The Polytunnel Blog

Welcome all to this new page on my blog. It is here that I plan to chart the progress of a start (purchase of, after due consideration) to finish (never ending) diary of our polytunnel.
Mr VVG and I have been looking at extending our GYO options. Last year we grew too many tomatoes, well OK I did! This year, having received even more seeds in swaps, HSL, etc. there are more plants than I know what to do with. They will not all fit in the greenhouse! They won't - they won't - they won't! The greenhouse is to become a place of sowing, pricking out, potting on, growing on and overwintering. It will not be our only source of under protection planting, as of May! Or so we have decided! Back in March, we went along to the Edible Garden Show at Stoneleigh. Haygrove Polytunnels were exhibiting there! Now I succumb to nice glossy pictures and their adverts in magazines certainly fit that bill. As my fellow blogger Zazen999 put it, upon showing her a new GYO type mag, "give you a picture of asparagus and you're anybody's!" Not a one hundred percent accurate picture of me, but close. However...I do always complete my homework. This is not a decision to be taken lightly. It's going to be quite a time before that grand pays us back in terms of food in the hand!
Our reasons for going with Haygrove go far beyond aesthetics...we are not that shallow! We live atop an open and fairly windy ridge. The garden is open to three sides, fields all around pretty much. Very tall trees in the woods make for a lot of fallen branches, twigs, leaves, etc. Not to mention a proliferation of wildlife abounds. Our poly will need to withstand it all. The polytunnel cannot be sited at the allotment, which we hold, as no structures are allowed, even if we had the room. So, needing to site it at home, aesthetics are playing a small part, not just for ourselves but also for our neighbours. But what really sets the Haygrove apart from the others for us and is the deal clincher, is the anchoring system. Two foot long threaded rods are knocked into the ground, through the lateral bars in order to keep it rigid. We do not want our polytunnel ending up in a hedge, or worse still, being utilised as a blown in Godsend by our neighbours/farmer! It's no coincidence that Haygrove have a high percentage of customers in remote Scottish locations!
Alongside their unique anchoring system is the roll up side vent system. This enables you to aerate your tunnel, but protect it from pests with mesh; very handy. They also come with good head height right into the growing areas, owing to their straight sided design, so no loss of upward space. The additional benefits of trellis cables, clever guttering systems, heavy duty gauge plastic cover (so strong you can walk on it - not that I shall try) are all considerations that ticked our boxes.
So now that we have arrived at our decision, we need to order and arrange delivery, but do we construct it or do we pay for their fitting service? Hmmmm? I prefer the latter, Mr VVG the former! Time is running out...the tomato plants are increasing in size and the £100 off discount runs out in April!

Dated - 22/4/12 Decisions, Decisions
Hmmm! I know that's not the most explanatory statement ever, but hmmmm?!?
First "we" (me) settled on a three by four metre polytunnel, then "we" (me followed by him) thought about what we could legitimately fit into the space we had - site of a playhouse (soon to be gone). Could "we" (me) get in a three by six metre structure? Yes, "we" (him) think we could! But "we" (him) could also have a four by five metre in that space, which would give you (me?) a greater growing area of twenty square metres. Quick roll of eyes from me, but "I", sorry "we" (me) don't want a four metre width to the polytunnel as that will mean "we" (him) will have to put in two paths instead of one. "We" (me) want only one path and a U shaped growing space. Who wants three lines and two paths in a tunnel? Goes back to look at the website and quite a few people actually...ahem.
ME "Well I think "we" (me) would get on better with a U shaped planting scheme. It would give fifteen, no sorry, thirteen metres of growing space, whereas your version would give us only ten metres."
HIM "How do you work that out?"
ME "I don't know, don't ask me!"
SILENCE and much staring...
HIM SCRATCHING OF HEAD closely followed by "OK you (me) could have beds in a continuous snaking pattern in a three by six. That would give you (me again...he's distancing himself already) an eighteen metre growing area..." (I'm thinking "and how do I levitate?!?") scratches head again "...with a metre out there, there, there, there, there and there" and stabs at Sunday newspaper (which is apparently the mock up of a polytunnel footprint! Following so far? "That gives you (he's definitely planning on a bit part)..." eyes to ceiling, wait for it..."twelve metres!"
ME "Which is what I would also have with two straight lines, one each side. It would also make planting easier and growing vertically using the trellis wires, otherwise there is no point in having them, is there?"
HIM "Well, yes and erm...no!"
ME "Or, alternatively we could go back to my original plan of a U shape of thirteen metres?" I feel "we" (he) should stop this right now. It's beginning to feel like a maths lesson. "So let's just stick with what "we" (me) had already decided upon, shall we?"
HIM "Yep."
ME "So you are certain a six metre length will fit?"
HIM "I'll go and measure it."

Dated - 30/4/12 D Day
The day dawns bright after what feels like monsoon season and today was the final day for a £100 discount at Haygrove. Mr VVG, like all good Yorkshiremen decided that some money off the final bill was better than no money off and so he has ordered a 3 x 6 metre tunnel with trellis wires and two doors; one being mesh! YIPPEE! We have decided after a little to'ing and fro'ing (again) to put this beauty up ourselves (I feel another storm brewing). We will need to get the ground excavated out, which requires a man with a mini digger. Trying not to push our costs up it is the reason why we went the DIY way on assembly, otherwise we would be adding £335 (cost of assembly team) to an already £1,080 (cost of polytunnel) bill, then however much the rent-a-man-with-digger is on top. We will also need to purchase top soil, so it soon starts to mount up. But we are both pleased that the decision is made and we get to grow veg at home now, without having to try the sideways shuffle dance every time we go into the greenhouse!

Dated - 6/5/12 Manning The Trenches
With two weeks to go until we take delivery of our new poly tunnel, we have little time to prepare the ground upon which it is to sit. The site currently has a wendy house, which needs a repaint, photographing and eBay listing. Then we can roll in our man with a digger. We have booked him and he arrives a week on Tuesday. We also need to order two tonne bags of top soil and a one tonne bag of Cotswold Buff chippings (we have these elsewhere in the garden). The plan is that by tomorrow we will have a painted and dismantled Wendy house. The ground is then clear for digger man. We order said topsoil, pop that into the footprint hole for the poly and Bob's your uncle! The land lying between said poly site and the flower borders get a generous sweeping of chippings. All that nasty broken Tarmac will finally be gone - hurrah! My tomatoes are now taking over the greenhouse and the polytunnel is needed more than ever.

Dated - 10/5/12 We Have A Due Date
So excited now - 21st/22nd May it should be here!

Dated - 12/5/12 Chipping Away - Further Preparation
Well this morning has seen us shopping for top soil and chippings! We are continuing the Cotswold Buff theme around the garden and so we have ordered a one tonne bag of chippings for the polytunnel path and the area around the polytunnel. It's quite an area, so I'm hoping the one bag covers it. As you know, the ground in the garden is poor and not fit for cultivating, so we have purchased a very fine quality top soil, which will need some humus adding to it. Both arrive Monday. The plan is that once digger man gets up all the top stuff, we ask him to move the soil into our polytunnel hole. Thus saving us a job!
It's all coming together...

Dated - 15/5/12 The Somme - It All Starts To Go Wrong
I don't know quite where to start today as it seems such a mess in so many ways. We hired the man with a digger for today and the gravel/soil was set to arrive by today too. It got to nearly ten in the morning and no sign of either. It did not bode well. I urged Mr VVG to call both. The digger man had forgotten/got his days mixed up and promised he would be here tomorrow. The soil/gravel delivery was held up owing to a sick lorry. To cut a long story short and after more calls, both turned up this afternoon, almost a whole day late. Despite the late arrival of the digger it has made mincemeat of pulling up the hardcore/Tarmac. So much so that it's uncovered a whole brick road. So yet more skips, shovelling and digger days will be needed. By the time it's done we will be down about a foot and we will be looking at mountains of top soil needed in order to fill the hole. It's been a horrid day in terms of weather and our lack of progress. The digger man comes back tomorrow and we will have a continuation of our battle in the Somme.

Dated - 16/5/12 The Somme - It All Starts To Go Wrong Part 2
It's at this point that I think both Mr VVG and I have reservations about having started all of this. The rosy picture of growing at home in a polytunnel is quite literally turning blue, as is the air. As we shovel towards what feels like Australia we hit more and more shale, rock bed and general detritus. The digger man has been here all day and we are having to move by one wheelbarrow only, what turns out to be three walk in skip loads of hardcore. Our plans for the digger doing most of the moving work hasn't happened, because he cannot get past the big pile he has created in order to travel to the skip. It's demoralising to say the least and I walk into the house unable to face any more.

Dated - 17/5/12-21/5/12 Working Towards Our Deadline
Deliveries to the rear of the garden have been and gone, as has Peter the Digger Guy. We meanwhile have shuffled back and forth. The pile has become smaller and in its place arrived our first two tonnes of top soil. The arrival of the polytunnel at 10:20 this morning (21/5/12) on an eighteen tonne lorry meant that yet again we had to take our long suffering estate car down to the bottom of the lane for a transfer of load. Four long and heavy boxes went in the back, overhanging the tailgate. The two doors in flat boxes went up onto the roof rails. It seems that whatever step comes next, there is a problem with it!

Dated - 21/5/12 The Build - It All Starts To Go Right
After the predicted terse words of "I'm going to do it my way and pull all the base rails out" from Mr VVG, followed by the "follow the instructions or I walk in the house and leave you on your own, as you will only bugger it up again", we commenced the erecting of the frame. This bit was surprisingly easy and gave us false hope of what was to come. In fact it was an absolute peach. Haygrove make it so easy with their "Polytunnels for Dummies" manual. It's not really called that, but it should be! To cut a long story short, the hardest stage came next with the levelling and anchorage. We were not working with a flat surface thanks to the digger work and Mr VVG chopping out beds that were too large. A lot more work ensued with unexpected assistance from a seam of clay. Finally we had an erected and anchored frame. Now for the easy bit...

Dated - 23/5/12-26/5/12 Cover Up - It's Hot!
Britain is in the middle of a heat wave that sees it warmer than the Med. Ye gods! Sweating under plastic whilst trying to anchor it onto the frame is not the easiest of jobs. I do not advise you try it. In fact, if after reading this blog, you decide you want a polytunnel, my advice is to purchase in a cool part of the year, say early Spring and have Haygrove build it. Even Mr VVG has come around to this way of thinking now. He's tight and he's from Yorkshire, but the £335 it would have cost seems like a bargain, when you consider the man hours we have wasted. It's been a steep learning curve. We have blisters. We have bruises. We have cuts. We have very sore hands. Clips have sprung off, hitting Mr VVG, with the utterance from me of "where there is no sense, there is no feeling!" I have learned to duck, quickly, both from clips and Mr VVG! I have a cracking tan on my exposed areas, as has Mr VVG - he exposed more than he should! Has it been easy? No! Are we pleased with the Haygrove polytunnel? A resounding yes! The quality is unbelievably good. The plastic cover is tough and according to a seasoned polytunnel builder chum of ours, is thicker than those on others. The roll up sides make ventilation a piece of cake. The three foot rods anchoring this beauty allow for no rocking. Is it worth the money? Only time will tell how long the cover will last, or how long our veg growing season will be extended by. In comparison to others I have seen, this is by far the most attractive, so for home usage, it's a box ticker. Would I put this beauty on an allotment? No! The cover is now on and the doors with their stays make it a very pleasant and usable growing space. One side is already planted up with tomatoes in a double row. A grape vine will hopefully wend its way to the top bars in time. Two cucumber plants mark the start of the cucurbit bed. The choices are endless. I'm already wishing I had a second...just don't dare tell Mr VVG :)

The polytunnel diaries continue on my sister blog Polly In The Tunnel...