We bought a massive polytunnel and put that up in February. I don’t know how we lived without it. It’s making life so much easier and I’m growing lots of things from seed for transplanting that would usually have been at home in the greenhouses. Because they’re not in pots, there’s less transplanting to be done – just the once to the final growing space. What’s more, I’m still putting in seeds for more main crops to fill gaps from potatoes, garlic, onions, etc., which I wouldn’t normally do. We’d previously just fill with salad leaves, etc. Add that to all the stuff that we’ve already eaten and is growing in there to fruition, and it’s making for a much more productive plot.
The tunnel was from First Tunnels who provided an excellent service.The doors were supposed to be plastic at the bottom and mesh at the top, but that meant opening them every day on warmer days in the spring and leaving them open altogether in the hot weather. So, my hubby Sean changed the doors so they are wire mesh at the bottom instead. We have polythene set in wooden frames, which slot into the doors for top and bottom and can be used or not depending on the weather.This means the air can get in, the bees can get in, but the butterflies are denied access to our young brassicas.