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!
