Building Polytunnel Project Plan

My Polytunnel Building Project Plan And Activity List. This will be a live document until the project is finished.

Sections will be linked out to Building Polytunnel Category.

Justify The Need For A Polytunnel
1. Why. Make sure you know why you want a polytunnel.
  1. Reduce long term food bills
  2. Grow more vegetables through out the year.
  3. Get so fresh air and exercise
  4. Protect crops from weather for better yeilds
  5. According to a report I saw this week the UK only grows 58% of the vegetables it consumes and 10% of all fruit. Buy growing as much as I can, it saves food miles (lorries, plane flights and ship movements).
2. Aim. Have an aim then you know when you have achevied it.
  1. Learn new skills
  2. Reduce Food Bills by x
  3. Be in a position to be able to grow enough vegetables so they don’t have to be brought in the supermarket.
3. What To grow/What does your family eat.
  1. Site down a write a list of vegetables and fruits that your family likes eating.
  2. Look a planting and harvest schedules to make a plan of what to plant, harvest and when.
  3. Do some research on storing and preserving harvests.
Set Budget.
1. Done and sorta agreed with boss, who really wants a new kitchen but understands that the demands on the family household budget keep increasing and this project is an investment will help control it.
Research Polytunnel suppliers and read at least different forums
1. Spend weeks reading forums and getting opions of others
2. Find suppliers and see what is available. Reduce list to two surpliers
Decide on Polytunnel Specifications
1. Size – 10ft wide by 20ft long
2. Type Of Polythene – Thermal Anti Fog Cover Chosen
3. Foundations – “Dig in” supports rather than concrete for the hoops
4. Use Base Rails so as not to have to “dig in” the polythene
5. Alumimum rails instead of wood.
6. One side vent ( away from prevailing wide)
7. Double door at north end – Larger access from garden/nearest end to gate.
8. Wide door at south end – Narrow Gap to Shed so no large objects could be carried through any way.
9. Anti hot spot tape
10. Crop rails
11. Extra Strengthing for strong winds
12. Staging
Site Selection
1. Check Sun light.
  1. As I had been thinking about this for 18 months (starting with raised beds), I had mentally noted the areas that were shaded during the winter, so had a good idea of were to place the polytunnel to get the most sun light, within other contraints.
2. Decide on orientation.
  1. My Polytunnel will be located at bottom of garden (south). But there is a house on the other side that causes shadow during the winter ( 10am to 2pm). So by having the polytunnel facing North/South the poly tunnel will get maximum sun the the morning and afternoons.
  2. This means that the southern 5ft-1o-ft of the poly tunnel will not get any direct sun during December and January, but should still get alot of early morning and some afternoon sun to help warm up the polytunnel (Assuming that the sun shines and it doesn’t rain for days on end like now).
  3. The northern end of the tunnel is well clear of the house and be in the sun untill late evening during the summer.
3. Measure Area And Mark Area
  1. I wanted at least 2ft (60cms) of space around the Polytunnel sides.
  2. My main vegetable patch is 20ft (N-S) by 30ft (E-W) and consists of 2 rows of 5 (8ft by 4ft) raised beds. Each bed is orientated N-S with 2ft gravel walk ways between each raised bed.
  3. This meant a group of 2 by 2 raised beds covered an area of 10Ft by 20ft (N-S), with a 2ft gap to the next raised bed.
  4. The raised bed could be located in a 4 positions replacing different raised beds.
    1. Far left hand side(East) – My favorite as it would get the most evening sun, but located next to boundary fence and public path and road way. Also blocked sun light to wife’s painting shed (located south of Polytunnel).
    2. Far right hand side (West) – There is a path that goes to garden shed (located south of Polytunnel). The edge of the polytunnel would be along the edge of the path and hence there is a high risk of the polythene covering being cut by lawnmovers, bikes, or any thing else sharpe being moved along the path.
    3. Middle beds left hand side – same a option 1, wife not happy as it would block her light, view from her painting shed.
    4. Middle beds right hand side – This option leaves 2 rows of raised beds behing the solar panel and potentially in the shade of the polytunnel and one row between the polytunnel and garden path.
4. Clear location with wife
5. Repeat above until wife happy(ish)
Option 4 was agreed
Order Polytunnel
1. Poly Tunnel was ordered from First Tunnels on Sunday 29 Nov.
2. Received phone call on 3rd December from Supplier to say Polytunnel will be delivered tomorrow – 4th December.
Decide on Growing Systems Options
1. Bare Soil
  1. Not Considered as used to raised beds / hydroponics and soil is clay.
2. Raised beds
  1. Cheaper than hydroponic systems but wanted to have hydroponic systems and can use “spare” raised bed frames and mix to make some of the remaining raised beds deeper to grow potatoes and “longer” root crops.
3. Hydroponics
  1. Ideally would like to have NFT or more Wilma drip systems. But then there is a requirement for mains, and as Wilma Drip systems sit on top of water trays then are “high” and I have dug trench in my green house, but then you lose the flexibility of being able to re-site growing systems.
4. Autopot Systems
  1. I have good experience of using autopot systems, there is no requirement for mains and the large water butts reduce the need for daily even weekly watering.
  2. Some thing I learned early in my research is that roots need air. Hmm, that means air pumps and power. I have a shed (with power) within 2m of proposed polytunnel site
5. Irrigation Systems
  1. Some Polytunnels have the option for irrigation systems but have decided not to use them.
  2. I have a 90ft water pipe run from the house to the poly tunnel, and would need to cross a concrete path. So another reason not to use “normal” polytunnel irrigation system.
6. Other
  1. Potato Buckets And Bags
  2. Earthboxes
  3. Growtubs
  4. Pots in Growbag Trays.
Clear Site Area
1. Clear Old Crops
2. Transplant Transplantable Plants
3. Move “Soil Mix” from old raised beds
4. Remove 4 raised beds
5. Make 3 remaining Raised Beds “double” height. Keeping one raised bed spare
6. Clear Site – Remove gravel, and weeds.
7. Make sure site is level
8. Re-secure existing weed control mat.
Read The Build Instructions
Run mains power for Airpumps.
Re-gravel edges/paths outside polytunnel
Install Growing Systems
1. 30 Tray Autpot System
  1. Install Water Butt
  2. Layout Trays to get best fit
  3. Add Airdomes and Pump.
2. Easy 2 Grow System
  1. Remove From Green House
  2. Clean
  3. Install Water Butt
  4. Layout Trays
3. Strawberry Tubs
  1. Build
  2. Fill with Compost and aquapot.
  3. Transplant Strawberries
4. Locate Potato Buckets
5. Locate Earth Boxes
Misc Tasks
1. Relocate Potting Shelves into greenhouse (space from old easy2grow system)
2. Fill Water Butts
  1. Initially to act a Thermal Source
  2. Allow clorine to evaporate
  3. Test water flow in pipes.
Next
1. Consider a gutter system to collect rain water for water butts
2. Consider Solar Panel/Battery/Inverter for Air Pump and circulation fans
3. Consider Max Min Thermometer.
4. I have some LED Grow lights 12V and mains – consider what to do with them.
Growing
1. Make Planting Schedule
2. START GROWING
Lessons Learnt
1. Notes on how the project went.