Greenhouse versus polytunnel

I'm growing a few things that require warmth and therefore I have been investigating the possibility of getting a greenhouse or a polytunnel. The council would only allow one of these, so a choice has to be made.

Greenhouse - Positives

• Maintain heat better than polys
• There is one on the abandoned plot next door free of charge
• Less likely to fly away in the wind

Greenhouse - Negatives

• Smaller than polytunnels
• A greenhouse as large as is allowed on the site would cost too much

Polytunnel - Positives

• Larger growing area
• I can possibly construct one from old trampolines
• I have experience in building polytunnels

Polytunnel - Negatives

Plastic  needs changing every few years

It's a very windy site

So, with there being a greenhouse free for the taking on the next door plot, that makes the decision a really rather easy one. I knew I had to get a move on too, as the site has had several new tenants. Stuff on abandoned plots are up for grabs, first come first served, and I had cleared it with the allotment manager that runs the site. 

So with that in mind, I went to the plot today and cleared the only space suitable for the greenhouse. I shifted the raised bed there, saved the soil, and pulled up the bindweed and  nettle roots. Two very kind fellas on the plot helped me move the polycarbonate greenhouse. It wasn't very heavy, but there's no way I would've been able to do it myself. 

Here it is in all its glory!

There will be a big bed on the left hand side, running up to the blue tub, and of course, I will grow in the ground in the greenhouse.

Then there's only one area left to sort out - the one the other side of the growtunnel. And I need compost bins... and possibly take on the next plot on the right hand side. It's just grass, no carpets - room for a polytunnel! haha

Sowing!

So the last two weeks of January was spent mostly at home sowing seeds!

As my bedroom is the warmest place in the house and the best light, the pasting table is set up in the bay window - only the best for my germinating seeds!

I have sown:

• Cayenne - all come up, despite some of the seeds being very old (6+ years)
• Hopscotch chilli - slower to germinate, took two weeks, but lots have come up
• Tomatoes: Ildi, Red cherry, Gigantomo, Ukrainian purple, Yellow pear, Sweet million, Yellow perfection, Moneymaker - all tomatoes have done very well
• Purple Scarlet kale - all done well
• Borecole kale - Scarlet (they could be the same??) - all done well
• Rossignol kale - not a twitch of germination from any of the modules
• Dwarf curled kale - all done well
• Evesham special brussel sprouts - all done well
• Rubine brussels - one seed has germinated
• Cauliflower All year round - not one seed has germinated
• Monarch celeriac - not one seed has germinated
• Californian Wonder peppers - not one seed has germinated
• Spring onions - not one seed has germinated
• Autumn Mammoth leek - not one seed has germinated
• Ailsa craig onions - all done well
• Kalettes - all done well
• Aubergines  - all done well
• Kohl rabi - not one seed has germinated
• Chard - all done well
• Red drumhead cabbage - all done well
• Golden acre primo 2 - all done well
• Lambs lettuce - all done well
• Restina gherkins - all done well
• Lima beans - look like large butten beans. They didn't want to get soaked as they turned to mush, but once I planted them in compost, four out of nine have germinated! 
• Echinacea purpurea - tiny little seedlings popping up after a week
• Heliotropium Marine - quite a few have come up

There was still time to do work on the allotment though! I spent one day clearing out the growtunnel that is covered in mesh and topping up the beds with lots of horse manure. 

The second day that weekend spent with a good friend of mine who turns out to be very, very hardworking! We managed to clear nearly all the carpet at the start of the plot, shift it all into my van AND get it into the skip at the allotment gates!

Before:


 After!

 

We filled that skip alright!