Make a polytunnel bed calendar and spot overlapping plans

The calendar allocates space. It does not tell you when a crop should be sown, planted or removed. Take those decisions from guidance for your actual crop and growing conditions, and record the source or assumption beside each date.

Name the space before booking it

Use the same labels on the calendar and your bed drawing: Bed A, Bed B, or a clearly marked section such as A1. If two plans use different parts of one bed, draw the dividing line and record their dimensions. Simply giving them different names does not establish that they fit together.

The planting planner counts a rectangular grid from dimensions and spacing you enter. Save its drawing and inputs beside the calendar so you can check the space reserved alongside its occupancy dates.

Add a separate row for a tray, container group or other space you also need to book. A sowing date belongs on the bed row only when the sowing actually occupies that bed; otherwise give it a separate task or location.

Give every booking a start and a release date

For this worksheet, the start date is included and the release date is excluded. A booking starting on 1 June and releasing on 22 June reserves 1–21 June. The next booking can start on 22 June without overlapping it on paper.

Write that convention at the top of your own sheet. Otherwise, “finishes on Tuesday” can mean either Tuesday is still occupied or Tuesday is available for something else.

Copy this record for each proposed booking:

Do not silently use an expected harvest date as the release date. Write down what must be finished before you regard the space as available. If your plan reserves time between bookings for other work, show that as its own block rather than hiding it in a note.

Worked example: two plans want the same bed

These dates are invented solely to demonstrate a calendar clash. Planting A and Planting B are labels, not crops; their dates and durations are not a growing recommendation.

The shared reservation runs from 15 June up to the 22 June release boundary: 22 − 15 = 7 days, namely 15–21 June. The drawing exposes the conflict; it does not tell you which plan should change.

You could examine a version with B starting on 22 June. That removes the overlap in the calendar, but the new date would still need checking against B's requirements and the actual availability of Bed 1. Alternatively, investigate another clearly drawn space or decide that one proposal will not go ahead.

Keep uncertainty visible

Where a date is unknown, write “not confirmed” and identify the decision needed. Do not turn it into an exact date merely to complete the drawing. You can sketch an alternative with a clearly labelled assumed date, then keep it separate from the version you intend to follow.

For a booking with an uncertain release, draw a clearly labelled scenario using a later release date. Note which following bookings would clash and which questions that raises.

Maintain one current plan

Date each revision and mark the version you are using. Keep earlier versions if you want to understand changes, but avoid leaving two conflicting calendars both labelled current.

When the plan meets reality, record actual dates separately from the proposed ones. The growing diary provides a format for observations and actions. Bring that record back to the next calendar, retaining the difference between what happened in one period and what you are now proposing. The useful result is a plan whose bookings, gaps and unanswered questions you can see.