Polytunnel production

[colinc]

Hi Charles
Just looking at your monthly update, your salads in polytunnel look fantastic, ive had best winter ever, do you continue with salads all year in the same tunnel? the reason I ask and im probably putting a rope round my neck is this, ive worked out we have saved around £400 pound over the last 6 months just in salads, if I now put in say tomatoes in the same beds there is no productive eating from there for say next 5 months, does this make sense, in an ideal world we would all have enough space to grow all we need, shouldn’t we be looking to make each growing space as productive as possible, none of the books ive read seem to answer this question. Its seems sad to be looking at the economics of growing but when like myself not having a pay rise for 3 years and not one this year, you start to think how can I get the most out of the space I have.
Regards
Colin C

[charles]

 Yes, salads are the most economic thing to grow if you eat a lot of leaves, but I imagine you can grow some outside in SW Scotland. When on Iona I remember harvesting lettuce in summer. Sowings of endive, rocket and oriental leaves in July to early August should give you autumn leaves too.
Always salad in the tunnel may lead to build-ups of disease but I cannot be too sure on that as I have not tried it. What about growing other summer veg in the tunnel like sweetcorn, squash (up strings), cucumber, basil, french beans?

Tomatoes are often default option for indoor veg and are certainly delicious but as you say they can take a long time to crop. Do try a few Sungold for earlier fruit.

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