Why don’t we see more poly houses used here for fruit and veg growing?

[AzaleaPigeon]

I’ll apologise in advance for any ignorance on this, but I just washed some British blackberries and strawberries and it got me thinking. I grew up in a different country, in a farming area. I knew of several farmers who grew vegetables out of season in poly houses (think cherry tomatoes in winter) which meant they could sell vegetables that were home grown in that country out of season, reducing the need for imported vegetables.

I would love to buy fruit and veg grown here over imported goods that lack taste as they have to be picked underripe. Is there a reason that we don’t see more of this type of agriculture here? Or is it that the seasonal crops we have here are worth more for less outlay and cost?

Polytunnels are definitely a thing. Adam Macy and Ian Craig of The Archers had their first snog in one in 2004.

We do have lots of polytunnels and greenhouses, but land is also used for other things, and there is not so much of it available. Look up Thanet Earth and Isle of Wight salads. Get a local veg box and see what you get.

It depends where you are in the country. Where I live there a loads of poly tunnels.

I don't know tor sure, theres probably many reasons. One that spring to mind tho is wind!
Anyone I know who has had their own polytunnel spent most of the time patching and repairing it. I imagine larger ones are a massive ball ache to maintain ?

Edited to add, we're in Windy Wales 😆

Do you live in a farming area now? I see loads, especially around Worcestershire. Depends where you are.

They are pretty expensive! Firstly to install, and then to replace the plastic every few years.
I think also in general it costs more to plant/care/harvest because you can't get tractors etc in them so people have to do it all.
Farming margins are terrible. Any extra costs like this would be tough to manage I imagine.

We have them (for strawberries near me) but they only extend the season. They wouldn't allow us to grow tomatoes in winter as your OP suggests- which country was that?

We also have increasingly intense storms in the UK which damages them, so not always cost effective.

I don't eat fresh tomatoes in winter- they're not a patch on the polytunnel uk ones you can get from mid spring. Same for strawbs- tasteless out of season.

Lots of reasons. They are used, obviously, mostly for soft fruit and salad crops, but there are lots of associated costs, economic and environmental (the plastic doesn’t last long before needing to be replaced, wind damage in exposed areas, under cover more problems with pests and soil pathogens build-up, you have to figure out ventilation and watering etc so it’s way more labour intensive than growing something in open ground.)

Ah yes, I hadn’t figured that of course wind and weather is a massive factor in terms of cost and maintenance. And of course where I grew up had cold winter frosty nights but the days were generally less cold and harsh. I live rurally now, but it is all crops - barley/potatoes etc where I am.
Agreed farming margins are generally awful, and I take my hat off to farmers. When you’re buying carrots for 40p a bag, you know things aren’t good for the grower.
Also agreed on imported strawberries and tomatoes - picked so underripe there’s no sugar content and flavour is totally missing. I’m going to freeze more British berries myself to see me through winter I’ve decided, to avoid buying imported frozen.

so romantic! 😆

Nimby neighbours are not a help.

East and north east Scotland is fantastic for soft fruits. Polytunnels abound from Perth north awards along the coast in particular.

You need good quality sunlight.

You can grow tomatoes in greenhouses all uear round so long as there is heat. Maybe data centres could co-locate with agri and horticulture so that the heat output from the data centre can be used in a beneficial way (if not used for district heating)

Definitely depends where you live. I live near Thanet Earth. Which is visible from space, apparently.

There are some. Cost and availability of seasonal labour is a huge problem

Polytunnels aren't warm enough to grow vegetables in winter in the UK, maybe in the furthest South. All your heat comes from solar gain. It's not enough in winter to grow veg that aren't hardy.

Come to Kent, we have loads of polytunnels.

Too hot in summer too cold in winter

There’s a massive big glass building near me that grows tomatoes all year round. Quite a few poly tunnels as well.

east Anglia.

Ooh now that’s interesting. Sadly I am yet to spend much time up in that neck of the woods, but that makes sense re the sunlight issue.

I’ve got one in the north west. I needed a stronger frame due to high winds but it’s completely solid. It’s my first season in it so it’s hard to say what will work well but there’s plenty on the go at the moment.

Yes true- I meant unheated. doesn't that seem crazy though? Needs so much heat which is instantly lost, and the tomatoes aren't tasty because they haven't had enough light.

The overall direction of travel should be towards seasonal and local, but when seasonal AND local isnt an option you'd have to crunch the numbers to work out whether seasonal OR local is better. Emissions labelling on food would be helpful to inform people's decision making- I think some do it but doesn't take into account end-to-end emissions.

I live in Kent opposite a farm that grows soft fruit, most of the year it’s a sea of poly tunnels.

I have been a subscriber to a Riverford veg box for years - they always include a newsletter and quite a few tend to note this trade off between seasonal/local/ripeness. They calculated the lifecycle carbon emissions of growing food in heated polytunnels here in the UK, vs bringing them in via lorry from the Vendee and from Spain and the imported ones used less carbon overall (even including the cost of the fuel). See here for carbon intensity figures: https://wickedleeks.riverford.co.uk/opinion/news-from-the-farm-closing-the-gap/
and https://wickedleeks.riverford.co.uk/opinion/change-is-here-we-need-a-plan-for-food/

I do wonder now about the comparisons about growing under heated glass/poly vs. trucking as the climate is warming - would the same comparisons be made today? But also interesting to note the destruction of polytunnels by hail in Spain last year so not so straightforward either.

It's a tricky business and as anyone with a teenager who has decided to go vegan for the planet has discovered, that's not so simple either once you start consider processing and air miles.

The reason is very simple - the population here is more satiated I.e. not hungry. Or they were a few decades ago when they stopped relying on growing their own food. Now it’s just a lost skill, professional farming, or a posh hobby.
People in other countries with the tiniest gardens still grow food because their cash doesn’t stretch enough to buy it or the need lasted long enough for the skills to be passed on to the current generation.

There is a "farm" near me that grows strawberries under glass during the winter, in heated, artificially lit glasshouses. Until they installed blinds they were a major source of light pollution.