cheapish polytunels, what do you think?

[cacran]

I  am thinking of geting a polytunel from ebay. It is one of those with a roll up door and the plastic has greensquares in it, think it is to reinforce it. A 2mtr by 3.5mtr is only around £55. Anyone had any experience of one of these. Are they worthwhile?

[Mark S]

Ordered exactly the same thing yesterday off e-bay!!

I got one to see how much I will use it, as I didnbt want to spend £300+ on a greenhouse, tyo find I'd wasted my money!!

I'll be interested to see what the opinions of others are!

[rog_pete]

i bought a greenhouse from b and q and its been very good for the £200 spent (6'x6'), and I have had very good success with all my crops in there, now I wish I had more room!

my allotment neighbour has bought one of the poly tunnels described and has had mixed success with it, he lost his tom's due to condensation build up and lack of ventilation, but then his cucumbers and other crops have done very well...

so he has been impressed with it, for the money you cant complain really 

[chriscross1966]

I've got the 4.5m version. It's been OK, I'm not that tall (5' 9'') so I pushed the legs in up to the lower bar and pinned the lower bar with 18" army marquee pegs.It's sat where I put it and not looked  like moving :-))... Hard to say how good it is off this years experience cos I got a rather late start due to house move, but I'm drowning in tomatoes and have plenty of peppers and chilli's.... even some aubergines. If you run it east-west, plant the toms in a horseshoe around the long sides and the closed end and plut the peppers in pots stood in growbag trays of sand then it wouldn't be unreasonble to get 25 tomatoes and 20 peppers/chillis/aubergine  plants in my tunnel (five pots per growbag tray  in a zig-zag. I've got more than that but is's a bit of a jungle and I won't plant as densley ever again.... Next year it will be doing chillis, peppers and aubergines plus big onions. It's moving to the lottie as I've aquired an enormous greenhouse, the main purpose of the tunnel was for me to sort out where the greenhouse should go

chrisc

[plainleaf]

why not just make you own from diy materials.

[Gillysdad]

why not just make you own from diy materials.

I have looked carefully at the polytunnels described above and I doubt if I could produce the frames for that kind of money, let alone buy the skin for it. Mind you I haven't got many friends who have useful occupations

[Squash64]

I had one and for two summers it was fine, brilliant in fact. Everything grew very well indeed and it was good to have so much space.  Then we had high winds and many of the seams came apart.  I sewed them up again and then the fabric started to disintegrate. Eventually all the plastic went, leaving just the mesh.

The frame is very strong so I will be able to re-cover it if I ever get around to it.

I might have been just unlucky, other people have them at our allotments and they seem to be ok but I'm not sure how long they've had them.  I would get another but my husband thinks they are a waste of money.  As I said, I might have been just unlucky though.

[BarriedaleNick]

I had a greenhouse made out of the same plastic (Well it had the little squares) and it just fell apart after two years.  Most of the cheap covers are not UV stabilized and as such probably wont last.

Having said that - I did have a fair amount of success with peppers/chilis/toms etc..

[cleo]

Plastic with little green squares?

Mine has.

http://www.solartunnels.co.uk/splendid.php

Not cheap so if you see one second hand snap it up. I replaced the cover as the old on went brittle-after 15 years

[cacran]

Thanks for all your replies, still a bit undecided. Iwonder if theydo replacement covers. If they only last a couple of years, it's not that good value. I guess I could always cover it in netting for a fruit cage.

Still thinking!!!!!!!!!!

[chriscross1966]

If my frame survives longer than the outer cover then I'm planning on trying to recover it with "proper" horticultural polythene if I can't get a new cover for it......or get another one and put netting over this one for use as a cabbage tunnel.... on my plot it's pretty much the full width minus a sensible path....

chrisc

[shirlton]

Our daughter bought one of the gH with the little green squares and it lasted a year. The corners went after 6 months and the rest followed.

[lewic]

I got a cheapo one from Ebay and the frame is very flimsy. Have braced it with wooden crossbars and weighted the edge down with bricks, but it still flaps around in the wind a lot. The seams dont look very strong either. Am not counting on it lasting the winter! Some may be stronger than this one though.

[chriscross1966]

I'll not be leaving the cover on mine through the winter though, it coes down in November (latest, might be sooner if the tomatoes look done) and will go up again in March (when I wnat to plant out some big onions in it)....

One thought I've got is that despite being a bit late, and having rather too much in it, for the first time ever I'm seeing peppers ripening (and I've got lots of peppers too) as well as chilli's ripening on the plants (never seen that this early in the old GH at my folks place) .... I'm happy  with it as it stands, if it makes it through next years growing season then I'll be chuffed...

chrisc

[cacran]

I think if I do get one, I will have to be prepared to recover it, so  I am still thinking................!

[Mark S]

Got mine from e-bay now, but havent unpacked yet!

Too busy trying to level the ground first. I will be unpacking it later - will keep you all informed!

[Amazingrotavator(Derby)]

I made this for less than £100. Made it to last from 2x1 and monoflex from scaffold direct. It's been up nearly a year and I'm getting good crops of tomatoes,cucumbers and peppers. Monoflex is reinforced so should not rip.

[cacran]

That looks great. I'm not capable of making one myself though, but wish I was!!!!

[Denzle]

Don't waste your money.  Those polytunnels are useless.   

I bought one, then made a strong timber base frame anchored to the soil.  Erected the tunnel and it looked great.   

I week later we had a moderate wind, the tunnel bent over and some of the plastic  joints split.    So then the frame gave way.   

To sum it up for you......Cheap and nasty.   That is, unless you want to have anchor ropes stretched around your plot trying to keep it steady.    Not for me.   

I ended up buying a proper one with decent frames that are anchored into the ground with plates.     No complaints two years on.