Does size matter? Is 6" enough?

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Does size matter? Is 6" enough?
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RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Sat May 04, 13 1:01 pm Post subject: Does size matter? Is 6" enough?

Does size matter?

Is 6" enough?

I have been giving my wife a good 6" in the bed all morning.

She is still not happy & wants more.

So should I give her more or not?

What am I talking about?

Well muck of course well rotted farm yard muck.

Finally getting round to putting the polytunnel up (24' x 12'). I have dug out all the top soil & sub soil. Not a huge depth in total, around 15" - 18" ish.

Back filled with 6" of FYM & was going to put all the good quality top soil back on top then build the slightly raised beds & top off with some compost / soil mix.

I think thats plenty & far more than any other polytunnel that I know off.

Most just plonk it on the top & rotovate it.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sat May 04, 13 1:54 pm Post subject:
Goat or horse? As for 6" I suppose it depends on how fresh and how rich it is, it sounds a bit much unless the soil is very poor?

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Sat May 04, 13 4:30 pm Post subject:
This lot is 90% goat with the rest from the chooks. Its quite well rotted but not fully. It is under 12" of top soil & then that will have a capping of compost on the top as well. I guess that for the first season it wont need the FYM but I was thinking long term it will save a big job or at least delay it for a good few years.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sat May 04, 13 6:12 pm Post subject:
Have you used goat manure before? If so, any noticeable difference to cow or horse manure? I've been collecting deer (roe) droppings for our compost heap and assuming it'll be similar to goat droppings in nutrients.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Sat May 04, 13 6:40 pm Post subject:
Cant say that I have done any sort of comparison between the different types. I would think that goat will have much more bedding in it than cow. This batch also has poultry muck in it too.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Sat May 04, 13 9:40 pm Post subject:

Giving it all 6" at once might be a shock but the idea was to get the new tunnel off to a good start.

The muck all went in a layer at the bottom with the top soil added on top. It was not mixed in so the roots should not get damaged by the muck & the plants will have to have deep roots to get at the nutrients. It just seemed so easy to do it now with the digger before all the beds went in & the cover was put on.

From now on the beds will just get little & often.

This shot is from the same spot at the second picture above, you can just see the green water butt.

dan1

Joined: 23 Jun 2010
Posts: 102
Location: Bristolish

Posted: Wed May 08, 13 6:03 pm Post subject:
Is that tunnel made with that plastic blue pipe stuff? Just a word of warning, I made one like that a few years back and it blew away in the first strong wind. Might need some internal bracing. I had to get a proper steel one in the end, but wasted a whole poly cover. I am in quite a windy spot, mind you

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Wed May 08, 13 8:13 pm Post subject:
What size was your blue pipe? These are 50mm. The plan already included some internal bracing (even the metal ones have it) which can double up for hanging stuff & supporting growing strings ect. The steel pipes go in the ground over 2 foot & the blue pipe is fixed to it. Once the cover is on it should be as strong as a metal one as the hoops are at about half the spacing of a metal one.

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Thu May 09, 13 5:21 am Post subject:
Richard, I'm getting nose bleeds because the pile of horse shit that I have here is so high, so please feel free to come and fill yer boots with the stuff.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Thu May 09, 13 6:56 am Post subject:

LOL,

Once I get a tractor & tipping trailer that is road legal your top of the list.

Quick question to all the pro poly tunnelers.

What cover would / do you use?

I have a nearly new cover that came with the bits I bought but I have altered the design so it might not re fit well.

I have been looking at new covers but they come in different types.

I know I want one with all the anti fog / drip 5 year UV protection & 720 thick ect but do I want white, green, blue or almost clear?

Oh & one says not for use to over winter non hardy plants as its heat retention is poor but helps keep it cooler in summer.

Purely for aesthetic reasons I would like the green (which is said to mimic a wood land floor that has had the light filtered by the canopy).

We would like to be able to either grow all year round or at least seriously extend the growing season but without added heat.

cassy

Joined: 04 Feb 2008
Posts: 1047
Location: South West Scotland

Posted: Thu May 09, 13 9:32 am Post subject:

You need max light transmittance, especially if you want to extend the season for veg growing. The biggest limiting factors for winter growing in our climate is light. White / green, anything not translucent will decrease the amount of light getting to plants or decrease part of the spectrum. They're usually used for shade tunnels e.g. for ferns and ornamentals.

You can see published light transmittance figures on-line. I would be wary of buying covers that didn't have figures, myself. Visqueen is a good industry brand that I've been happy with in the past. Not the cheapest but.

If you're worried about summer overheating, build double doors at each end and have roll up sides (net underneath) for summer. Your shelter belt should give you wind protection - any over shadowing?

Ginkotree

Joined: 26 Jun 2008
Posts: 2956
Location: south west wales

Posted: Thu May 09, 13 12:52 pm Post subject:
I used blue pipe..the trick is not to get sagging which then makes overhead puddles...and destroys the tunnel..extra support earlier would have given longer life...with the greyer summers light is the real issue.

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Thu May 09, 13 12:53 pm Post subject:
Presumably, you can add shade/shelter if you needed to, or wanted to provide a canopy-like area, but if it's a green cover all over, you cannot make it lighter at any stage? I don't have one, I'm just looking at it from a common sense end. However, this does not preclude aesthetic considerations, green probably blends better with the background.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Thu May 09, 13 1:13 pm Post subject:

We do have a fair bit of shading early & late in the day. Especially once the trees have fully leafed up as they are starting to do big style this week. Its in full sun from about 9am till after 6pm at this time of year (he says looking out the window at all the rain).

Using my solar panels output as a guide we tend to get good sun starting in late Feb early Mar but tails off in May due to the leaves but then comes back strong by the end of May as the sun is higher in the sky.

We will be having doors at both ends (but only singles) One end will enter the fruit cage & the other will have a mesh screen so we can keep birds & cats out.

I did consider mesh sides (dropped it due to wanting winter growth) but not with covers for the winter. Will have to think about the logistics of making that work.

Good points Nick. Could always put a mesh cover over it.

Blue pipe is quite strong. It is prob strong enough for me to do a pull up on but I dont quite trust it for my full weight & I dont want to damage it as I have no bits long enough spare. I cant see how I could get puddles on the roof as it curves all the way across. Also as I will be tensioning it using battens & not just sticking it in a trench I should be able to get a good tension on it.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Sat Jun 08, 13 8:06 pm Post subject:
Finally got round to putting the cover on. Up to now its had a temp cover on it. The white door will have the panels replaced with solid ones & then a mesh screen fitted so the door can be left open. The empty door will have no vents in it either but will open into a netted area so no screen door needed. Guess whats in the green sack?

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