My polytunnel for mostly chillies

The 4" x 3"s that came with the kit weren't just good enough (a bit warped) so a quick trip to the timber yard and some nice new ones for the door posts.

Also a design change mid way through - I decided to put double doors at one end for better ventilation. The wind normally blows from the end with just the one door.

The water hose appears just inside the front left hand side - should be handy there.

 

And we're up

 

A view from the inside

 

As a base rail was used to attach the polythene, there's a gap at the bottom. I'm going to use some blinding that I had lying around to go around the tunnel and "seal" that off

 

That's exactly what I did with a much smaller 3 x 6m tunnel as it seemed a good idea at the time and not because I've seen it recommended anywhere. Your perimeter boards will prevent using a strimmer around the tunnel causing damage, although a strip of Mypex around it will keep weeds at bay plus permit water to get through and, unlike something impervious, prevent a giant crack forming around the perimeter in a drought if you have clay soil, releasing the buried skirt.

 

Thanks for that tip. I had just tried that small section with blinding at the bottom but you are right, a strip of mypex or similar, underneath would be very useful. I can even extend it into the tunnel for 6 inches or so - cover it with blinding there too - and that would stop weeds growing at the back of the raised beds.

I had initially thougth of blinding (basicially coarse quarry dust) as a way of preventing slugs getting in but it will also provide a reasonable weed proof surface if well compacted.

 

I decided that using the blinding was the way to go. Basically put a strip of weed fabric around the edge of the tunnel and brought it inside about 8 inches or so through the gap at the bottom, then covered the exterior with the blinding and packed it tight against the base rail. This should prevent rain blowing in (and just wind getting underneath it in general) plus be a bit of a slug barrier - they don't seem to like the roughness of it - so I put a strip across the front of the doors as well.

Time will tell how successful it is

 

I've not got a polytunnel, but I thought that normally the sidewall plastic was "buried" to keep it taught in winds etc?

 

There are two methods. Burying the polythene is one option and the other is affixing it it a base rail. I didn't have much of an option because it's very rocky where I've put it up so couldn't really have dug much anyway.

Some polytunnels have side vents where the polythene can be rolled up and there is just a netting to keep the insects out at the side. They are all fitted using the base rail method.

 

I also purchased a max / min thermometer and tested it out today. Max temp for 10th October - 43 degrees c. Mad!

 

Sounds like it was in direct sun, rather than shaded from direct sun

 

Yes - I just put it in the poly tunnel to see what the temperature was - I was building a raised bed and could tell it was pretty hot - or at least I was making hot work of it

 

In direct sun the thermometer will just keep rising, so best to put arrange it so that it is not in direct sun for a true reading of temperature.

 

I read that post as it was showing a max temp of minus 43 deg C and thought you'd got a really dodgy thermometer!

 

First raised bed in place . Built using reclaimed timber. Some old paint on it but I've removed most of it from the sides nearest the soil.