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?

Apparently in Spain the tomato growers when the plastic starts to go they bury it in the sand dunes and all over the shop to disintegrate and pollute the rivers and sea - buy British eat seasonal may be the answer!

We do have poly tunnels here - https://www.thanetearth.com/

Lot of the land around here is going to solar farms.

Also, nobody seems to want to pick fruit now that those European people have been sent away, except people from countries that are even more foreign and further away. Who would have predicted that might happen with Brexit!!

A lot of crops depend on light levels as well as warmth.

The British Isles are fairly far north - light levels over winter are extremely low across much of the winter. Poly tunnels also aren't insulated, so heat loss is significant.

Poly tunnels are great for extended a season at either side - crops being ready a bit earlier or carrying of a bit later - but they can't make a July out of a February, and they can't make Scotland into Southern Italy.

I love my poly tunnel and I've had some real successes with it (and more than my share of failures!)

It's a tool to help increase productivity but it won't solve everything. We should remember to eat more seasonally if we care about our food and the planet.