Which polytunnel to buy?

Before we moved to mid-Devon, I knew for us to really live a lower impact, more self-sufficientish lifestyle, then a polytunnel was going to be an essential part of our new life in the country. Like a lot of people, I did my supplier research online.

The choice is bewildering and First Tunnels seem to come up on a lot of searches and forums, and are very pro-active with online social media such as facebook - which I feel is a good thing - and I spent hours trawling the net, weighing up the different options and costs and reading customer comments and recommendations, downloading brochures etc.

My neighbour's Ferryman polytunnel

I thought I knew most of the suppliers, and was really surprised when I came across Ferryman Polytunnels, based in Lapford, Devon, from a word-of-mouth recommendation from my neighbour, Ian, who has one of their 50ft x 16ft tunnels in his garden.

I jumped at his offer to jump over the fence and have a look, and while I'd done a lot of looking online, this was my first time up close (and interested!) in a real-life polytunnel, and I wasn't that sure what I was looking for!

One thing was sure, though - with his rows of neat and healthy vegetables, I liked what I saw and was even more determined to get one of our own!

I was literally on the point of placing my order online with First Tunnels, but seeing as Ferryman were so local, I thought it would be worth a look and I got straight back online, found Ferryman's website address and sent off for a brochure... a few days delay in ordering wouldn't hurt - my only deadlines were to beat the VAT increase in January 2011, and hopefully get the tunnel up and protecting the cuttings I had bought up with us from our old Surrey garden before the worst of the winter weather.