The use of a garden tunnel in the cultivation of crops will extend the growing season by sixty days a year. It is a support for gardeners, making it possible to plant plants that would not be able to cope under normal conditions. It protects plants against wind, cold, sudden frosts, rainfall, and also against unwanted insects. Plants can grow in a well-insulated tunnel even in winter, when it is snowing.
What to grow in a polytunnel?
Soft plants and flowers are grown in the garden tunnel. Less durable seedlings, which are exposed to damage, are planted in it.Its use will accelerate and increase the yield of vegetables.Thinking about what vegetables to grow in a foil tunnel, we must know that it most often supports thermophilic breeding. These can be: pepper, tomato, cucumber, pumpkin, parsley, peas, radish, radish, lettuce, kohlrabi, white cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, dill, onion, green beans and early carrots.
Cucumber and tomato respond very well to tunnel cultivation, thanks to which harvesting can be 10-20 days faster. It is also important to carefully plant the plants one after another, so as to make the most of the space under the foil. After harvesting the early crops: radishes, spinach, dill and lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage and cauliflower are planted in their place.A question may be asked, what temperature should be maintained in the foil tunnel for the plants to grow? It is best when it is 25-26 degrees Celsius, and the tunnel has a microclimate. During the day, temperatures can vary from 22 to 27 degrees.They should not fall below 16 degrees Celsius at night.How to make a polytunnel?When building a backyard, small foil tunnel, it is usually about three meters wide. It will fit two vegetable patches with passages. The height of such a structure should be two meters in order to be able to work calmly, walk and straighten in it. If you have a larger area, you can choose a wider and longer garden tunnel. It should be placed in a sunny place.A frame made of galvanized metal profiles and steel pipes will maintain the structure and will also protect it against corrosion. Elements connected with bolts, a strong structure and a well-stretched foil guarantee that the tunnel sheathing will be properly tensioned.The foil helps protect crops from pests. It is good when the structure has side windows. They will allow the proper flow of fresh air.In transitional conditions, they will also allow plants to harden in order to transplant them into normal cultivation conditions. It is best if the windows are reinforced with mosquito nets, so that unwanted insects will not get inside the foil tunnel.How to insulate a foil tunnel?
PVC plastic film stores heat better and is more resistant to solar radiation. You can also insulate the tunnel with thermal insulation foil with air bubbles. It is assumed in autumn, when the average daily temperature remains below 10 degrees Celsius. In spring, the foil is removed when the daily temperatures rise above 10 degrees. Thanks to the well-made insulation of the garden tunnel, heat loss will be reduced by about 30%, warming the building by 3-4 degrees.An additional limitation of heat loss from the soil is the application of agrotextile, perforated foil or straw at the ground . To protect seedlings, garden covers are used that are applied directly to each plant. Another way of warming up the temperature inside the foil tunnel is to enrich the soil with organic compounds.During their decomposition, processes occur in which heat is generated. Some breeders also invest in special tunnel insulation systems, e.g. with heating hoses or a heating installation.
How to protect the foil tunnel against the windThe best position for a foil tunnel is sunny and sheltered from the wind. A good solution is to place it near buildings, gazebos, garages, hedges, and taller shrubs. It is important that, despite this location, the garden tunnel is not shaded. The wrong solution is to create a tunnel with PVC pipes. They are not durable and may not survive strong winds. In order for the tunnel to be durable, its metal - steel structure should be solid, and the foil should be properly stretched. The grammage of a good film should start from 100g / m2 in the case of a film for two seasons or 150g / m2 for a multi-season film. It is good when it has high tear or tear strength. Even if a strong wind comes, a well-stretched foil with the right parameters will handle it and allow the tunnel to survive. Green or white foil tunnel does not matter. It is only the manufacturer's designation, which is used to determine the strength of the material (UV). The green UV 4 film is able to survive four seasons. The white color has different parameters, depending on the manufacturer. The longest shelf life is 10 years.
