How does polytunnel help in growing plants is a very crucial question to answer. Having a polytunnel will improve your crops and offer you a one-stop “farm” where you can source out fruits and vegetables.
You can customise the way you cultivate your plants when you have the polytunnel with you. Among the advantages and benefits include providing you with a longer growing season in the UK, gardening in any weather, cultivating various plants, protection from predators, creating an ideal environment found nowhere else, protecting plants from changing weather patterns, and more.
Choosing to grow in polytunnels is also very sustainable. Going green involves being able to offer a fresher, cleaner atmosphere for your plants, making polytunnel planting a way to combat climate change and global warming.
Why Do Plants Grow Faster In A Polytunnel Than Outside?
Polytunnels are gifts for UK gardeners and farmers alike. For example, they can practice their craft right at home with the actual environment that outdoor plans can give. Plants indeed tend to grow quicker in polytunnels than outdoors. Why is that? Let’s find out.
Growing plants in the polytunnel let the gardener-farmer in the UK create the ideal ecosystem, giving the space suitable for plants that one wants to nourish in the polytunnels. Several crops can grow faster and more efficient in the polytunnel, more so if, for instance, you want to grow plants that are out of the season.
With your polytunnel, temperatures controlled and the carbon dioxide much higher than outdoors, which are essential for the growth of the plants. Moreover, these polytunnel plants also have lower exposure to outdoor pests, with the atmosphere in the polytunnel being very humid and advantageous for the growth of the plants.
Such factors work together and enable these plants to grow quicker within your polytunnels. These will be very doable since the ground rules in polytunnels are pretty easy to follow.
These factors come into play:
- Temperature for plant growth
- Consistent lighting
- Polytunnel humidity
- Control of pests
- Soil
- Cultivation approaches
How Do Polytunnels Help The Environment?
Polytunnels are sustainable for the environment. But how do they do it?
Polytunnels are energy-efficient, eco-friendly, and sustainable because primarily, they utilise a minor of electricity. A little electricity means that with a smaller carbon footprint and lower carbon dioxide, they can help plants grow without disrupting the environment. Today, in agriculture, you can witness farms that utilise equipment harmful to the planet.
Some polytunnels utilise geothermal or solar power, with no emissions associated with energy usage. These polytunnels are also bound to help the environment with the use of green materials for construction purposes. These include bamboo wood flooring, recycled resources, and those processed in manufacturing facilities.
Which Plants Grow Best In A Polytunnel?
At this point, you will know that there are plants that could grow well in polytunnels. But what are these, in particular? Some websites list down more than 40 of them, but we have selected the best ones based on how they grow in the polytunnel.
Bamboo
Believe it or not, bamboo is unique plants to have in the polytunnel. When used as decor, they can be beautiful to see in your vision. When they are in the polytunnel, it does not take time before they can begin to flourish. Plus, they are also not challenging to grow.
Ginseng
You have heard about ginseng in Asian dramas, particularly those from South Korea, but this crop may be grown in the polytunnel even if you are in the United Kingdom. Aside from their properties for healing, they are also great crops to sell from which you can earn your income, especially when offering them in the marketplace.
Microgreens
Very simple to cultivate, these microgreens are not requiring time or space when having them in the UK garden and polytunnel. They also offer a health boost that you can quickly toss around on within any meal.
Cucumbers
These cucumbers are highly beneficial for one’s health. They are high in nutrients and low in calories, making them the perfect addition to your salads for weight loss. Rich in antioxidants can also promote hydration, aid in weight loss, regulate blood sugar, and provide easy addition to any diet.
Spinach
The spinach is also another great addition to any polytunnel, whether at home or in commercial facilities. The spinach has an abundance of Vitamins A, C, and K and manganese, iron, and magnesium.
Having this leafy green in your diet will provide the best eye health, reduce the so-called oxidative stress, and regulate blood pressure, among other health advantages.
Tomatoes
Popular in ketchup, the tomato is categorised as a red berry from the plant known as Solanum Lycopersicum, thus lycopene. These species frequently found in Central America and western South America. In Spain, a festival known as the Tomatina Festival is celebrated, using several tomatoes in the festivities.
Swiss Chard
The Swiss chard leaves are characterised by their tenderness and possess a taste similar to spinach and beets. Some individuals may find their flavour a little bitter, but they are very healthy. If you want to get a taste of what’s sweet in the Swiss chard, you may want to take a look at its stems.
How Often Do You Need To Water Plants In A Polytunnel?
The importance of watering plants is just as critical as a step in having your devices repaired. Without properly watering these crops, they won’t grow at their peaks. In the polytunnel, the watering methods may be different.
Note that they depend on the type of plant. For instance, cacti in the polytunnel one may need only to water once they are dried thoroughly. With orchids and herbs, you may need to water them for a few days within the week. As a general rule, avoid watering your plants until the first couple of inches of the soil are dry.
How Do You Take Care Of Polytunnel Plants?
The plants in the polytunnels will grow under ideal outdoor conditions and perhaps may even be better, but it is the responsibility of the farmer to have them grown and taken care of in the right way.
To maintain the best care with these polytunnel plants, ensure that you utilise sterile and high-quality soil that may drain well in the polytunnel. Take note that you might need to avoid those that hold too much water, causing the plant’s roots to suffocate, affecting the production.
For more information about polytunnels, hacks, and guidelines, keep reading the blog and visit the shop to get started.