If you are new to polytunnel gardening and are considering buying a polytunnel, you may also be wondering what else you will need to acquire in order to successfully garden in a polytunnel. The truth of the matter is that you will require far fewer tools and less equipment to grow your own than you might imagine. Here is a brief guide to the basic tools and equipment required to garden in a polytunnel:
A garden fork is a key tool for turning compost, loosening ground and adding mulches in your polytunnel. With a long handle and sharp prongs, a garden fork will be used often throughout the polytunnel growing year.
While some may advocate the use of a full-sized spade, a hand trowel, in addition to the garden fork, is all that you will require in a 'no dig' garden. A trowel will allow you to distribute mulches around plants, and to dig holes for planting out. The edge of a trowel can also be used to make furrows for seed planting.
A small hoe is the number one tool for getting rid of weeds in your polytunnel. A hoe can uproot weeds between rows of plants and can also help to level ground and prepare the planting surface ready for transplants or seeds.
Trimming, pruning and cutting back in a polytunnel can usually be accomplished with a small pair of secateurs. You will not usually require larger shears, at least not during the first few years with a polytunnel. Secateurs will also come in handy at harvest time, allowing you to cut courgettes, cucumbers and other fruits off their plants.
While not strictly absolutely essential in a small polytunnel, a wheelbarrow will really come in handy when moving composts and mulches or moving plants in and out of the polytunnel. It would be a good idea to have one on hand when you start using your polytunnel properly. When determining your polytunnel's layout, remember to think about making it possible to wheel a wheelbarrow in and out of the space.
While there are other tools that may come in handy, the above is enough to allow you to get started on your grow your own journey in your polytunnel. Fortunately, you can get these items very cheaply and sometimes even for free if you look online or ask around friends and family for unwanted items.
