My £87, 6 x 3m polytunnel from ebay

This will be my second 6 x 3m tunnel.

Ordered this evening for only £87.12 delivered (normally £108.90)
20%/£50 Off at ebay using code, up to 10pm tonight! Not only at it's lowest ever price, but with a further 20% off, and an additional 1.05%/£1.14 from Topcashback = £85.98. Absolute bargain, been thinking about another one for some time, it's been in my 'Watch List' for about 12 months and when I saw this offer it was a no-brainer.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Polytunne...llytunnel-Poly-Tunnel-6-Section-/130851842524




As this is my second 6 x 3m tunnel, I've plans for an internal seating/potting up area (but I might replace some growing area in my first tunnel with that so I've got somwhere cosy to shelter/work/store materials whilst putting the new one up) plus a different form of demountable staging to that used in my smaller 4.25 x 2m tunnel, really looking forward to getting this one up in time for next year's tomatoes as it'll assist with crop rotation.

 

Going to keep a record of expenditure on this project and keep updating it (hope it doesn't get too scary).

£85.98 Tunnel (£87.12 less 1.05%/£1.14 Topcashback).

Got a long list of other stuff I need, have probably already got most of it, so if I schedule it out and have a rummage around I'll know what to look out for reduced, in skips or at boot sales and keep costs down.

Replacment (longer) bolts For fixing straps and timbers to the steel tubes [stocked up on Wilko pick & mix when they had money off vouchers, I swopped them on my last tunnel but think I might need some even longer ones low down as I intend bolting vertical staging rail supports to the steel frame tube, not to actually put load on it, but to keep them in place and help hold the tunnel down, luckily I'm sure I've already got some the right lengths]
Bricks To sit hoops and perimeter edging boards on [got loads of reclaimed ones for nothing]
Holding down straps Cast into concrete pads and bolted to bottom of hoops using replacement bolts[have enough already]
Cement [have half a bag so will look out for damaged/reduced bags]
Ballast [got a heap of reduced, damaged bags]
Edging boards For around soil beds [still got a stack of decking boards from when I got a whole skip full of them.
Screws and connector plates [plates from my roll of connector strip, need a few screws]
Door frames [skip timber]
Screws, brackets and plates [again, just a few more screws, boot sales or Wilko pick & mix]
Raking struts Fixed to extended frame bolts at high level for extra rigidity, plus used for fixing staging rails [got some timber that's a bit thin, but will nail to mske double thickness]
Screws, bolts and brackets [from my big Wilko stash]
Battens to bolt along horizontals To take vine eyes at 300mm centres and used to tie bamboo canes and any other stuff to [might cut some boards into strips to form battens, but if Wickes email me another 20% off voucher might get from them, so need to have requirements ready]
Screws, connector plates and vine eyes [vine eyes for fixing canes to needed, something else to cram into Wilko pick & mix bags]
Anti hotspot tape [got a few rolls left, but another ebay order required]
Door(s) timber [some more stuff awaiting a Wickes voucher]
Screws, nails, t hinges [need cheap boot sale hinges! Far too expensive even from Wilko]
Mesh door panels To keep rabbits and birds out when the doors are open for ventilation [still got some bought 75% off from Wilko]
Staples [got some]
Paving slabs For outside door plus 'seating area' [got dozens when a neighbour changed all their patio and paths.
Dpm sheet Laid on bare soil between beds before laying path[6m x 600mm required, got offcuts - this is for under central path timbers]
Bearers Laid on dpm[will use pallet slats]
Slats nailed across bearers to make path (hate muddy paths in tunnels) [pallets]
Nails [got some]
Staging bearers To accept demountable staging sections [probably another Wickes purchase as I'm not risking something failing and hundreds of plants being damaged]
Screws and connector plates [more pick & mix decking screws]
Staging trays I'm intending to use shallow plastic plant transportation boxes used by nurseries, they have a rebate underneath at each short end so will securely sit on 2 parallel bearers, plus be easy to remove and store when I want to plant stuff in the soil beds underneath [already have a stack of them]
Mypex (for covering 1m wide strip around tunnel to supress weeds) [got a big part used roll for free when somebody was clearing their shed]
Table & chairs [got given a strong plastic table and 4 chairs when somebody moved]

Well, that doesn't seem as if it'll be terribly expensive, but there's one other thing I'll have to get - another £1 kiddies fishing net for rescuing butterflies and bees.

 

As I've already got another 6 x 3m tunnel with full length soil beds either side of a central path, I've chosen to devote 1/3 of this tunnel over to paving for use as a seating/working/container growing [1]/storage/etc. area.

[1] Assisting with crop rotation.

So the planned layout is as before in 3 bays between ends/raking struts, with a single door facing west/prevailing wind, a double mesh panel covered with polythene covered opening panels facing east, and 600mm wide central path, but with furthest bay from door completely slabbed.

I was considering locating that slabbed area just inside the (single) entrance door, but decided it would be a better use of space if sited at the far end as there'd be no loss of circulation space through it, and seating/working area would be opposite end from driving rain, even right in front of that mesh panel which will be left open most of the growing season.

I also thought that the opposite end from prevailing wind might be the best place for growing polytunnel cucumbers.



N.B. The raking struts in same location as entrance door posts are necessary to support demountable staging rails.

 

That's a great price @Scrungee
If only my garden was bigger...

 

I wish I had your property too!

we need a green with envy symbol!

 

I never got around to erecting this tunnel last year as I might be moving to another plot of land, but after enough indecision/delay I finally got around to erecting it starting on 31st May by strimming and rotorvating a patch of overgrown ground, levelling out the central path, fixing edging boards and setting out everything else from that.





Then erecting the frame

 

Next day, 1st June add cover



2nd June start fixing battens along horizontals using longer replacement bolts, then using raking struts to hold down/secure frame. Perimeter border edging boards fixed in place using longer replacement bolts, and steel L straps bolted to hoops at base concreted into pad foundations to complete ground fixings.



Rear mesh covered ventilation opening formed

 

Front double door framework fixed and skirt of covering then buried and secured before I went away for a few days with high winds forecast.

Returned and started planting up with tomatoes on 9th June, and this is how they're looking 2 weeks after planting. 10 plants in each back row, 9 in intermediates, 5 in front rows, 48 plants in total.



Fixed my Rabbit/Deer/Butterfly/Rat/Blackbird/Wood Pigeon proof front doors today, just a few bits and pieces left to sort out now (like between the frame & zip, then weatherproof sliding doors infront of mesh doors/panels).

 

Reserved

A few details ......

 

Reserved

 

Wow, that is a great poly tunnel!!

 

This looks great. Can I ask, are the timbers from roof to ground providing extra stability? And how have you anchored the frame as I can see no stakes. I've just put up an identical frame and am wondering what to use and how to go about it. Your photos are inspirational!

 

The frame is held down around the perimeter using L shaped metal straps cast into concrete pad foundations along the sides, and held down at the ends using preserved timber stakes driven into the ground and bolted/or screwed to the front doorway/rear ventilation panel verticals.

The raking struts, again fixed to driven in stakes, make the entire structure absolutely rock solid. The key to everything is to replace the supplied bolts with longer ones bought cheaply from Wilkos, that will enable the frame to be fixed to everything required to both hold it down, and provide additional internal fixings.

I've only just realised there's no pics of that here, so will copy them in from another post.

 

That would be interesting!