Cold frame or poly tunnel?

[DameWashalot82]

Hi all, total beginner at gardening and growing in general here but really enjoying all the learning and research so far.
I'm lucky enough to be involved in a big gardening project/venture with my family where we're getting our own poly tunnel.
I've zero growing experience but some family members grew potatoes really well this year and have grown some veg in the past. None of us have used a cold frame/poly tunnel before so it's a massive learning experience

I've got some seeds and have tried to purchase the veg or varieties of veg that anecdotally do better in Scottish climate although will that matter as much if majority is grown in a poly tunnel?

Anyway, I'm wondering what is the best way forward...germinating seeds inside then moving small seedlings into a cold frame to harden off before moving again into poly tunnel or is that just a silly amount of moving vulnerable young plants about?!

Or start seeds outdoors in cold frame then move seedlings to tunnel when bigger? Or just sow seeds direct into raised beds in the tunnel?

I've read lots but I feel a bit saturated with info about propogators and compost etc etc and I'm feeling like I'm going in circles without actually making a coherent plan!
I'm looking forward to just DOING to be honest and I'm hoping to learn as much as I can whilst I go.

Any advice/tips regarding the poly tunnel vs cold frame/starting seeds out would be appreciated

My best recommendation is to look up Charles dowding and his no dig method on YouTube and his website and Facebook group - he has done many useful free YouTube videos on planting seedlings, growing and when and how to plant them out.

I also love the realseeds website for UK grown organic seeds, they have lots of interesting and heirloom varieties, the descriptions are really useful to find what suits your growing space, experience and climate e.g some varieties are suited to colder areas.

That sounds like a great set up - best of luck and enjoy!

A lot depends on what you want to produce in the end, lots of produce at once, or a slow and steady supply for longer.

The growing season is shorter for those of us in Scotland. Check your first/last frost dates online though- east coast gets more frost in May/October. Poly tunnels etc give minimal frost protection after a long cold night, maybe they’d survive -1deg imo. Their main function is keeping the wind and rain off, plus extra heat in the day.

If you want a long growing season then you need to sow little and often. This means starting lots of things early, often indoors, to give them a headstart before moving out.

If you’re starting out then I’d avoid that and just grow more in the best months. That’s what I do for now.

Indoors: I start frost-sensitive plants indoors, like tomatoes, courgette/squash and peppers(fail). Then harden off in Apr/May, plant under cover after last frost.

Under cover in pots: Most other plants I start under cover outdoors just following the packets. From leeks/brassicas in feb to beans in April.

Under cover in soil: Some can go straight in the poly tunnel soil like root veg. Or outdoors a bit later.

Cold frame: I haven’t got one yet. Most useful for hardening off the under cover plants before planting outside. Also for protecting low plants from storms. I plan to use mine for late salads.

Charles Dowding is great, but his season is longer than ours so don’t be disappointed.

Just reread your post. Note that a cold frame is closer to outdoor than a poly tunnel, because it can be opened to the wind and rain.

Also, moving seedlings around isn’t a big stress to them. I move my tomatoes etc out to the greenhouse every day in May until the last frost is over, to harden them off gradually. It’s a stress to me though!

Thanks peapotter, so is there little point hardening off in a cold frame if going into the poly tunnel then?
Better to start indoors, then move seedlings to tunnel after that?

We were planning on fashioning some sort of home made cold frame from old windows and bricks/wood to harden off seedlings as will have materials here to do that but i don't know if I'm just over complicating things and trying to 'do' too many methods at once!

My rationale was: I've never done this before, let's try start some indoors, some directly sown into polytunnel and some varying between inside and cold frame before tunnel or raised bed outside.

We're west highlands, really windy and pretty wet and lots and LOTS of things that would like to munch on anything we did manage to grow

Thanks familystrife I'll have a wee look at his site, I've heard of no dig before actually so time to research some more!

Yes, the main use for a cold frame imo is hardening off for wind for outdoor plantings, as seedlings grown in shelter then planted out (especially west coast) would go into shock. My mum always brushed her hand over her seedlings every day to strengthen them for wind.

A cold frame could also be useful for hardening off if your poly tunnel is far from the house. I had one made from old windows, which I used to save me carrying trays of tomatoes up and down the garden twice a day in my old place.

Finally if it is near the house then it offers a bit of frost protection. I reckon it would be useful but not essential the first year.

I would do sensitive plants indoors-> poly tunnel and harder plants in pots in poly tunnel->cold frame->outside. Keep a wee book of what you’ve done and you can refine it each year.