Greenhouse and Polytunnel Record
Keep track of what is under cover at any moment and how it has been treated, so a crop that sulks can be read against the conditions it actually had.
GR-04 1 page
Garden and growing · GG-27
Polytunnel Cover and Frame Check
A free printable polytunnel check: the cover, hoops, base rails, anchors, doors and vents checked each season, with repairs and the cover's age on page two.
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2 pages. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.
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The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.
What this sheet is for
Find the small tear or loose anchor before a gale does, checking the same points each season. Page two keeps the repairs and the cover's age, so a replacement is planned, not forced.
Who it is for
Gardeners, allotment holders and growers with a polytunnel of any size.
How to use it
- Walk round the tunnel at the turn of each season and date a column.
- Write OK against each point that is sound, or X and a word on what is wrong.
- Log every repair on page two with where it was and what was used.
- Keep the cover's fitting date and the maker's stated life in the planning box, and plan the replacement before it fails.
What is on the sheet
2 pages, in this order:
Page 1
Printed under the title: A walk round the tunnel at the turn of each season: the cover, the hoops and rails, the anchors, the doors and the vents, checked against the same points every time, with the repairs and the cover's age kept on page two.
OK, or X and a word. Write OK in a box when that point is sound, or X and a word on what is wrong. When it has been put right, log the repair on page two. Repair tapes and how long a cover lasts are the maker's: their instructions, not this sheet, say what to use.
Write-on lines: Tunnel or site · Size · Supplier · Cover fitted
Seasonal checks — one column per check; date it at the top
Also printed: Check point · Check 1 · Check 2 · Check 3 · Check 4 · Check 5 · Check 6 · Date of check · Cover: tears, holes or splits · Cover round the doors and frames · Cover tension: no flapping or pooling · Earlier tape repairs still holding · Anti-hot-spot tape on hoops · Cover clean enough for light · Hoops: bent, rusting or loose joints · Crop bars, purlins and bracing · Base rails and their fixings · Ground anchors or foundation tubes · Buried cover edge or side fixings · Doors: frames, hinges, latches · Side vents, netting or roll-up sides · Drainage along the sides · Wind or snow damage since last time · Plants or canes rubbing the cover · Checked by
Page 2
Repairs — every tear taped, part replaced or fixing tightened
Table, 15 rows: Date · Where on the tunnel · Repair made · Materials used · By
Cover replacement planning — from the maker's figures and your own checks
Write-on lines: Cover fitted on · Cover type and grade · Maker's stated life · Replace by (your plan) · Cover size to order · Supplier and quote · Ordered on · Fitted on
Ruled lines: Notes: fitting day, weather needed, who is helping
Questions
Why is no cover lifespan printed?
Because it depends on the cover, its grade and where the tunnel stands, and it is the maker who states it. Write their figure in the planning box, and let your own checks say whether yours is wearing faster or slower.
When should the checks be done?
At the turn of each season suits most tunnels, with an extra look before forecast gales or snow and after them. The six columns cover a year and a half of quarterly checks.
How is this different from the greenhouse and polytunnel record?
That sheet is about the crops under cover and how they are being looked after. This one is about the tunnel itself: the cover, the frame and the fixings.
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