The last few weeks have been spent getting the next project off and running and it is going well.
And what is the next project you may ask? Yes, folks, the polytunnel is underway. Measuring some 40 feet x 20 feet, it is not small, but big enough to give lots of room inside and plenty of scope to expand our growing range.
The tunnel will be sited on the sand ring approximately in the middle so we can then squeeze the chicken run behind that, and the chicken run will measure 40 feet plus by 50 feet plus. Final measurements have not been worked out yet as that comes later on this year.
Having dug out the trench all the way around the tunnel perimeter, then sinking 18 holes down to a depth of 40cm, we are then able to start the assembly of the tunnel frame.
The weather has been fantastic down here in Cornwall and out of three weeks, we have only had an hour or so of rain. This has enabled us to get the pre-works completed without any problems.
We are aiming to get the tunnel pretty much finished by the end of April just in time for the tomatoes and cucumbers to go in early May. We still have all of the sand and the underlying rock chippings to move from the inside of the tunnel before we can get the manure/compost growing medium ready for the plants. But for this year we are growing the toms and cues in large pots and they will do very well.
We also plan to put our citrus plants inside the tunnel which may even produce decent fruits if we can get the right temperature for them. If we can, we shall let you know how that is going.
Once the tunnel frame is complete and all the adjustments have been made to satisfaction, the holes will be back-filled and the trench topped up to the sand level again. When ready it will then be time for the poly covering to be fitted. This should be a little easier as there is one piece for the roof from side to side, and separate pieces for the ends. These are held in place in the end struts and fixed with zig-zag wires.
The Ventilation will be added down the Southside of the tunnel which has a wind-up mechanism for ease of use, and the aliminium doors can be fitted on the West end as above. When we have finished we shall re-post with an update to let you know what it looks like.