Thinking about growing your own food? Here's my polytunnel diary

Fuelled by a growing desire for a self-sufficient lifestyle and minimal environmental impact, Ellie O’Byrne installed her first polytunnel this year, she writes.

Going green: Ellie O'Byrne and her polytunnel in Cork. Pics: Larry Cummins

In early February of this year, when we were ordering a polytunnel for our vegetable garden, a news story broke that scientists in the field of “plant nanobiotics” had taught spinach to send emails about substances the plants could detect in the soil.

“No, no, scientists, you idiots,” I muttered to myself when a friend and fellow gardener sent me a link to the story. “The reason I like plants is exactly because they never send me emails.”