March 2010 is my first month with a fully built poly tunnel.
LEFT HAND SIDE
The left side is fitted with 24 Autopot trays (48 x 6.5 ltr pots) and at the far end (most shaded) is a 350 ltr water butt.
Some pots have been fitted with air domes to help aerate the plant roots.
I have tended to try and plant the same crop is both pots in the same tray.
Catalogue of Plants Growing
2 Tomato Roma
2 Tomato Gardeners Delight
2 Tomato
2 Aubergine Black
2 Pepper Hot
4 Sweet Pepper California Wonder
1 Basil
1 Dill
1 Orengo
1 Othe Herb
4 Spinach – Direct Sown
2 Carrot Ideal ( quick baby Carrots) – Direct Sown
2 Kale – Direct Sown
2 Green Leaf – Direct Sown
2 Tree Cabbage- Direct sown
1 Melon – Seedling
2 Rocket – Direct Sown – Some transplanted to raised bed.
3 Fruit Bushes – Will transplant latter – Need to find area and protect from Ducks and Chickens
1 Grape Vine – 8 years old but never grown well. Will try and trial down middle of crop bars.
1 Butter Nut Squash- Seedling
1 Cucumber – Seedling
2 Cabbages planted last year and recovered from moved raised beds. Really the only two that were not totally eaten by catipillars.
RIGHT HAND SIDE
4ft By 8ft Raised Bed with Mels Mix – Watered with 3 Aquapots feed from 350 ltr water butt.
Vegetables planted in 4ft rows
1 Carrots – Ideal
1 Pok Choi
1 Pok Choi
1 Dwarf Beans (Bush)
1 Cauliflower – Seedlings
3 Strawberry Tubs – 60 plants. Each tub has 2 aqua pots for watering.
These strawberries are doing very well. Not sure what varieties as they were growing in raised bed out side and the shoots have all mixed together.
10 Large Potato Buckets and Bags. Mixed varieties of potatoes. Basically what ever had started to shoot, including potatoes in the back of the kitchen cupboard. These will need to be watered manually.
1m * 1m Link a Bord raised bed.
Slightly trimmed to fit in polytunnel and watered by 1 aquapot.
Another strange mix of vegetable plants but again basically range of seedling that were in propagator and ready to transplant and so but in polytunnel to “give it a go” and experiment. Planted in rows.
1 Cauliflower All Year
1 Leek
1 Cos winter Lettuce
1. Cabbage
Some were lost due to lack of watering, but should not be too much of an issue now the aqua pot has been added.
Potting shelf
Too much to mention.
ISSUES
1. The poly tunnel has a side vent and needs covering with bubble wrap to help reduce temperature loss.
2. The poly tunnel gets very warm 30c in bright spring day when outside temperature was only 12c, hence drys out quickly.
3. Unheated polytunnel, so plants are covered with a fleece overnight.
4. The aqua pots are very leaky so only turned on every other day ( Day light only).
5. My polytunnel is too small, my 10ft by 20ft is nearly full.
Other
1. still have rubbish from build that needs clearing out
2. I have some 1ft by 1ft LED grow lamps. I have used one at night to give some plants “extra daylight”.
3. Need a timer on air pump as it should only run during the day.
4. Moving from commercial to heirloom seeds.
Summary
Its been a long time but now chuffed at what I have managed to do over the last 3 months.
Stumble Upon
Del.icio.us
Buzz
Tags: cabbage, carrot, cucumber, dill, kale, melon, polytunnel, spinach, squash, strawberry, tomato