Start here: your polytunnel planning checklist (UK)

If you have not bought one, begin with the space check and carry the same drawing into your quote enquiries. If you already own one, begin by recording the frame you have and the space available inside it; use the quote step only for parts or changes you are considering. Mark unknowns in either version of the plan. The checklist organises questions; it cannot confirm product fit, site suitability or crop requirements.

1. Make a space plan

• To do: Mark the proposed position on a plot sketch, with boundaries and nearby features. For an existing tunnel, draw the frame and mark its entrance.
• To do: Draw the beds, paths, door route, containers or work area you expect to use. Label each area and add the dimensions you have measured or chosen. Mark anything provisional.
• To do: Walk the route on the plot, or inside the frame. Check how you would reach the door and move expected items. Revise the sketch if the route or arrangement does not work for you.
• To do: Keep the dated sketch with a short list of unresolved site questions. If you need to ask about permission, planning, boundaries, base, anchoring, wind exposure or structural suitability, write down the exact question and the authority, site manager or maker who can answer it. Record their response and any document reference.

Deliverable: one dated footprint drawing with labelled spaces, dimensions, route and open questions. The size guide explains a bed-and-path footprint, while comparing layouts shows how to assess two drawings against the same measurements. Those calculations describe your entered layout, not a particular frame's usable space.

Pause here if the position, route or a site-specific question could change the footprint. Resolve it or label the assumption before asking for a model-specific quote.

2. Turn the drawing into quote questions

• To do: For a new purchase, send the same dated drawing and requirements to each seller. For an existing tunnel, collect its order record, instructions, parts list and any known alteration details.
• To do: Ask for a dimensioned plan and the exact model and size the seller used. Ask what the dimensions describe, what usable width, height and door opening they state, and which clearances they specify. Keep the reply with the drawing.
• To do: Record each quote's date, included items, delivery, any service you are considering, separate purchases and final amount payable. Mark each amount as confirmed, included elsewhere or unknown. Ask about unanswered items in writing.
• To do: Compare quotes against the same list of needs. A missing dimension, unclear inclusion or unknown compulsory charge remains an open question; it is not a confirmed match or total.

Deliverable: a quote sheet with the model, source documents, scope, confirmed costs and questions beside each option. Use the budget planner for the cost record. If you are discussing a replacement cover, use the supplier request worksheet to identify the frame and parts; its calculator example is not an order size.

Pause before committing while a fit, included item, payable total or site decision that matters to you is still unclear. Get the relevant written answer and update your records.

3. Build records for the growing plan

• To do: Name the beds and other growing spaces on the same drawing. Write down the crop and variety only when known; keep proposed choices distinct from confirmed ones.
• To do: For a planting-position count, use dimensions and spacing you have checked for your own plan. The planting grid counts the numbers you enter; it does not provide crop spacings. Save the inputs with the diagram.
• To do: Put proposed use and dates into a bed calendar, with the source or assumption for each date and any overlap to resolve. Keep unconfirmed timings labelled as assumptions.
• To do: Make a separate seed order record for each variety. Keep the seed target, recorded stock and packet quantity distinct, and leave the order unfinished if any input is unknown.
• To do: Start a growing diary with the bed map, date, observations and actions. Update it from what actually happened rather than overwriting the proposal.

Deliverable: a dated bed map linked to its dimensions, chosen spacing sources, proposed bookings and seed records, ready to be updated with observations. If a crop decision or date is not yet supported by information you trust, record it as a question and leave that part of the plan open.

Final check

Before the next decision, check that the drawing matches the quote request and that every cost and dimension has a source or an “unknown” label. Keep proposed growing dates separate from actual observations. Date each revision and mark the current drawing, quote sheet and calendar so you do not work from conflicting versions.