Description
Book SynopsisA polytunnel can be used as an affordable, low-carbon aid to growing your own food all year round, from crispy salads and fresh vegetables in the dead of winter to juicy melons and mouth-watering grapes in high summer. But once you’ve decided to invest in a polytunnel, there are many questions to be answered, including:
• Do you need planning permission?
• What are the different sizes and types you can buy?
• Where should you put it, and how do you put it up?
• What can you use it for, how do you look after it, and what are the likely problems?
The Polytunnel Handbook looks at all aspects of using a polytunnel, from planning your purchase to harvesting the rewards, and includes a step-by-step guide detailing how polytunnels are put up and maintained. There are chapters on developing healthy soil and preventing pests, and a jargon-free guide to the range of often mystifying accessories that many tunnel retailers offer. For the DIY enthusiast there is a full set of instructions for building a polytunnel from scratch, and the authors explain how to keep your polytunnel productive in every season.
Trade ReviewPolytunnels have a key role to play in the grow-your-own revolution, and a comprehensive guide such as this is long overdue. -- Simon McEwan, Editor * Country Smallholding magazine *
Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Planning your purchase 2. The big day 3. Self-build tunnels 4. The tunnel environment 5. Planting through the year 6. Preventing pests 7. Thinking outside the tunnel Afterword Appendix 1: Further information and suppliers Appendix 2: Further reading Appendix 3: Glossary
