Buying a Polytunnel

poohbear5

I've been looking to purchase a greenhouse but based on price and ease of construction I thought I may try a polytunnel first.

Has anybody had any experience with these? (Are they stable in winds?)

Should I buy a generic brand from ebay or are branded tunnels more reliable?

Thanks for any advice.

Sambucus_Nigra

When you say polytunnel - do you mean one that is made of scaffolding type hoops, proper polythene attached to base rails/dug into a trench, a proper door etc for £500 ish - or a zip up thingy [often called a 'blowaway'] for £50

Davesnave

Depends what you mean by "ease of construction." Mine, which is 42' x 24', wasn't exactly a weekend job! :rotfl:

You'll get what you pay for. Northern Polytunnels and First Tunnels are reputable brands with solid back-up, but many parts are essentially generic, so you might do a better local deal. For example, where I am, Ferryman Polytunnels are the obvious first port of call for a basic tunnel and spares.

Don't be frightened to haggle if buying at distance. I got free sliding doors or £200 off. (I went with the doors.)

If you buy a quality polytunnel & build it properly, it won't blow away.....ever.

poohwinnie5

I like the Northern Polytunnels they look very robust.

Davesnave

poohwinnie5 wrote: »

I like the Northern Polytunnels they look very robust.

Yes, they're probably the best, but a bit pricier.

Mine's a First Tunnel and the price differential with a Northern Polytunnel equivalent was just too much for me at that size.

The main thing with all polytunnels is to try and design-in enough ventilation, so wide doors at least, and perhaps side rails with netting if your budget will run to it. Because I didn't buy the most expensive brand, I could spend more on side rails and a self-constructed side venting system. I didn't regret that, though this summer I didn't need more than one side open!:rotfl:

Orange_King

Davesnave - I was quite intrigued about the First Tunnel design and would be very interested in this as I need additional cover for a whole lot of plants I have on the go.

I had a look at the construction plan but was a bit confused when it got to the issue of vents. How do these work if the cover is tucked under the ground for extra security? Am I being a bit thick just as usual.......

Davesnave

Orange_King wrote: »

Davesnave - I was quite intrigued about the First Tunnel design and would be very interested in this as I need additional cover for a whole lot of plants I have on the go.

I had a look at the construction plan but was a bit confused when it got to the issue of vents. How do these work if the cover is tucked under the ground for extra security? Am I being a bit thick just as usual.......

If you have side rails, the cover can stop at those and the rest might be netting. Behind the netting, there can be a long blind affair made of plastic sheet, which is winched up and down.

But I don't have that. I have extra wood uprights on all the poles so that I can cover sections in the winter and remove the plastic piece by piece. I have a continuous sheet of plastic on one side at the moment because it's not been necessary to remove it. The doors are 8' wide and there's ventilation all down the windward side during what we call 'summer,' so perhaps I'll never need to vent the lee side, but the potential is there.

Personally, I don't trust the winching systems for longer polytunnels. I suppose they must work, but the physics of them looks a bit dodgy to me! :rotfl:

Orange_King

Thanks very much for your explanation! That clears it up then. No need to go to the extra expense for me I think!