Sounds magical. I didn’t think that I actually can add a seat to the tunnel and enjoy the space even more. Which size/brand you have? I plan to buy my first one so a bit confused at the moment

Wow thank you so much!!

Same here. That confidence at 12 is absolutely adorable. Don't you dare get rid of those videos.

I've watched some of those too. He was really sweet and confident young man even back then.

When Monty hangs up his TV boots (not for at least ten years), I’m voting for Huw, with a regular section for @simplifygardening

If conditions, including the soil temperature, inside your polytunnel are too warm, your radishes won't develop those lovely, crisp and juicy, spicy roots, and if I'm recalling correctly, your beets won't, either. They might be happier outside the tunnel, but under some protective netting or, if the problem is bigger critters than tiny insects, hardware cloth or poultry mesh. If both insect pests and bigger critters are a problem, try both together, with the netting hooped over the crop row and the metal mesh shaped above and beyond---literally---that. About the cucumbers.... If you're not wedded to the variety you've grown in your homemade polytunnel, you might want to consider one of the parthenocarpic varieties: they're nearly seedless (so seed-saving isn't practical) but the big advantage to growing these under cover is that they produce fruit without requiring any pollination so the presence or absence of helpful, pollinating insects isn't an issue at all. This link claims to list the Top 50 Parthenocarpic Cucumbers. At least one of them ought to serve. If, on the other hand, hand-pollinating your cucumber plants makes you feel extra gardener-y and more invested in your cucumber crop, I'd be the last person to deny you that pleasure. And for a number of gardeners, it *is* a pleasure and not an odious chore. And is your polytunnel tall enough to allow you to take advantage of the vertical space to relieve some of the congestion on the ground?

​@@bhalliwell2191Don't get me wrong I am well pleased with the results we got but yes we got a bit carried away and planted everything we were given and packets of seeds I had left over from past attempts 😁, we will be a bit more restrained next year. I was interested with the pollination in that the tomatoes didn't need any help at all so it seems like any insect will do for them while the cucumbers needed help . I did read that runner beans don't like it too warm so that may well be the problem there. As for roots I suspect it is a nutrient imbalance problem, I have never been able to get beetroot or radish or turnip to produce roots and even those that do get chewed. We will keep trying 👍

@@tuppybrill4915 Ohhh---very sorry to hear about the chewing! How vexing! (During the winter, something eats the leaves of my winter-standing leeks. You'd not expect that, would you?---I don't. But something does indeed chew the leaves down to almost nothing, except whatever it is leaves the white 'stalk.') Right now we have no "undercover" arrangement for our garden, but manage always to have far more seed varieties than we can plant, in any given gardening year, and the garden beds are filled to the max, so we have little or no extra room at any time we're growing.

This is great, I've been planning to adjust my growth sowings with temperatures that satisfy my leafy veggies and I gotta say I'm quite impressed with the yields and produce you shared. 🥒🥬

Sorry for your loss. Your setup sounds lovely.

Sorry for your loss. Thank you for the information.

Yep, i second that! im in Florida, im working on how to garden throughout the entire year but my problem is the heat! for the next summer I plan on making raised beds in my shaded areas, thats because the heats kills everything and keeps me from gardening completely; I’ll utilize my full sun raised beds during the rest of the year. i use my raised beds as poly tunnels by just insulating them during the whole 3 days of below 30 degree weather we get per year 😅

@@luisa_4120 That's a good idea! I don't really have a shaded area or I would do the same!

See Charles Dowding for that. A tip for onions is to put rows of Winter sets against the outer wall in early Autumn, by the following June you'll have a crop of onions to pick.

Healthy soil does not lose nutrients due to rain, it's a myth.

Pollinators fly in through the doors:)

The UV is not an issue, but PTs are colder and cheaper. If wind is a problem then PTs are less prone to damage than GHs. Don't be fooled into thinking they are a silver bullet, if it's -5c outside at night, it'll be -5 inside one too. Soil temp and daylight hours are important to plant growth (more than people realise) and there isn't much difference between those inside to outside in one. I do have one and it does work very well for me.

@@lksf9820 Thanks! In January, my official average temps are 55f days and 36f nights but but last year it was 60 during the day and 41 at night. There were only four frosts with a low of 29F (-1c?). My big problem is it not turning into an oven in the summer with highs around 90f. I thought that poly, being more opaque than glass might stay marginally cooler. Other that thunderstorms, I don't get wind.

@@brucetidwell7715 it isn't noticeable so I wouldn't let it influence my decision. Over here we have (look for Northern Polytunnels) them with sides which roll up when it's hot, or side vents, you probably have them too and other solutions. You can also specify which kind of Polythene you want with different shades or grades of clarity for the reason you state, once again I only know it's on the Northern polytunnels UK website, they have gable end vents too and fans. I would expect that a more opaque polythene to be not only cooler in Summer, but also in Winter and only when the sun is out. Basically it's all out there, the more money you spend, the bigger the spec and more able to cope with high (and low) temps.

@@lksf9820 Thanks!

Because it's so cold, you may want to check books by Coleman, Poisson, and Jabbour on winter gardening.

Yes but be careful in very cold temps, polytunnels can be colder inside than the outside due to lack of airflow. Naturally you will have the doors closed so you will need a heat source to stop this happening. A hot bed with manure would work. Charles Dowding has a you tube video of it.

@@stephenw1799 thank you! I’ll look for that. my community garden closes during Nov-march, so mostly we are dealing with above freezing temps

@@stephenw1799 That isn't true at all, quite the reverse. If it's still and -5 outside it'll be -5 in the PT too, not colder. If it's cold and windy the plant will feel more cold outside due to wind chill.

@@lksf9820 sorry but it is true that it can be colder inside a polytunnel than it is outside, this is because there is no air flow and the cold air is held within it and can't flow away. It's similar to how frost pockets form in the lowest lying area of a garden. Counter intuitively, it can help if you ventilate the tunnel on cold nights as the extra air flow can reduce that frost pocket effect. I've measured temps inside and outside the tunnel on cold nights and it's been a degree or two chillier inside. But it warms up much faster in the morning.

@@janwilky utter rubbish.

Introduce ladybirds into there.

How do you attract them into the tunnel house (and keep them there) ? I must have the doors open to avoid excessive heat during the day

@@racepics If they don't go in there then put some in, you can buy them. If there is food, no predators and they're happy they'll stay.

Drape a shade net over?

It is worthwile to grow grapes under the ceiling. This works really well. The vines shade in hot summer but spring, autumn and winter are no leaves on the vines and therefore light is fully available. You can cut back too much growth without problems.

@@turtle2212 Might try growing grapes out in the open over my veg garden to provide shade. Don't eat grapes so could offer them to the neighbours. Too hot for polytunnels here unless I air condition it. 🙂

@@ebradley2306 You can get them (See Northern Polytunnels) with roll up sides.

You could try a shade tunnel

I have on of the "cheap Chinese green things", simply because it is the only one, I could afford😅 It survived several storms and is not going anywhere. You just need to be smart about ankering it. - I bought 2 heavy duty ratched straps that I wraped around the whole structure and then I placed two of my 60l planters on each of the straps inside the structure to hold them down. Works great👍 The straps are also useful for holding shade cloth in place when needed. I just have to loosen the ratchets a bit for that. Easy😊

CO2 in greenhouses can actually be lower than outside, because the plants assimilate it quicker than it is replaced by outside air. With adequate ventilation this is probably never a problem, but can be in relatively tightly sealed spaces. Adding CO2 into the greenhouse air is a common practise in commercial settings but I do not think breathing would be enough. I've heard people use active compost piles to add CO2.