Your Polytunnel is a time machine!

Hotter summers.  Colder winters. It’s hard to know what to expect as our climate continually changes.  But with a First Tunnels Polytunnel, you can make the growing season last right through the year…..come rain or shine, heat wave or big freeze! And by creating your own micro climate, you can even grow crops “out of season”, or fruits and vegetables not usually found on these shores.

Who are we…….Well, we’re the first name on your list when it comes to dealing with people who really understand Polytunnels – inside out!

Home is a tiny Lancashire village of Barrowford where we have assembled a close-knit team of skilled professionals who take an enormous pride in the quality and versatility of our products.  But we’re enthusiast too, and by regularly using our own products. we’ve made lots of improvements and innovations. We even have our own allotment for some serious hands on growing.

Perfect form and flavour

As for our happy customers……some of the names may surprise you.  As well as amateur gardeners and commercial growers, we also supply major government organisations, HM Prisons, NHS Trusts, Schools and ” Celebs” like Alan Titchmarsh, Bob Flowerdew and River Cottage chef Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall. We also work closely with with the leading experts in Polytunnel Gardening…Mark Gatter, Andy McKee and Paul Peacock. ….check out our website for Growing Guides, Facebook Page and Twitter.

Quality……Ask any First Tunnels customers and they’ll tell you how hard we work to deliver a top quality product…But now its official.

We are delighted to announce that  – along with only 1% of UK companies – we’ve achieved all the requirements of ISO9001 and have now been awarded this internally recognised accreditation…giving you the added reassurance of buying from a company that meets the world’s most recognised exacting quality standards.

Construction helpline 7 days a week

All the expert help you need……We’re proud to introduce the First Tunnels construction Team.  Ten dedicated Polytunnel construction experts who have been there and built that.  With over 100 years of experience between them, they have a wealth of Polytunnel knowledge and are more than happy to share tips and advice with any of our customers.

We don’t just keep this expertise to ourselves…we have a team of construction wizards available – at the end of the phone – to talk you through anything you’re not 100% sure about even at weekends..

Online…..Although we’ve produced a brochure to give you a handy guide to the full First Tunnels range, you can also view the entire collection – order online – at www.FirstTunnels.co.uk. It’s a great site to visit to pick up hints and tips, to get some great advice from to Polytunnel writers, and to check out all our latest special offers.

www.Polytunnels.co.uk ….This site offers FREE access to a wealth of Polytunnel construction knowledge.  There are downloadable guides to every Polytunnel we produce.  And for those who prefer to see how things work first hand we have a huge online video library too.

Extend the season in a Polytunnel

Having a First Tunnels Polytunnel brings a new dimension to your gardening. For a relatively modest cost, you can transform the climate of a sizable chunk of land and effectively shift your garden south several hundred miles.  Suddenly winters are shorter and milder and summers are long enough to grow all those flowers and crops that eluded you for so long. Tomatoes ripen earlier, in time for summer salads, you will get a decent crop of peppers and aubergines and you can have a year-round supply of salads.

Imagine digging new potatoes in June, when they are their most expensive, picking salad leaves in March and sun-ripened tomatoes in October! All this and more, is possible in your Polytunnel.

Garden in a Polytunnel all year round

If you’re only used to the timescale of summer fruit and veg that has been grown outside, a First Tunnels Polytunnel will change your growing. Conventional wisdom goes out of the window as broad beans sown in Autumn can be ready in early May, tomatoes are tucked into in July, soft sweet strawberries can be gorged on from May to October and salad is to hand whatever month is it! And you can race your allotment neighbours to the first  new potatoes of the year. Dig over a patch of Polytunnel soil in winter and manure it well and try planting your first early potatoes at the end of February. Stick a fork into the soil and have an experiment look beneath the surface in late May. You may well unearth treasure! Sow your main batch of peas and beans in January, harvest your first courgettes in June and your carrots soon after!

Fig Tree growing inside a Polytunnel

Remember that your Polytunnel will create a unique micro climate around it. On it’s North side it will create a small amount of shade, while to the South it will reflect light. Perhaps use this as an opportunity to create a bed for sun-loving plants? Fruit such as peaches, figs, apricots, melons and citrus fruits are all successful grown inside a Polytunnel. Grown under polythene, they are protected from disease and damaging frost but you may need to give the bees a helping hand by pollinating blossoms with a brush.

 SUMMER  In the polytunnel, summer really starts in late May with warm soil and windfree days and no chance of frost.

Melon growing inside a Polytunnel

It’s the time of plenty and a chance to get crops to last until winter. Tomatoes grown in a Polytunnel will ripen at Mediterranean speed and salad and herbs such as basil are ready for picking to accompany them.  You can be eating your home grown new potatoes and ripe and early strawberries at a time when all these crops are premium priced in shops.  If there is room, try growing some exotic fruit under cover.

SOW Sweetcorn for an early crop, also peas, beans, chard, cabbage and potatoes.

HARVEST Garlic, tomatoes and courgettes to bring a fresh taste of summer to the kitchen.

For more monthly growing tips and advice please visit First Tunnels Growing Guides

If you’ve been hit by the hosepipe ban, don’t worry – there are always ways to make things a little bit easier on your garden – and you!

All is not lost, there are exemptions in place, one of which is drip irrigation systems. Drip irrigation, soaker hose/ leaky pipe and Big Drippa’s are far more efficient than using a hosepipe because water is released sparingly from a reservoir bag or water butt and dripped precisely where it is required and can also be used with an automatic timer.

1. Use a water butt (or more than one) to collect both rain water and recycled household water.

Polytunnel Rainwater Collection

2. Water in the evenings or in the early morning.

3. Group together plants with similar water requirements.

4. Add organic matter to soil because improving the soil’s structure helps to retain moisture.

5. Move container plants in the shade.

6. Water plants at the base – a lot of water is wasted when poured over the top of a plant.

7. Reduce soil cultivation – it lets stored moisture to escape.

8. Grow plants that need less water! Succulents and plants with silver leaves are normally drought tolerant.

Soaker hose, Leaky Pipe, Drip Irrigation

9. Mulch your soil and get rid of any weeds to improve water retention.

10. Cut your lawn less frequently and raise the height of the blades when you do cut. If it goes brown, don’t worry, it’ll soon grow back.

For up to date information and accurate details agreed by each of the water companies involved go to  www.hosepipeban.org.uk

For the finest FREE Polytunnel gardening advice on the Internet, check out First Tunnels website.

First Tunnels Growing Experts Mark Gatter & Andy McKee

The best laid plans can go astray and gardening is no exception. So wouldn’t it be nice if you could phone Alan Titchmarsh for help when flowers on your tomato plant struggle to set, or email Bob Flowerdew suggestion of vegetable crops to sow now?  But lets be serious. We can’t just phone-up celebrity gardeners, so where can Polytunnel growers get hold of the finest advice..

First Tunnels has assembled a team of experts to lead the Polytunnel gardening to crop success.. The team has a lifetime’s experience under their belts – and these Growing guides are available to download from the web for FREE!

Growing Guide - This comprehensive guide to what to do in your Polytunnel over 12 months has been crafted by Mark Gatter author of “The Polytunnel Handbook & How to Grow Food in Your Polytunnel all Year Round”.  Mark grows organically at his home in Wales. A click on his Growing Guide will reveal what you should be doing in your Polytunnel, what to look out for, a guide to maintenance and tips to maximise crop yields.  Plus,what to plant, pick and enjoy! Twelve guides are available, one for each month.

Top Of The Crops - Is a definitive guide to crop success in a Polytunnel. It has been compiled by Andy McKee, co author of “The Polytunnel Handbook & How to Grow Food in Your Polytunnel all Year Round“. Andy began gardening aged just five and now lives with his wife and family in rural Dorset where they are entirely self-sufficient in organic veg using their Polytunnel and a modest outdoor crop. Using Top of The Crops is easy. Simply choose from 12 popular Polytunnel crops: tomatoes, lettuce, onions, carrots, peppers, peas, cucumber, potatoes, broad beans, sweetcorn, beetroot and strawberries. You’ll find tips on everything from sowing to growing and harvesting.