If you've recently purchased a polytunnel or you're in the market for one, you'll want to know what garden tools you need to get the most out of it. Great gardeners rely on tools to complete basic maintenance tasks or successfully harvest fruit and veg plants within their polytunnel. Be sure to read on to learn about the gardening tools you may need and what each of them does.
Wheelbarrow
A wheelbarrow is an essential item that every gardener must own. This can be used to carry compost and mulches – which can be extremely heavy – into your polytunnel. This will reduce the risk of injury and allow you to get around your garden much faster.
What's more, a wheelbarrow is ideal for moving large plants into a polytunnel. There are plenty of wheelbarrow sizes to choose from, so be sure to consider how much space your polytunnel has for manoeuvring before making your purchase.
Lawnmower
If your polytunnel has grassy areas within it, you'll want to make sure they don't become overgrown. Owning a lawnmower is the easiest way to manage that, providing care is taken to prevent the lawnmower making contact with the polytunnel cover. Like with the wheelbarrow, you'll want to purchase a lawnmower that's a good size for your polytunnel.
Once you've mowed your grass, don't dispose of it too quickly. Grass trimmings make for a great mulch when you spread them around the beds in your polytunnel. This will help your plants retain moisture and reduce the risk of weeds growing too.
Hoe
Whether you're growing plants in a large or small polytunnel, you'll need to be well-equipped to deal with weeds invading your space. Weeds take sunlight and nutrients away from your plants. This can stunt their growth or, in some cases, cause the plants to fail altogether.
The best garden tool for removing weeds is a hoe. This tool has a long handle with a small square blade and can uproot weeds between rows of plants with ease. The hoe also has a secondary purpose which allows you to prepare your surfaces ready for planting seeds.
Hose
Every garden needs a hose. Water is the foundation of any gardening project, with plants relying on it for growth and survival. We recommend purchasing a garden hose with an adjustable nozzle to give you full control over the pressure and accuracy of the water.
Having the ability to change the pressure will come in handy as you can be delicate when simply watering your crops. However, you can also create a high-pressure flow should you need to remove pests like mites that are damaging your plants.
Secateurs
Another essential piece of kit in your garden tool set are secateurs. These handy snipping devices are used for trimming, pruning or cutting down the plants within your polytunnel. Secateurs are ideal in all seasons.
You'll mainly use them for basic maintenance tasks, but they can also be handy for harvesting your fruit and veg too. Simply squeeze the hands together and you'll be able to snip most plants.
Watering can
If your garden hose doesn't quite reach your polytunnel, a watering can is the next best thing. They can carry plenty of water and release it in a controlled manner so you don't overwater your crops.
When purchasing your garden watering can, make sure you don't just order the largest one. Consider how much water you think you can carry – keeping in mind that one gallon of water weighs just under four kilograms.
Hand trowel
A gardener's trowel is essentially a handheld spade for your garden and is one of the most important tools for any gardening project. It's extremely useful for digging holes when transplanting crops into your polytunnel. Garden trowels can also be used for distributing mulches across your plants. The edge can also create furrows for seed planting too.
Garden Fork
Alongside the trowel, the fork is another of the highly important garden tools that polytunnel owners must have. A garden fork has a long handle with prongs and its primary purpose is to turn compost, loosen soil or add mulches to your crops.
There are two options when it comes to this tool. You can get a digging fork, which is larger and can be stood on to get deeper into the soil, or a hand fork. The hand fork may be more suitable for polytunnel gardening. This can be used with one hand, making it far more mobile.
Gloves
It's best to keep yourself safe when handling tools or certain plants. A great pair of gardening gloves can help with that. There are plenty of materials to choose from too, with leather gardening gloves being a popular choice due to their durability. Rubber-coated gloves also provide a high-quality option. They are resistant to chemicals like pesticides so can keep your skin safe.
Fruit and vegetable cages
Garden fruit and vegetable cages are an ideal addition to a garden for growing crops alongside a polytunnel. These will help your plants reap the benefits of the outdoors while keeping them free from larger pests. Choose one of
the fruit and veg cages available from Premier Polytunnels. They have an ultra-strong knitted fruit net with mesh holes 20mm apart, so they're the optimum size for preventing little birds from getting tangled while stopping smaller invaders from getting in.
Contact us to find out more about polytunnels
As you can see, there are plenty of tools that come in handy when growing crops in your polytunnel. We recommend getting a storage box to place your garden tools in, so you can easily find the one you're looking for.
If you don't yet own a polytunnel, start the process now by checking out
the many sizes we have available. Our team will also be on hand to assist you with any questions you may have about our products. Simply call us on
01282 811250 or email
info@premierpolytunnels.co.uk and we'll be happy to help.
Once you've got your polytunnel, make sure you check out our
blog for fruit and vegetable growing guides to inspire your next garden project.