Polythene polytunnels

[alfie]

My local store has a special offer on poly tunnels which i thought i would take advantage of.

They are £3.99 each and measure 5m x 2m. They appear to be made of clear plastic with curved wire inserts  at intervals. I havent seen them in the "flesh" as it were as they are not in stock until tommorrow.

I thought i would invest in a couple even if i cut them shorter.

I would be very grateful for some advice as to best to make use of them.They appear to close each end by twisting. My plan was to sow carrots (earlies) spinach,beetroot,radish,leeks,onion sets in about the 3rd week of March. The soil is prepared.

Can i sow earlier if i use poly tunnels? How do i water and supress weeds?
Will the tunnels give extra pest control? Can i plant all these varieties in one tunnel?

Sorry for all the questions!!  so much to learn............ ;D

[alfie]

[cornykev]

Just watch out for the winds Alfie.  ;D ;D ;D

[alfie]

That could be a problem-i would have to think of a way to pin them down.
Any ideas? ???

[Emagggie]

If they are from Aldi or Lidl the chances are that the curved wire bits are actually plastic poles which join at the top. I bought these, and found that the plastic went brittle quite quickly. Not too sure if they are usable this season, but for £3. 99 I shouldn't moan should I? ;D

[grawrc]

A lot of plastic stuff has a limited shelf life once it's outdoors.

[Tora]

I have a small polytunnel bought from 99p shop,which is quite good. It's been a year since I bought it and it's been left at the allotment all the time but it's very much usable still. I want to buy a lot more this year but I haven't seen them at the shop yet...

[Plot69]

I use off cuts from blue water pipe that the water company use. They don't deteriorate.

The netting and plastic I bought from Wilco's is 2 meter wide so I cut the pipe to 6 foot lengths and it makes great tunnels for both plastic and netting.

[Emagggie]

Yes, that deffo seems a good solution. I found that even when the poly tunnel was new I had to be very careful when manipulating the plastic poles into shape as the connectors broke easily too. :o ::)

[Flunky]

I have been designing something similar. I was thinking of making a wooden frame (from bits and bobs) and using metal dowls and hose pipe to create the hoops for a portable version. I have been making some raised beds and was going to make them in a modular style so I can move them around to different areas.

What gauge polythene would you advise ?

[Macy]

Flunky, I've had this bookmarked for ages, but there are plans for something similar here that might be some use to you: http://www.powen.freeserve.co.uk/Projects/hamiltoncloche/Cloche.htm

Actually a few more handy projects on the site... http://www.powen.freeserve.co.uk

[forkauk]

You can watch a clip of Geoff Hamilton making his poly cloches at

http://tinyurl.com/ynlrhu

I used a similar design, but somewhat taller, which enabled me to cover peas right up to maturity last year.  Perhaps because the extra height made the units more flexible, I was able to remove the piping and dowels and store them flat in the garage over the winter.  I re-built them 2 or 3 weeks ago, and they've (so far!) withstood the battering from the wind.  Very important, though, to anchor them securely to the frames of the deep beds.

[Flunky]

d**n, better ask for the resignation letter back. I was going retire on that.

[kenkew]

Using plastic tubing allows almost any size of tunnel. This one cost me a roll of tape, a roll of netting and a roll of builders plastic. It was good for 3 years before the plastic needed attention.

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[star]

That looks a good 'un Ken, how tall is it?

[telboy]

Very good Kev.
Can you supply details of the reinforced sheeting?