There are many reasons why you might decide to give some of your favourite fruit and veggies a bit of protection. The main reason for me is that the shelter a polytunnel provides allows me to stretch the season by about a month at each end, and in our relatively short season, every day counts.
I can sow a crop of early salad leaves or lettuces in the spring and snatch a late crop of dwarf beans in the autumn. In the UK growing familiar crops such as tomatoes, peppers or aubergines outside can be a hit or miss affair leaving you at the mercy of the summer weather. Under cover the chances of success are far greater and this is magnified the further north you are based.
Other gardeners might like the fact that the cover offers enough warmth and protection to grow a much wider range of crops with success – things like sweet potatoes and melons.
Whatever you grow under it, the cover provided can help protect against certain pests and diseases such as birds, squirrels, and potato blight. It will also reduce weather damage on leafy crops, increasing eating quality and reducing waste.
Of course, polytunnels aren’t the only option – greenhouses can offer similarprotection and even a simple cold frame or mini greenhouse offers many of the same benefits. A glassclad greenhouse would certainly be my preferred option for heated crops, but for cool or unheated crops a polytunnel is usually significantly cheaper per square metre of covered space.
A POLYTUNNEL – THE OPTIONS
If you have decided to invest in a polytunnel, what are the options and what should you look for?
FRAMEWORK
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة February 2022 من Kitchen Garden.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة February 2022 من Kitchen Garden.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
PICK STRAWBERRIES - FOR HOME-GROWN FLAVOUR
When it comes to getting value for money and the best flavour, strawberries are hard to beat, says fruit expert David Patch
A GARDEN FOR EVERYONE!
This month Hannah Reid shares her experience of redesigning a garden for those with a range of disabilities and how it has benefited them
ROOM TO GROW
We meet Rhiannon Alcock from Devon, whose plot provides a place to relax and learn. It also inspired a wonderful community project growing produce for local food banks
Just how much food?
Top organic gardening influencer Huw Richards explains how to maximise the pickings from growing spaces big and small
PREDATORS ON YOUR PLOT
Garden Organic's Anton Rosenfeld explores the range of beneficial predators that you can encourage into your garden, keeping pests at bay
GIVE THEM A HELPING HAND
Some of our most popular crops come from much warmer climes and need a little extra TLC before being exposed to the UK's changeable conditions. Editor Steve Ott offers some top tips to help get them off to a great start
Digging for tomorrow
Encouragement to grow your own is being passed on to the next generation, as Sally Clifford discovered when she visited a former Dig for Victory site in the historic city of York
MAKE YOUR OWN GIN GARDEN
Become a gin genius by growing your own key ingredients. Becky Searle shows you how
KNOW YOUR ROOTS
Maincrop roots are a staple of autumn and, with care, should last well into winter too. Don't miss your opportunity to start them! Benedict Vanheems shares his tips to keep the larder stocked with nourishing, home-grown roots
SOMETHING FOR THE WINTER
This month 'squashbuckler' Rob Smith takes a look at winter squash varieties - old, new, coming soon and something different with advice on sowing, growing, harvesting and storing