Budget Polytunnel Review: 3 Years Later.. Has The BIRCHTREE Polytunnel Held Up?
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- Опубліковано 3 сер 2024
- In May 2020, at the allotment vegetable garden, we build this budget 6 × 3 metre polytunnel by Birchtree. That was a little over 3 years ago.. so how has it held up since then and how has it performed?
In this video I go over pretty much all the good and the bad and what you can expect from a budget polytunnel like this 3 years later! I must say, some of it has surprised me!
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#polytunnel #gardening #allotment
This is a very useful review. I use foam pipe insulation tubes to protect the cover from the frame. I hoover up any discarded polytunnels locally if I hear of one being dumped because quite often I can repurpose it, especially if reinforced with timber, to hold netting over brassicas. I use timber on these polytunnels to create a conventional door because those zipped affairs drive me mad. It is very easy so, yes, I'd advise doing that when you change the cover. It makes life much easier!
Glad you found it useful! I'm also thinking something similar once the cover has degraded fully. I'll be replacing with a new cover possibly the clear stuff. Then I may make a wooden door. It's just getting the right measurements and figuring out a way of cutting it to size and attaching it to the frame. A future video potentially there
@@downtoearthwithjim I used a metal strip which has holes studded along it and cut it to size so I can attach the wood to the frame along the base and across the front and back, and added wooden battens along the sides where the hoop starts and about halfway between there and the middle of the hoop which allows you to screw battens on from the outside that hold the plastic or netting very tight.. The wood at the front base and top allows you to fix the doorframe quite well. If you want to make it really strong you can add uprights between the base and the battens halfway up too. I use the slightly knackered ones that are being thrown away to make hoops for netting. I live in Caithness right at the edge of the sea cliffs and so far haven't lost one!
@@downtoearthwithjim I found out that the metal strip is known as builders band - places like screwfix have it though I picked up a heavier duty version in a local builders yard.
Thanks for posting this vid , very informative . I was looking for info on poly tunnel and you seem to have covered the questions I would ask thanks again, happy growing 2024
You're welcome, I'm glad you found it useful! All the best and good luck with whatever poly you decide to go with 😊
Cheers, exactly all the things I want to know
Glad you found it useful 😊
Great work fella
Cheers! It's held up okay so far. Update video of 1 year later to come soon
Great videos!
Thanks for watching! ☺️🧑🌾
I have a budget large greenhouse. To make the roof stronger I tied the rigid green plastic fencing that you used to get from Wilko. It stops the sagging between the roof bars. Also when the birds land it stop them going through. I put mine up in 2020 and it has survived every storm that has hit south Devon without any damage. I also put the bottom of the covers under the frame so that it gave it more weight. Not outside as they stated in the instructions.
That's a really good idea to make it stronger. I have an issue with water pooling on the top of the cover. I may have to do something similar to stop this from happening
I’ve been contemplating getting a poly tunnel. I think the fact that the plastic doesn’t weather very well has put me off for now at least. So I’m glad that you have done this review. I’m only just getting started with growing and have a greenhouse and shed which I will maximise the use of better before investing in one of these.
Thanks for a great review.
Yes the cheap ones do start to degrade after a couple of seasons. There again I'd say it's definitely worth getting one at some point, I don't regret getting mine 😊 I've gotten a good amount of use out of it. Thanks for watching!
Thankyou for the review. I'm evidently a bit ignorant, and thought Outsunny was the only budget polytunnel out there!
I think I'll buy a Birchtree polytunnel next Spring, and turn my Outsunny polytunnel into a brassica cage, with debris netting on it.
I'd say the Birchtree one is definitely of better quality! I think there's quite a few out there all of varying quality - some good and some bad. Thanks for watching, I'm glad you found this video useful ☺️
How has your Outsunny one held up?
ive put my name down for a plot, try and get back where my granddad had his for a very long time. he passed and my dad gave it up not long after so im hoping id get back in that allotment as it only few 100 meters from my house. not had a allotment plot now easy over a decade but spoken to the lady who runs the plots and she also grows and sells cacti so we soon found common ground and she remembers my granddad so fingers crossed she can work wonders as i told her i got bad health she said not an issue and closer to my home the better. i plan doing a lot more under cover but leaving certain areas for root crops few others so that means the plot be much more easy to work and keep on top off. she said it shame she not got one at the min as she love to give me one but im now on the list so just have to wait. got lots plans as ive ran out space at home so need more room and that allotment its very nice and great soil so really want to get back there and very easy as store my shed full tools at home and take up what i need as its so close. looking at polytunnels, its tempting to go that way, but something a little smaller greenhouses are not a lot more esp those what use clear plastic than glass they still use metal frame and i feel it be far better for me as im more wanting get it set up and that that be that for a long time, should out last my health and more options under cover for plants i want to grow and can easy be raised to a good height . as i want a lot more under cover i feel its best to go more solid structures as its a nice allotment very well kept. my granddad had one plot up from the entrance, he had gooseberry's and all sorts in rows at front middle was roots and back plot was peas and other crops what do not like to much sun as railway bridge cast a tad bit shade he kept it very smart and the amount food he bought home we never use it all so he pretty good at what he did and now i fancy the challenge it may also help me out health wise get more healthy. go lot plans and thing about it for a while now it just a wait now and see what i get offered
Good luck! It'll be worth the wait!
@@downtoearthwithjim thank you, sure will be worth the wait and a lot work but as long stay on strong meds i can still do a bit more and i get healthy as doctor said building more muscle around my spine will help reduce pain so getting an plot so close has more than just fresh home grown food hopefully i can improve my health over time. my garden yesterday in greenhouse i had to move around my plants so i could actually get at the ones in the back so a lot moving them around, sure aching today , spent 5 hour plus outside till nearly half 9, more work than i expected but at least now i can get to all them and less chance blight and managed to but manual handle on 2nd roof window so now can be propped open so air flow so much better now and all the plants more space out , a lot messing but managed to get them in a sort of organized way, now i can at least get to all them but sure aching today
I have a similar tunnel, not exactly that shape, good strong frame, but I find they are just not tall enough for tomatoes and cucumbers to grow to their full potential, I wish it was like 2 ft taller!!
Yes I do agree! Some people raise them slightly, but then you need to consider how much overlapping cover you'll be left with. I take the tops of my tomatoes off once they have 5 trusses, and that's usually when they reach the height of the poly anyway. But yes, extra height is always going to be a bonus! Thanks for watching 😊
@@downtoearthwithjim Cheers Jim, keep up the good videos 👍
what is the name of the tape you used over the metal pipe to keep the plastic from touching the metal ?
Anti hotspot tape. Can be found on Amazon and eBay
Have you had problems with water pooling on top from heavy rains? Have you done anything to modify it for heavy winds?
Yes actually now you mention it!
On both the Outsunny one and the birchtree polytunnels just in one area. Not mentioned in the video, but I think that's more of a case of me not properly tightening the cover around the frame so it is too slack, thus allowing water to pool occasionally. Or over time the cover has become loose around the frame.
A quick push from inside with the hand is all that is needed to let it run off. Not a huge issue as the cover is pretty strong and holds some weight
@@downtoearthwithjim Thank you for clarifying. What's your average rainfall? I'd heard about pooling water collapsing a greenhouse in a review. I live in rainy Oregon, but we don't normally get torrential rainfall here. I'm just trying to figure out whether I need to take further precautions as mine is being set up. I loved your video. It's the best I've seen!
@@lindyswanson1 not sure on averages but we do get a lot of rain at times here in the UK. Dry spells and very wet spells, no in-between 😂 thanks for watching I hope I helped in some way 😀
Do you have a video of when you got this?
Sadly not. I purchased this polytunnel 2 years before I even started making UA-cam videos. Just a few pictures unfortunately. I did a build and review video of the outsunny polytunnel though! ua-cam.com/video/5fAoxQhdymE/v-deo.htmlsi=lmJMp9zh4A8SehEr
Ill buy one. Its £174 only. Thanks.
Is that for one of the smaller ones?