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Polytunnel growing questions.
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30-04-2018 3:24pm#1
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For ventilation on sunny days have both ends of the polytunnel open early so that temps don't rise too quickly.
For frosty nights and low temperatures use horticultural fleece to cover seedlings and susceptible plants
You could also use a small propagation tunnel at bench height inside the polytunnel to protect young tomato plants etc. These can be opened during the day and / or shaded using green windbreak mesh cut to size. They are fairly easy to make using bendable plastic pipe and polythene etc
Place tomatoes and other susceptible plants away from the tunnel ends if you are in a exposed or windy location. On sunny days the temps inside the poly tunnel will just be about bareable. Tomatoes etc will handle the temps fine once they have enough water.
For irrigation get one of the micro watering pipe kits and set up a timer on your tap to water at set intervals. The irrigation kits allow water to be delivered to the base of the plant so no worries about water getting on the leaves and causing problems.
Young tomato plants should be planted up into bigger pots before planting into the ground etc. A handy method is to plant directly into tomato pots to develop roots and once soil temperature etc is good - plant pot and all directly into the soil. This makes feeding and watering the plant fairly easy. I am at 130m asl and have my young tomato plants on propagation bench's atm and covered with fleece at night. They appear to be doing well. I am hoping for a bumper crop this year
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Thanks.
Just this evening I moved whatever seedlings are tuere away from the end so that should help.
I’ve fitted an auto opener to a window on one end and have the window on the other sheltered end open. I’ll see how that goes.
I plant to buy some tomato/cucumber/pepper plants next week for the grow bags.
My tomato seedlings are looking better now but they are small and late and it’s more a test to leave them growing rather than intending them to become anything.
Strawberries are doing well with plenty of flowers and fresh healthy growth.
We’ve planted herbs which are germinating now too.
Sounds like you're well on your way there. Lots of potential for the summer
Not too sure what you mean regarding the windows? Do you have a door at each end of the polyunnel? I would always keep at least one door fully open during the day and on hot summer days have both fully open for ventilation.
Tbh the weather has been sufficiently cold that it is only really starting to be suitable now for planting on of young tomatoes plants to their final positions .
I wouldn't worry about your tomatoes being late tbh. I personally would always leave off planting to tomatoes in final growing position until the month of May. It helps to plant them up in pots first to ensure the plants are well developed / protected and to plant on- only when the weather improves.
As for trays under growbags - they won't do any harm but you can also use growbags in a PT without them especially if you set up a good irrigation system.
Peppers prefer slightly drier and less humid conditions than tomatoes in my experience. Strawberries sound like they are coming on nicely - how have you planted your them?0 -
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You will get more useable fruit from your strawberries if you spread some straw under them to keep them off the ground and stop them rotting. They're not called strawberries for nothing
Bum a couple of sacks of it from a local farmer.
P.S. In German they are Earthberries (Erdbeeren), they don't harvest so many of them:)0 -
Hocus Focus wrote: »You will get more useable fruit from your strawberries if you spread some straw under them to keep them off the ground and stop them rotting. They're not called strawberries for nothing
Bum a couple of sacks of it from a local farmer.
P.S. In German they are Earthberries (Erdbeeren), they don't harvest so many of them:)
I put in drip irrigation last week and then used offcuts of weed membrane to cover the soil underneath the strawberries so they are dry and off the soil. Used straw last year and found slugs loved hiding underneath and coming up for a munch at night time.0
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