Making the Right Choices When Growing Cut Flowers

However, there is still a lot of pre-planning that you need to do and remember to order those important polytunnel supplies and perhaps new polytunnel covers! What you need to realise is that gardening in a polytunnel is often as labour intensive as working in an outside garden. When you want to make it less hard work, there are some polytunnel supplies that should be at the top of your shopping list.

Growing flowers for cutting in your tunnel, you need to plan ahead before you even start thinking about replacing polytunnel covers. Of course, it is essential that you choose the right covers to suit your growing requirements.

 

Growing Benches

Investing in growing benches decreases the amount of backbreaking work that you have to do. When you set up growing benches in your tunnel, you don't have to bend down to plant and prune your flowers or pick them. You can much easier, check on the health of your plants when you add growing benches to your polytunnel supplies list. Yes, you can make your own out of pallets, but the moisture coming off polytunnel covers often causes them to deteriorate very quickly. Remember that pallets are not moisture-proof.

 

How Close to My Polytunnels Covers Can I Put My Growing Benches?

This depends a little bit on what you are growing in your tunnel. However, in general, it would be right to say that your growing benches need to be at least 10cm away from your polytunnel covers.

Placing the growing benches too close to your covers may cause sharp edges to damage the covers. That is the last thing that you want when you have just set up your polytunnel.

If you are growing tall plants, you want to make sure your plants can grow happily without touching the covers, avoiding damage to the plants.

 

Other Polytunnel Supplies for Growing Cut Flowers

You also need to consider a water source. If you don't have any natural water available in your polytunnel, you want to make sure you can easily have access to water without having to carry it too far.

If you don't want to install a drip system, you should consider putting a water barrel or storage tanks on the outside of the tunnel. Don't place it too close to the polytunnel covers in case of severe storms which can cause structures placed close to the tunnel to damage the covers. You should place your water barrel at a set height. That way, you can easily put your watering can underneath the tap when you need to fill the can up or, to access the tap to attach a hose.

 

Always Be Ready

Although your polytunnel covers will keep out most of the unwelcome flying insect visitors, you still need to have a Neem spray at hand. Having a good cleaning material readily available is an essential part of permaculture especially when you grow produce organically, good maintenance and cleaning regimes should be carried out regularly.

Neem spray is a must-have for all polytunnel gardeners. You can even use it as a preventative measure to make sure that unwanted bugs stay- away. Harmful insects seem to really dislike Neem spray so it should be on your polytunnel supplies list, along with other cleaning product and equipment.

 

In Conclusion

There are many other things that you will need. Most importantly, make sure that you make gardening in your tunnel as easy as it can be. 

READ MORE:

Why Are Polytunnels So Popular? 

Could Polytunnels Feed the Entire UK?