[tobytoby]

I am hoping site a PT on an area of pasture grass. Not to many weeds but the area holds a bit of water when wet, hence the rushes and no land drains that i am aware of?. It looks like i wont be able to erect until the spring( until offer goes through)?? Therefore my main question is preparing the soil -what is best;

Plough and put a thick covering of mature horse manure & cover
Put a couple of pigs on and let them root & plough it, then add manure
Weedkill the area

All suggestions welcome, bearing in mind our great scottish weather!!

[robert waddell]

wet ground is not the best area for a poly tunnel   there will be drains unless it very sandy/gravel soil 

[katie]

I wouldn't put a polytunnel on an area with rushes. Isn't there anywhere better drained you can use? It should be East/West facing so as to maximise daylight.

[Rosemary]

I wouldn't put a polytunnel on an area with rushes. Isn't there anywhere better drained you can use? It should be East/West facing so as to maximise daylight.

Do you mean the doors should be at the north and south ends?

[ambriel]

No, longitudinal axis along the east/west line.

[pgkevet]

If that piece of land is your only choice then the first thing to do is to dig some exploratory holes..find the depth of soil, it's type and what's underneath. You can always make drains around the area.. trench and gravel and then strip the top and truck in better soil. Like everything it comes down to money. It also depends on what you plan to grow... grow bags, raised beds etc - strawberry troughs on poles?

I'm in a similar position..in the sense that I'm at the contract stage on a chunk of wales .. the first thing I plan is a proper land survey of pilot holes, soil pH and wetness than plan my growing to fit the land and decide what and where I need to improve or adjust to grow the 'clever stuff'

How about using that area for cranberries?

[Hermit]

Also dont forget planning, if you put a poly on agricultural land it is regarded as a business (does in my authority any way) If you get planning you could go for a huge tunnel .Best to check. Scottish soil and rushes may mean an acid soil as well so check PH .

[pgkevet]

Also dont forget planning, if you put a poly on agricultural land it is regarded as a business (does in my authority any way) If you get planning you could go for a huge tunnel .Best to check. Scottish soil and rushes may mean an acid soil as well so check PH .

I've been discussing that informally with powys planning... depends on size and whether it can be argued to be within the curtilage of the house..and of course size of plot. Planners were very friendly to chat to..and now all propositions/drawings sent (again informally at this stage).

[tobytoby]

When i say it is wet, it just holds the water longer during prolonged rain and is always the last to dry out? So i am certain the sub soil will probably need drained? I will investigate the needs for planning permission?

[deniseg4]

Hi Toby,

At the previous house we lived in (which was half a mile up the Fairlie Moor Road from where we are now), I made the dreadful mistake of putting up a 35ft polytunnel on an area that didn't have the best drainage in the world.  During the summer it was fine, except for the fact that when you watered, everything seemed to get really soggy.  To the end of summer, when the rain started, all hell broke loose, and my beautiful polytunnel became a complete mess!!!  We could hardly even get into it as the path to the door was so bad.  However, this problem would've easily been solved by putting drainage around it, but by that time it was becoming apparent that our landlord was a little mentally unstable and we were probably going to have to move (the house was as wet inside as the polytunnel was and she wasn't doing much to sort it).  If you need help with drainage I know a guy in the Dalry area that's really good.

Do you need to put it in your field, could you not put it in your garden?  If its in your garden you don't need planning for it, but as far as I'm aware you do in a field, just as Hermit has said.  

Planners were very friendly to chat to..and now all propositions/drawings sent (again informally at this stage).

I don't know if you've dealt with planning in NA before, but they are a complete nightmare!!!

Plough and put a thick covering of mature horse manure & cover

Is the area predominantly clay like my end of the town?  If so, I would avoid horse manure for now as it won't be good for helping with waterlogging.  If you want to do anything at the moment, I'd be more inclined to dig through leaf mould, or something that's likely to make the soil more friable.  Again, I'm learning from our mistakes here, the area that our polytunnel was on had horse manure spread over it 6 months prior to us building the tunnel, and it just seemed to compound the problem.  The pigs sounds like a good idea, but again, I think I would want the drainage sorted first.

Good Luck!

Denise

[Fowgill Farm]

Agree with all said before, we have the opposite problem put our 60ft x 20ft next to a big hedge which draws all the moisture from the tunnel so at times its like a desert in there and in the summer we have to water 2 or  3 times a day so siting is very important, the other mistake we made was that we filled it with home made compost that was full of weed seeds and we now have a running battle to keep on top of them particulary docks & nettles which sprout up the minute you water something. Going to try and fill ours with turnips and greens over this winter to supplement pigs, full of courgettes, chillis & toms at the mo.
Mandy 

[tobytoby]

Thanks for all the comments.
I will now check with planning, but if ok i will site east to west as indicated on a dry part of the same field, and try and sort the tile drains out (if any?) - i will need to dust down the diving rods?

Denise, i take it you eventually got PP for the PT? Although classed as agricultural land and i will get a CPH #, would they object or is there restrictions on size? Or do i stick it up anyway and see if someone objects,- is it classed as a PT if i put netting over it instead of poly and use it as a hen run etc?

[katie]

I am currently engaged in battle with the council for a polytunnel on an agricultural holding. I think /hopwe we are going to get it but there will be all sorts of conditions about screening etc. They wanted us to site it next to a hedge or a building and we had to point out to them that that kind of defeated the object!
If you've got nice neighbours you should have no problem. Unfortunately our neighbours are the most unpleasant people I have ever met.