Gardening.ie

New years resolution: Getting a polytunnel ordered by January and just looking for a bit of advice, a 30ft long and a 10ft wide should be more than sufficient but what plastic stc should i look out for etc also how do i keep from losing the bugger to inishowen storms. Also where should i get it from.

Rgds,
Tremone

Hi and Happy New Year!

I got my tunnel from Morris Polytunnels in Omagh. He dropped it off the same week. It was handy too because it was close enough to go and visit to see if I liked the look of them. The gague of the frame is narrower than the ones you would buy from the likes of McKenna but they prove to be very sturdy. That is provided they have shelter. I had mine up outside the house for six years with no bother as there was a hedge and webbing around it. I passed it on to Loreto house in their walled garden and it has blown down every year. The wind off of the Swilly gets too much!


http://www.morrispolytunnels.co.uk/


Hopefully the polytunnel should face east/west in order to capture the greatest amount of sunshine during the winter months.
This also helps if the prevailing wind blows principally from the south, if your tunnel door opens to the east you will avoid shocking your plants with cold air every time you enter.

Plants in the polytunnel are completely at your mercy when it comes to water.
It is a good idea to set up a water butt or two to supply you with life preserving rain water. I set up the tunnel with a watering system at a cost of about 300 euro,this proved very good value as it saved mw hours of watering in the summer


It might be a good ides to visit anyone locally who has one to see where theirs came from. I was happy enough with mine. It was 30 foot by 16 foot and cost about 400 pounds. The webbing for the floor was extra but that can be bought on 100 metre rolls from the wholesalers (I have forgotten their name, it will come to me.)

There are different grades of plastic too. They have different filter properties depending on what you are growing. The general cover would cost about 100 euro to cover the one I had.




J.f. mckenna ltd., Mr. Shay Clarke,
66 Cathedral Road,
Armagh, BT61 8AE, Northern Ireland
Tel: 028 37524800 - Fax: 028 37522227
Email: jfm@jfmckenna.com
Web: www.horticultureireland.com

National agrochemical distributors, Mr. Liam McMahon,
Blakes Cross, Lusk, Co Dublin
Tel: 01 8427808 / 8437484 - Fax: 01 8437909
Email: info@nadirl.com
Web: www.nad.ie

Northern Polytunnels, Matthew Harrison
Mill Green, Waterside Road
Colne, Lancs, BB8 0TA
Tel: 0044 1282 873120 – Fax: 0044 1282 871733
Email: info@npstructures.co.uk
Web: www.northernpolytunnels.co.uk

I hope this hasn't confused you too much!

Ian

Ian,
After waffling on for a year about getting one, i ordered one from firsttunnels(an english crowd with a good website). The prices have gone up since as Morris quoted €700 euro for the size I wanted. Polydome were roughly about €1000(maybe they are better). The one i ordered comes with a free book on how to install it and when it's up what & how to grow in it so that's good for a rookie like me(all for €545)
My site is reasonably flat but could be exposed, my plan is to put up the hoops when it arrives and then dig a trench around it, then call in the calvary to put up the plastic.
Exciting times are ahead and after the summer we had last year I'll probably escape in there out of the rain. I'll keep you updated

Noel,

With these tunnels the variable costs tend to be associated with the diameter and grade of the steel and the grade of plastic. Some tunnels come complete with doors, others come with the door frame and you make your own door.

Height is also a huge factor in the cost - some come with curved sides and some with straight sides.

I know McKennas tunnels, very good. Polydome, very good again - I think the Malin tidy town bought their tunnel from Polydome. I'm not too sure on the one Ian mentioned I think I got a quote from them before for someone but havn't bought from them.

Yu should post some pictures as your build develops for others to follow....

Hi Noel

Pictures would be great!