Thursday 26 January 2017

Polytunnel layout

Exciting news, the polytunnel has been dispatched.  It's winging its way to our house as we speak and will hopefully arrive no later than tomorrow.  It is 6m by 3m wide (2m high).  I have never grown in one before and will more than likely get a lot wrong however I have decided to try a bit of everything in there.  We're going to put long beds along each side and I need to fit a couple of trees in there (tiny things) too.
So the most obvious solution is to divide the beds into 1 metre lengths.  They will be filled with muck and turned in to the ground that's already there.  They will be 1 scaffolding board high from the ground (this also means we can use some of our muck which is always on the list of things to do).  The carrot bed won't have any in.
So I plan on growing in there the following - the list is subject to change!


Bed 1 Cauliflower and cabbage
Bed 2 Calabrese and PSB
Bed 3 Peas and beans
Bed 4 Courgettes and salad leaves
Bed 5 Early strawberries
Bed 6 Mangetout and other peas/beans (I have lots)
Bed 7 Tomatoes and cucumbers (not sure if this is "allowed")
Bed 8 Early potatoes and pots of mint
Bed 9 Squash and corn
Bed 10 Carrots and radish (no manure in this part of the bed)


The remaining 2 spaces will be for the trees and herbs.
I'm hoping the above growings will be ready a bit before the outside space, to extend the growing season.  Once the first earlies are done in the polytunnel then something else will go back in their spot.  I'll make sure that the space is filled and keep records for next year. 
We've also got the greenhouse which I will be growing tomatoes, chillis, sweet peppers and cucumbers in as well as using that to bring the seeds on ready to go into the cold frame and planting out.  We had loads of tomatoes last year but even that wasn't enough so I'll be trying some outside in the south facing garden too.
Are you growing anything different?  I feel like I am growing a typical veg garden which I love the thought of, but all ideas welcome.
Oh and in other news, the 3 main geese have started hanging around with Ryan now.  Maybe they will accept her (we named her Ryan before we knew she is a she!)?  I

8 comments:

  1. Oh!! LKots of producing coming up - how lovely. Looking forward to seeing your progress!

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    1. Thank you - I am really looking forward to it.

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  2. We got our first polyt. at our smallholding after just a little while but when we left, 23 years later, we had increased that to 3, each one bigger than the one before! and were growing 60 tomato plants and 6 cucs - selling all easily at the gate.
    The only prob with toms and cucs in the same tunnel is toms like hot and dry with water only at the base and cucs like hot and wet - with water misted over them. One year we split up the tunnel with a bit of plastic to do both.

    You will have brilliant fun trying out different things, watch that mint - it will take over!

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    1. That's excellent advice Sue, thank you for that. I may try something similar and put them at opposite ends. I'll be growing them in the greenhouse too. I can see us wanting more polytunnels eventually. I love the fact you could sell them at the gate! Makes me happy :)

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  3. You could add some letters to her name - Ryanne! Looking forward to seeing hpw your polytunnel progresses. It's appealing, especially when you have to rely on the British weather!

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  4. Yay for the poly tunnel! Like your plan. Talking of cabbage, I looked closely at the cabbage seeds I bought and as luck would have it they are great for growing smaller headed cabbage which fits me great as my brassica bed is not the biggest at 4x 4ft, and I have to get some broccoli in it, too! Mmm , we'll see how that goes. good news about Ryan and the gang!

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  5. I was intrigued by the cucumbers and tomatoes together, but I see the question has been answered. I am sure that I remember family members growing both in the same greenhouse in years gone by, perhaps they were more separated than I remember!

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  6. You are going to be one very busy lady! x

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