[Green fingers]

Is 720micron grade polythene good enough quality for a tunnel in a very exposed area

[inishindie]

Hi

Is it 720 gauge (180 micron) you were looking at? That's the thickness used on Commercial polytunnels so it will help to keep the tunnel from flying off into the horizon. There are other factors to take into consideration though besids the plastic. When the wind blows, it is a good idea to seal the tunnel by closing all of the doors and air vent so it doesn't get the pressure building up inside.

The door frames/doors need to be strong. For very exposed sites it is recommended the addition of base rails (this helps achieve a tight cover), crop bars and storm stay braces. I've seen top quality garden centre tunnels get crushed in strong winds so some form or wind breaks would be a good idea too, maybe netting for a start, then hedging, but this only gives limited protection as the wind can whistle over most things.

Sometimes if the wind is too strong an the plastic rips the best thing to do is to run around with a sharp knife and cut the plastic off to save the frames from collapsing under the pressure....It's pretty exciting stuff having a polytunnel......

Got a picture of the site ?

Cheers

Ian