The garden is a place to relax, rest among friends and family members, it is a playground for children, as well as a green space where a vegetable production and polytunnels can be associated. Growing vegetables, fruits and spices is becoming a fashionable addition to a green landscape. Inspired from the same solutions offered by magazines, a lawn next to a house appears more and more like a copied pattern. Boring, not very original and without challenges. That is why plots full of colorful salads, climbing red tomatoes, cucumbers, juicy raspberries and strawberries are a tempting option.
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Crops in the garden under cover
In addition to pursuing their passion, gardeners also benefit from it with harvested crops. Over time, as growers gain experience, new solutions are added, experimenting and diversifying the site with new plant species and varieties. Unfortunately, climatic conditions in the open and changing seasons constitute a restriction in cultivation. However, there is an option that minimizes the impact of weather on production : polytunnel , a hobby or a professional structure for under cover cultivation. Thanks to the beneficial influence of the foil, a microclimate favoring growth is created inside the greenhouse, meaning plants find better conditions for the production of green mass, flowering, fruiting, etc. at every development stage. Polytunnels protect crop against low temperatures, frost, hail and other negative weather hazards.
Reducing costs in the garden
A foil tunnel reduces the consumption of fertilizers, damage from pests, the occurrence of diseases as well as chemical intervention. Such a construction leads to less money spent. Savings can be used to improve the garden, rather than maintaining it. There are more ways to limite spending.
Preparing soil in the garden
Soil before planting, regardless of whether it is outside or under cover, should be rich in nutrients and minerals. One should also remember about the appropriate pH and soil structure. There is no point in wasting time growing vegetables, fruits or herbs on a substrate that is not compatible with their requirements. It’s much better to choose plants that grow well under the prevailing conditions , or create those needed.
Garden boxes
Replacing soil from large site can be an expensive investment, as well as a tedious task. Instead, you can use garden boxes in a polytunnel. As the name suggests, its shape resembles a crate, and a mini foil tunnel is installed as a cover. Rectangular structure, usually from fiberboards, are almost completely filled with substrate. Each plant can be grown separately under cover, rather than side by side under normal conditions.
Composter for the garden
From season to season, the land gets weaker and less fertile, as nutrients and minerals are being used by plants and washed away by water. After cultivation, as well as before it, the soil should be fed. Instead of investing in artificial compost, you can use the organic one made from domestic waste. We encourage you to read the article “How to make a composter?”
Tunnel for seedlings
Growing plants from seeds takes much longer, but provides economical crops, reducing the costs associated with the purchase of seedlings. Your own seedlings will be as durable as the ones coming from a shop. The level of difficulty depends on the type of plants. Each of them, however, will require favorable conditions for growth. It is worth preparing a mini tunnel for them, in which they will develop. In the early stages, plants are particularly susceptible to damage. However, with the best start, they will do much better in the future. A mini tunnel can be built by yourself or can be ordered in the Krostrade online store . The structure consists of a base and arches or only arches, on which the plastic cover is applied. The mini tunnel works in a similar way to a full-sized polytunnel.
Protection against birds
Although it is nice to see birds wandering in the garden, they can be a big nuisance for every gardener. Their appetite grows as the season goes, and they often damage plants. Scarecrows and sound repellents stop working after a while. To prevent birds from accessing crops, secure the cultivation site with a net or foil. There are structures available on the market for this purpose, but instead of cumulating two different items, you can choose a polytunnel that will protect plants from birds.
Organic and bio products from the garden
Healthy food has become a symbol of evolution and at the same time a bit fashionable. Therefore, prices have also gone up. A sticker, symbol or inscription on the label is enough for vegetables, fruits to be several times more expensive. It seems then that healthy eating is very expensive and that not everyone can afford it. However, in order not to spend a lot of money on eco, organic and bio food, and make sure that healthy products are on the menu, you can set up your own modern vegetable garden and run an organic production under cover.
Harvests and polytunnel
A polytunnel is a construction offering many advantages. However, one should learn as much as possible about how it performs and slightly put from traditional cultivation aside. Inside the cover, there are a lot of dynamic processes that the gardener controls. This is something completely different than running an open-field production, where plants are constantly exposed to changing weather conditions. A greenhouse optimizes growth processes, so plants have enough time to mature.