The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: StephB on February 21, 2013, 08:18:31 pm
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Hi
Does anyone have any advice as to where is best to buy my polytunnel.?
There are so many companies on the market I am abit lost. I obviousley need it to be as budget as possible without ending up being a load of rubbish.
Did you buy a polytunnel from a particular company that you would reccommend or steer me away from.?
Did you learn after purchasing your tunnel, something which you wish you have known or thought of beforehand?.
I have seen some polytunnels on #bay, but they seem too cheap to be true/good.
40ft for £800 ??
Any advice would be appreciated.
thanks
steph
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I used First Tunnels. They are brilliant but not the cheapest. A very cheap polytunnel is a false economy in my view......
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The cheapest bit of a polytunnel is the hoops - those are the bits offered cheap on fleabay. The most important bit is the instructions, then you need bracers and cross bars and a ridge pole and louvres and doors and fixing bolts and anti-hot-spot-tape and a nice new piece of polythene cover, plus crop bars possibly.
What size are you looking for? What is your local weather - windy or sheltered?
We are windy and our tunnel is 7m x 14m - average for a smallholding. We went to Northern Polytunnels as their hoops are sturdier than many and they offered all the reinforcements our site required, and a choice of covers. All the odds and ends certainly add up, but it's worth getting a good quality tunnel - saving a few quid only to see your tunnel fly away in a gale and your crops lost is just not worth it.
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Hi,
I am considering a 14ft x 42ft Polytunnel. I did fancy 18ft wide but abit worried about planning with it suddenly being classed as a Commercial tunnel.
It is such a minefield. You think you have found a reasonably priced tunnel and then you find they haven't added on Anchor plates or hotspot tape and there are no made up doors etc.
Hubby is very practical so making doors isn't an issue, but it often explains why the tunnel appears cheap.
Am I right in thinking that Crop bars are essential to be able to string up tomatoes / beans etc. Or are they not really needed (Hate hanging baskets so not needing to hook those up).
Will keep hunting :thumbsup:
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We used Ferryman polytunnels for our monster and no you don't need crop bars, my OH just builds a lathe frame for our 30 odd tommy plants and they rest/hang from that.
Mandy :pig:
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I've done it :excited: . I ordered a 14ft x 42ft tunnel from First Tunnels.
I am soooo excited. Their customer service is already proving amazing.
I have been trawling through their videos on YouTube and saw their amazing idea for catching rainwater from your polytunnel.
I rang them up to ask some advice about attaching the guttering as I wasn't having side vents and they explained how to do it and even said they would send the u-clamps to attach the timber free of charge :thumbsup: .
How fab is that.
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Really fab! Good luck with it Steph, get out the seeds!
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Our tunnel came from First Tunnels - still not had to replace the polythene on it and it's been on the go for 7 years...
We found the crop bars handy to just hook fencing wire from one end to the other works great for toms, cucumbers etc.
Just make sure that in winter you clear off snow asap - it is deceptively heavy.