have calculated that the cost of the tunnel will take 20 years to pay back with the amount I will save buying vegetables from the supermarkets, but it’s not all about the money.  If you think of double glazing for example, this can take the same amount of time to pay back with saved heating costs, but look at those years you are not sitting in a cold draft in winter.  The same sort of logic can be applied to the tunnel.  It’s the quality and of vegetables over that time, and also the health benefits for us to be working outside for longer periods throughout the year.  

I’ve also checked and I can get Wi-Fi in the spot where it is to be built, so I can have the space as my outside office, TV viewing area and peaceful hideaway from the house. My own shed at the bottom of the garden sort of thing. I can’t hide away totally though as the plastic is transparent so I’ll wave into the kitchen window occasionally and mop my brow as I feign working.  I haven’t mentioned this to the family though; they would all be down there.

Best tool ever (this week)

€7has bought me the best tool ever and I am as happy as a pig in clover. I have LOADS of soil to sieve in the new beds around the tunnel area and bought a round plastic sieve measuring about 15 inches in diameter. I chose plastic over the more expensive metal types as everything made from metal I put in the garage rusts in a season. The only enemy for the plastic are the dogs, who love to chew.  It’s taking the best part of a week painstakingly putting every spadeful of soil through the small squares but like most things in life, it’s all in the detail. The ground is full of ground elder roots, the small sharp glass remains of an old greenhouse, stones and tree and ivy roots.  The resulting sieved soil is beautiful and in this dry weather looks like fine flour. The preparation work we are doing now will hopefully save us hours and weeks of weeding in the summer. I can dream!