We are incredibly grateful and proud to have completed a bespoke polytunnel project for Cranhill Development Trust, a community charity based in the east end of Glasgow.
The project involved creating a sheltered growing space where local residents could grow fresh produce and take part in gardening activities.
Since then, the polytunnel has developed into a flourishing space, with tomato plants and colourful flowers filling the planting beds.
Supporting Cranhill Development Trust’s Community Garden
Cranhill Development Trust has been supporting residents in Glasgow since 2002, providing opportunities for learning, volunteering and community involvement.
Through its community garden, residents can learn practical horticultural skills and get involved in growing food in a sheltered environment.
The Trust also runs community food activities, helping local people develop cooking skills and learn more about preparing fresh produce.
For GGM, this design project was an opportunity to contribute to an existing community initiative by building a facility that the community can put to good use.
Why Are Polytunnels Useful in Scotland?
Scotland’s cooler climate can make growing certain fruit and vegetables outdoors more difficult, particularly crops that need plenty of warmth to develop.
A polytunnel helps overcome some of these limitations by trapping warmth from sunlight beneath its translucent covering.
This creates a more sheltered environment, protecting plants from wind and heavy rainfall while allowing natural light through.
The extra protection can extend the growing season, allowing gardeners to start certain crops earlier in spring and continue harvesting others into late autumn.
What Does That Mean For a Community Garden?
For a community garden in Glasgow, this means having more opportunities to grow produce beyond the warmer summer months.
Tomatoes are a good example of a crop that benefits from these conditions. While they can struggle outdoors during periods of cool, wet weather, the additional warmth and shelter inside a polytunnel can help them develop more successfully.
Polytunnels aren’t completely protected from the cold, however.
Temperatures inside an unheated tunnel can still fall below freezing during winter, so gardeners should choose suitable crops for each season.
Proper ventilation is also important during warmer weather to prevent excessive heat and humidity from building up inside.
Building the Bespoke Polytunnels
The completed polytunnel at Cranhill features a curved framework covered with translucent sheeting, allowing sunlight to reach the growing areas while protecting them from the elements.
The curved hoops form the main shape of the structure, supporting the covering along its length.
Inside, raised timber planting beds provide dedicated areas for growing vegetables and flowers.
Paved walkways separate the beds, giving gardeners room to move through the polytunnel and tend their crops without stepping directly onto the growing soil.
This layout is particularly useful in a shared growing environment, where several people may be working with different plants.
Raised beds also allow gardeners to manage the soil in individual growing areas. Different crops can have different needs, and keeping planting areas separate makes it easier to organise what is being grown.
The paved pathways provide a defined route through the structure, helping keep the growing areas separate from regular foot traffic.
Growing Fruit and Vegetables in a Polytunnel
Polytunnels allow gardeners to grow a variety of products.
Tomatoes and cucumbers benefit from the warmer growing conditions, while peppers and aubergines can also be cultivated under cover during the warmer months.
A polytunnel can also be used to grow salad leaves and other seasonal vegetables.
Some crops can be started in early spring before outdoor temperatures are much warmer, while suitable autumn crops can continue growing under cover as temperatures begin to fall.
What crops to choose per season?
The best choice depends on the time of year and the growing conditions inside the tunnel.
For example, tomatoes need sufficient warmth to develop their fruit, while salad crops can often tolerate cooler temperatures. Gardeners also need to maintain suitable watering and ventilation as the seasons change.
For community gardening projects, this variety creates opportunities for people to learn about how to grow different crops across the seasons.
Someone new to gardening might begin by helping to sow seeds or water young plants. As the crops develop, they can learn how to recognise when produce is ready to harvest and how different growing conditions affect plant health.
The completed polytunnel is a great space for the entire community, no matter their gardening skills year-round, and it’s already showing great potential with its growing vegetables and flowers
From Construction to a Thriving Community Garden
One of the most rewarding aspects of this project has been seeing how the polytunnel has developed since construction.
What started as a newly built structure with empty raised beds and paved walkways has become a thriving space.
Tall tomato plants now fill much of the polytunnel, with ripening fruit hanging from the vines and bright orange and red flowers growing alongside them.
Seeing the plants develop also illustrates the value of providing a dedicated place for local residents to gain hands-on gardening experience.
Supporting Local Communities and Young People
At GGM Landscaping, we’re proud to contribute to projects that support local communities.
Working with organisations such as Cranhill Development Trust gives us an opportunity to use our landscaping experience on projects that have a purpose beyond the finished construction.
Providing opportunities for people to learn practical skills is also something we value within our own business.
Our founder, Jordan Grant, experienced the financial difficulties of entering professional tree surgery, where gaining the necessary qualifications and training can be expensive.
That experience helped shape our apprenticeship programme, through which we take on apprentices each year and provide opportunities to develop practical skills while gaining experience in the industry.
For young people interested in landscaping and tree surgery, learning alongside experienced professionals can provide a valuable introduction to the work and help them develop towards a career.
Although our apprenticeship programme is separate from the Cranhill project, both reflect the importance we place on creating opportunities for people to develop practical skills.
We’re pleased to have contributed to a project that supports Cranhill Development Trust’s work with the local community.
Commercial Landscaping with GGM
At GGM Landscaping, we undertake commercial landscaping projects across Glasgow and Central Scotland, working with businesses and community organisations to create outdoor areas suited to their needs.
Our services include hard and soft landscaping, commercial grounds maintenance and tree surgery, allowing us to support a variety of projects.
The bespoke polytunnel project at Cranhill Development Trust is an example of how landscaping construction can provide a practical facility for an organisation’s ongoing activities.
Whether you’re planning a community garden, developing a new outdoor area or looking for a commercial landscaping contractor, we’d be happy to discuss your project.
Call 07946 322717 or enquire online to arrange a free survey with our team.