I live on the northwest coast of America. We have similar growing conditions. I have tried many methods of growing vegetables and berries. The weather here during the main growing season can make and break and everything in between all in 5 minutes. I enjoy the different challenges each face. Taking every meal out to the greenhouse and eating breakfasts from the garden makes me happy. I thoroughly enjoy watching your videos and am very happy to see others refine this craft and experiment to find new and productive ways of growing. I'm hoping to build another bigger greenhouse next year and to incorporate the double dig. I have never tried it before and after watching your videos it definitely makes sense. After all the extra effort always shows. Thank you very much for your effort and I wish you the best.
Last point was very good. it is about enjoying being in the garden and with a controlled climate you are a big step closer. Thank you for the nice and clear videos.
It really is a big factor. I am planning a big windbreak to shelter the outside gardens a bit more, and hopefully I will enjoy being in them more as well!
You have a lovely tunnel 😊 I only have a small greenhouse and just bought a cheapish plastic greenhouse which is bigger ..l finally have a place to sit down out of bad weather ... I love it 😃. Still digging the beds inside it and sieving the soil as had a lot of ground elder come through. My first year doing veg. I turned a 60ft x 6ft unused alleyway into my first patch. Doing intensive companion planting. It’s my little garden of Eden. I’m still so excited to check on it and the delight of eating fruit and veg straight from the plant. I know this was 3 or so years ago but hope all is going well 😊 with our weird weather I think they’re definitely a plus.
I heard it takes 4 acres of biomass to adequately produce enough compost for 1 acre of annual crops. Add to that the need for animal manure and I can see why it is difficult to keep plants well fed in a ‘family-sized’ garden. Great project, keep up the good work. Thank you.
You raise a very important and interesting point. I have been working on a video about some of that, which I hope to make later in the month. It does take a lot of fertility and organic matter, but there is also a lot of it out there that is currently being unused.
We're looking to install a Polycrub (super tough to withstand 100mph+ winds) this year. Your videos are a great inspirational source, thank you. Can't wait! 👍
I absolutely love your project! I whole heartedly support this, keep it up! This was the first year I've used a tunnel, a mini tunnel albeit (10x10x20ft). My strategy to keep the ground moist was to use mulch. I experimented with ground fabrics, but a thick 6 inch layer of good old fashioned wood chips worked the best. Cheers.
Thanks for your message and support. Sounds like you have found a good solution - wood chip mulch that deep would definitely work, especially for larger plants. Have you tried growing smaller and more closely spaced plants? I'm curious how small transplants would handle that depth of wood chip.
man you're great.. the simplest statistic you're recording will make a great improvement. just keep on doing what you are doing. for the ardent gardeners like me..
You have to be careful, I put up a tunnel 10 years ago, now I have 3, about 4,000 square feet in total. Here in western Oregon our winters are similar to yours and I can grow a good garden all winter between the tunnels and row cover.
Bruce, the difference in productivity is amazing. I wonder how much of an effect polytunnel gardening would have here in the US mid-Atlantic region. It would certainly extend the growing season by several months, and if the ends were capped off, even through most of the winter for cold-hardy greens and such. I've used simple coldframes in the past, but it might be worth taking a bigger leap.
I suspect that Ireland may be the ideal place for using polytunnels, if I can prevent them from blowing down. It rarely gets too hot in the summer, if I keep it ventilated, and the increase in warmth in the shoulder seasons really speeds up growth. I can even get growth over the winter, though it is quite reduced due to the lack of sunlight. And keeping the wind out is a huge benefit. If you have had benefit from cold frames, then a polytunnel could well be worth it.
a poly tunnel seems to be the way forward . and its not only you who seem to say this but some semi- profesional growers i know also , who mainly do flowers .
here in australia we use spinosad based spray for caterpillars and pear slugs, which have repeated full cycles in our climate, fully defoliating trees if not sprayed. also been using a "plant health" foliar spray that is used by agriculturists. it's all good stuff and a bit of oil also, smothering some insect pests. i love my dramm watering wand, with a 500 hole breaker. nice soft flow whilst quickly saturating. about to re--arrange raised beds and thinking of a polytunnel to keep birds and our cat out. wonder if there's good fully opaque white plastic that spreads light but reduces sun scald in summer.
It is interesting how different issues come up with different climates. Different pests are one thing, but he idea of sun scald here in Ireland is quite funny!
RED Gardens : i'm trying to size up polytunnel suitability before i spend the money and effort. wouldnt want to build it and find it performs poorly in dry heat. this summer just past we had three heatwaves of 40+ degrees, which seriously affects crops.
@@Chris-op7yt Yeah, a polytunnel in those kinds of heatwaves could be impossible to grow in I think. You could look into the possibility of covering the plastic with shade cloth during the summer.
I'd love to see a journal of your introspection and results over time. Have you considered a blog or better yet something like a forum that you fill out yourself?
Bruce, yet another great vid. I use poly tunnels to but on a smaller scale in Canada. Yield are increas but I find I need to polinat by hand as I have few sects, bees in particular having access. So I find I have to use a small paint bust to pollinate by hand. Are you doing this or are bees plentiful in Ireland to pollinate for you? Keep up the great vids. They are highly informative.
Yeah, pollination can be difficult, and I have 5 hives of honey bees right beside the tunnel! I have found that the native bumble bees are much more effective in the polytunnel, and in the gardens in general. It is great to have such a healthy population developing around the gardens. I have pollinated by hand in the past, especially early in the spring and later in the autumn, but in the summer when the doors are usually open, I don't have to worry about it.
Hi Bruce, another fantastic video. I shall definitely consider becoming a patreon. I think you may have answered the question of the best gardening system in Ireland. How much area does your polytunnel cover and how many hours on average would you spend in the polytunnel working? Thanks, Ciara
Thanks for the comments, Ciara, and for considering becoming a patreon. Even a little bit helps! In answer to your questions: The Polytunnel covers 100m2 (1000sqf) - 5m x 20m I'd say that this year I will end up spending almost 200 hours on this garden - productive work at least, including managing the compost, harvesting, etc. It has been about 175 hours to date. During the busy part of the season, April to August, I worked an average of 8 hours each week.
That would be excellent :-D I was also curious about your yield videos, you say "per season" and I'm wondering if that's a literal season, or a "growing season" of half a year-ish?
“Per season” is the calendar year (usually) from January to December, even though some crops last through the winter, which makes things a bit confusing at times.
Sorry for the silence for the past 6 months. I hope to keep uploading much more regularly from now on. Financial contributions will definitely help me to keep going ;-) But either way, thanks for watching and for your comments. It is really cool to know that there are people like you out there looking forward to more videos!
very interesting, but I am wondering about it's possibility in the extreme environment where I live, outside of Ottawa, Canada. Yes, we get more sun than Ireland, but we have a very extreme continental climate.
Colin Kerr I know the climate there quite well - had family in the area. I think they are quite common in continental climates, though perhaps more useful for the spring and autumn production.
So many great connections between Ireland and Canada! I hope to visit there some day! Anyway, great video - this one and many of your other ones. I'm a learner and really appreciate what you do.
I tried biochar a while ago in an old garden, but haven't gotten back into exploring the possibilities within the RED gardens. Beyond being another thing to keep track of, I wanted to get a sense of the gardens without that kind of amendment first. But I am planning to start using it next season.
I open the doors at both ends. It helps that there is often a wind in this area. And the polytunnel is on a slight slope so the hot air tends to rise and vent naturally.
4 года назад
With a polytunnel, how do you deal with the pollinators... the bees, the butterflies and others?
Most of the crops I grow don’t need pollination. I do get a fair amount of bumble bees in the polytunnel and they help with the ones that do need pollination.
I don't think it would in this context, though only have limited experience with the method. Also, I don't live in an area that has an abundance of wood.
Thanks, but this may not be applicable in our part of India. On the contrary I think I will need to put a green net cover to keep the bright sunlight limited to 50%.
![[DRAGON BALL LEGENDS REVEALS ＆ STUFF] LEGENDS FESTIVAL 2024 Special Edition Part 2](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/af0phKxitX8/mqdefault.jpg)
I love videos like this, concise and packed with information. Thank you for sharing your hard-earned experience!
:)
i love your way of talking and informing! thanks so much for your project!
Hey, thanks for the lovely comment!
I live on the northwest coast of America. We have similar growing conditions. I have tried many methods of growing vegetables and berries. The weather here during the main growing season can make and break and everything in between all in 5 minutes. I enjoy the different challenges each face. Taking every meal out to the greenhouse and eating breakfasts from the garden makes me happy. I thoroughly enjoy watching your videos and am very happy to see others refine this craft and experiment to find new and productive ways of growing. I'm hoping to build another bigger greenhouse next year and to incorporate the double dig. I have never tried it before and after watching your videos it definitely makes sense. After all the extra effort always shows. Thank you very much for your effort and I wish you the best.
Thanks for the comment, and glad you like my videos. It is great to hear so many people around the world on similar journeys.
An outstanding informative video. We all can learn from it .Thanks for sharing .Cheers Patrick
Thanks Patrick!
Thank you for the great videos and for sharing your experience with others!
Last point was very good. it is about enjoying being in the garden and with a controlled climate you are a big step closer. Thank you for the nice and clear videos.
It really is a big factor. I am planning a big windbreak to shelter the outside gardens a bit more, and hopefully I will enjoy being in them more as well!
Thanks for sharing Bruce. I really enjoy seeing how others in cooler climates grow.
Cheers mate.
Glad to be able to contribute to the broader exploration out there!
Brilliant! I love my home constructed amateur polytunnel..still not making the most of it from Dec to Feb but still learning
Excellent! Winter can be a great season in the tunnel!
You have a lovely tunnel 😊 I only have a small greenhouse and just bought a cheapish plastic greenhouse which is bigger ..l finally have a place to sit down out of bad weather ... I love it 😃. Still digging the beds inside it and sieving the soil as had a lot of ground elder come through.
My first year doing veg. I turned a 60ft x 6ft unused alleyway into my first patch. Doing intensive companion planting. It’s my little garden of Eden. I’m still so excited to check on it and the delight of eating fruit and veg straight from the plant.
I know this was 3 or so years ago but hope all is going well 😊 with our weird weather I think they’re definitely a plus.
Just purchased my first ever polytunnel, can’t wait to grow some fruit!!!!
Have fun!
I heard it takes 4 acres of biomass to adequately produce enough compost for 1 acre of annual crops. Add to that the need for animal manure and I can see why it is difficult to keep plants well fed in a ‘family-sized’ garden. Great project, keep up the good work. Thank you.
You raise a very important and interesting point. I have been working on a video about some of that, which I hope to make later in the month. It does take a lot of fertility and organic matter, but there is also a lot of it out there that is currently being unused.
We're looking to install a Polycrub (super tough to withstand 100mph+ winds) this year. Your videos are a great inspirational source, thank you. Can't wait! 👍
I agree , I
knew test working polytunnel my garden!!
Joy & fulfilment.
Great content, straight to the point! Thank you
I love spend time in the polytunnel too.
A great place to be - in the spring at least!
I absolutely love your project! I whole heartedly support this, keep it up!
This was the first year I've used a tunnel, a mini tunnel albeit (10x10x20ft). My strategy to keep the ground moist was to use mulch. I experimented with ground fabrics, but a thick 6 inch layer of good old fashioned wood chips worked the best. Cheers.
Thanks for your message and support.
Sounds like you have found a good solution - wood chip mulch that deep would definitely work, especially for larger plants. Have you tried growing smaller and more closely spaced plants? I'm curious how small transplants would handle that depth of wood chip.
I will try that next spring, and I'll be sure to get back to you!
Really informative and very well presented.
The video mentioned Ireland a few time, he doesn't talk like Irish at all.
man you're great.. the simplest statistic you're recording will make a great improvement. just keep on doing what you are doing. for the ardent gardeners like me..
Thanks. Glad you appreciate the details!
That's amazing, thanks for sharing.
Thanks.
You have to be careful, I put up a tunnel 10 years ago, now I have 3, about 4,000 square feet in total. Here in western Oregon our winters are similar to yours and I can grow a good garden all winter between the tunnels and row cover.
Yeah, I know! I just put up my third tunnel!
A great introduction. I love my polytunnel the rest of my plot gets neglected as I’m in the tunnel
i have the same problem!
inspiring work and research. thanks for the info.
Glad you appreciate my work.
Bruce, the difference in productivity is amazing. I wonder how much of an effect polytunnel gardening would have here in the US mid-Atlantic region. It would certainly extend the growing season by several months, and if the ends were capped off, even through most of the winter for cold-hardy greens and such. I've used simple coldframes in the past, but it might be worth taking a bigger leap.
I suspect that Ireland may be the ideal place for using polytunnels, if I can prevent them from blowing down. It rarely gets too hot in the summer, if I keep it ventilated, and the increase in warmth in the shoulder seasons really speeds up growth. I can even get growth over the winter, though it is quite reduced due to the lack of sunlight. And keeping the wind out is a huge benefit.
If you have had benefit from cold frames, then a polytunnel could well be worth it.
very niece 👍️garden
a poly tunnel seems to be the way forward .
and its not only you who seem to say this but some semi- profesional growers i know also , who mainly do flowers .
here in australia we use spinosad based spray for caterpillars and pear slugs, which have repeated full cycles in our climate, fully defoliating trees if not sprayed.
also been using a "plant health" foliar spray that is used by agriculturists. it's all good stuff and a bit of oil also, smothering some insect pests.
i love my dramm watering wand, with a 500 hole breaker. nice soft flow whilst quickly saturating.
about to re--arrange raised beds and thinking of a polytunnel to keep birds and our cat out. wonder if there's good fully opaque white plastic that spreads light but reduces sun scald in summer.
It is interesting how different issues come up with different climates. Different pests are one thing, but he idea of sun scald here in Ireland is quite funny!
RED Gardens : i'm trying to size up polytunnel suitability before i spend the money and effort. wouldnt want to build it and find it performs poorly in dry heat. this summer just past we had three heatwaves of 40+ degrees, which seriously affects crops.
@@Chris-op7yt Yeah, a polytunnel in those kinds of heatwaves could be impossible to grow in I think. You could look into the possibility of covering the plastic with shade cloth during the summer.
I'd love to see a journal of your introspection and results over time. Have you considered a blog or better yet something like a forum that you fill out yourself?
I had considered a blog, and thought Id write a book, but I think these videos are better fit for me.
Bruce, yet another great vid. I use poly tunnels to but on a smaller scale in Canada. Yield are increas but I find I need to polinat by hand as I have few sects, bees in particular having access. So I find I have to use a small paint bust to pollinate by hand. Are you doing this or are bees plentiful in Ireland to pollinate for you? Keep up the great vids. They are highly informative.
Yeah, pollination can be difficult, and I have 5 hives of honey bees right beside the tunnel! I have found that the native bumble bees are much more effective in the polytunnel, and in the gardens in general. It is great to have such a healthy population developing around the gardens. I have pollinated by hand in the past, especially early in the spring and later in the autumn, but in the summer when the doors are usually open, I don't have to worry about it.
Awesome info. thank you
:-)
Hi Bruce, another fantastic video. I shall definitely consider becoming a patreon. I think you may have answered the question of the best gardening system in Ireland. How much area does your polytunnel cover and how many hours on average would you spend in the polytunnel working? Thanks, Ciara
Thanks for the comments, Ciara, and for considering becoming a patreon. Even a little bit helps!
In answer to your questions:
The Polytunnel covers 100m2 (1000sqf) - 5m x 20m
I'd say that this year I will end up spending almost 200 hours on this garden - productive work at least, including managing the compost, harvesting, etc. It has been about 175 hours to date.
During the busy part of the season, April to August, I worked an average of 8 hours each week.
Could you tell us more about the tunnel itself, the construction and maintenance?
I was thinking a video about that would be good, I might get that done in the near future.
That would be excellent :-D
I was also curious about your yield videos, you say "per season" and I'm wondering if that's a literal season, or a "growing season" of half a year-ish?
“Per season” is the calendar year (usually) from January to December, even though some crops last through the winter, which makes things a bit confusing at times.
I am stoked you have started making these videos again but feeling a little guilty as I am yet to contribute financially.
Sorry for the silence for the past 6 months. I hope to keep uploading much more regularly from now on. Financial contributions will definitely help me to keep going ;-) But either way, thanks for watching and for your comments. It is really cool to know that there are people like you out there looking forward to more videos!
Hi
Thanks for vid very informative 👍🏻
What would you recommend to grow in Ireland, veg or plants that would generate money?
Thanks for this video! Can you direct to type of poly tunnel you use,please? TY
One that I bought a few years ago came from here polydome.ie/categories.php?maincatid=1
very interesting, but I am wondering about it's possibility in the extreme environment where I live, outside of Ottawa, Canada. Yes, we get more sun than Ireland, but we have a very extreme continental climate.
Colin Kerr I know the climate there quite well - had family in the area. I think they are quite common in continental climates, though perhaps more useful for the spring and autumn production.
So many great connections between Ireland and Canada! I hope to visit there some day! Anyway, great video - this one and many of your other ones. I'm a learner and really appreciate what you do.
Yeah, there are a lot of connections between these two countries, glad you appreciate my videos and my project. Good luck with your garden!
Dam how many degrees do you have ...
One ... in Architecture ....
Thank you for the great videos. What brand are the green watering cans that you use? They look awesome lol
Thanks. Don't know what brand they are, just picked them up at my local hardware store.
Love your videos. If you haven't already have you thought about amending your soil with inoculated biochar?
I tried biochar a while ago in an old garden, but haven't gotten back into exploring the possibilities within the RED gardens. Beyond being another thing to keep track of, I wanted to get a sense of the gardens without that kind of amendment first. But I am planning to start using it next season.
hi, how do you do ventilation do you use fans or just open the door.
I open the doors at both ends. It helps that there is often a wind in this area. And the polytunnel is on a slight slope so the hot air tends to rise and vent naturally.
With a polytunnel, how do you deal with the pollinators... the bees, the butterflies and others?
Most of the crops I grow don’t need pollination. I do get a fair amount of bumble bees in the polytunnel and they help with the ones that do need pollination.
What can you use in an area with frosts in winter and 45 deg occasionally
I don't know. I have never grown in those conditions.
would hugelkulture help with these issues?
I don't think it would in this context, though only have limited experience with the method. Also, I don't live in an area that has an abundance of wood.
Where is your hay?
Thanks, but this may not be applicable in our part of India. On the contrary I think I will need to put a green net cover to keep the bright sunlight limited to 50%.
Definitely different context!
Hi ...
can you grow fruit tree in Poly tunnel .....advice please , thank you
I don't have any experience, but I believe it is possible. I hope to try a few trees in a polytunnel, once I get another one!
thank you
This is a question I wanted to ask as well. My choice would be figs.
🙂