Poly tunnel winter veg

[David]

Hi
What can I plant in my polytunnel - now?
I have sorrel and rocket at the moment but I would like to plant some sort of greens
Thanks
Dave

[Shirley]

Hi David

:welcomeish:

I'm sure that you are able to plant all kinds of things in your polytunnel (and I'm not jealous that you have one and I don't... HONEST!! )

Whereabouts are you based?? That might have some bearing as to what you can start now.

[David]

Hi Shirlz2005
I live in Warrington and my plot is on the banks of the Mersey - excellent soil but heavily used since 1914
I grow raspberries - looks like a vineyard
but now I want to know what will grow in an unheated polytunnel at this time of year :tongue2:
Thanx
Dave

[hedgewizard]

Hi David!

Truthfully, the next four weeks are not a good time to plant anything out in the tunnel - you've hit on the one time of the year when not a lot of growing takes place, as you'll be seeing with how your sorrel and rocket is getting on. Sure, you could get some germination but growth would be so slow I think it'd be a losing battle with fungi and slugs (which are still around, if less active). You could look into making a heated bed in there or make a tented area with horticultural bubble wrap and heat that, but really without heat I think there's not a lot you can be doing right now.

I sowed a fair bit of stuff in October for cropping now, which I think was about a fortnight late given the low light levels that we ended up with (except for the rocket, which grows anyway and is now beginning to bolt). I'd certainly aim for late September next year. There're some photos on my blog.

Mind you, you can certainly be germinating seeds in a heated propagator or inside, ready to plant out under fleece in a few weeks; or if you buy plantlets ready to go and fleece them over you should get some growth. Shirlz knows some tricks though, I'll bet!

[David]

Hi David!

Truthfully, the next four weeks are not a good time to plant anything out in the tunnel - you've hit on the one time of the year when not a lot of growing takes place, as you'll be seeing with how your sorrel and rocket is getting on. Sure, you could get some germination but growth would be so slow I think it'd be a losing battle with fungi and slugs (which are still around, if less active). You could look into making a heated bed in there or make a tented area with horticultural bubble wrap and heat that, but really without heat I think there's not a lot you can be doing right now.

I sowed a fair bit of stuff in October for cropping now, which I think was about a fortnight late given the low light levels that we ended up with (except for the rocket, which grows anyway and is now beginning to bolt). I'd certainly aim for late September next year. There're some photos on my blog.

Mind you, you can certainly be germinating seeds in a heated propagator or inside, ready to plant out under fleece in a few weeks; or if you buy plantlets ready to go and fleece them over you should get some growth. Shirlz knows some tricks though, I'll bet!

Thanks - that makes a lot of sense
David