Is A Polytunnel Worth The Effort?

[englishladyMember]

Hi Bluebell   —  Just had a look on ebay and there are some of the 1000 caged plastic containers around the £35 upwards range.  Those I looked at had all been used for other purposes.  The pastel coloured ones had been used for paint, and the seller said they had been washed but “were not perfect”.  Another one had something else in it before which was stressed in the advert.

I am no chemist but would it be safe to use items like this when just water is needed ? 

You paid the going rate for your water butts but you have no doubt that what comes out will be pure.  Reading the warnings and descriptions on ebay, I am just not sure how useful they would be having been used for deisel or some other difficult to clean out substance.

You will have peace of mind and that is priceless!

Best wishes

Julie

[StringfellowParticipant]

I located some on ebay that are new and therefore ‘clean’ for around the £60 mark. I’d feel uncertain about using anything that might contaminate the soil, and therefore crops/ food. There are also water barrels available for @ £10 – £15 and could be used as ‘dip tanks’ – this may speed up watering as you can refill your cans swiftly.

[StringfellowParticipant]

Bluebell, could you return the butts and be refunded if they were recent purchases? Apologies if my last post displayed any insensitivity; non was meant and I apologise.

[bluebellParticipant]

I needed them in a time frame and had the money so no regrets on water butts purchaced.

It would certainly depend on what had previously been stored in the 1000l containers – ones I saw had fruit juice, which I cannot see causing a problem but have seen ones used for fuel which I would not use.

[polytunnelMember]

A polytunnel is a great metal tube edifice covered in tough and hard wearing polythene with the ultra violet inhibitors. A huge capacity of air is reserved in tunnel which stays hot for a long time. Heat holding capacity and light diffusion properties of polytunnels are considered better than greenhouse.

[charlesModerator]

I agree about light diffusion but not about heat holding capacity, glass is thicker than polythene and I have always found a greenhouse slightly warmer than neighbouring polytunnels, on cold nights.

I also notice, on days of bright sun followed by black clouds, how quickly the temperature drops in a polytunnel, and mine has plenty of air capacity (18 x 30 feet). Towards the end of a fine day it is different because the ground has warmed enough to hold heat, whether it is tunnel or greenhouse.

[Cecilia FletcherParticipant]

Hi Charles, I have recently purchased a20ft by 10ft polytunnel for my allotment and will be erecting it in the spring as I am currently clearing the ground it is going to occupy. After watching your you tube video about tomatoes I noticed you grow straight from the ground soil, my question is will I need to change the soil after growing ? as I remember growing in the ground in a greenhouse many years ago and having to change the soil so I grow in 20 or 30 litre pots now in my own homemade compost with healthy results. The spent compost is then used to mulch other beds mixed with compost.

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