Culti Cave

I bought two of these last year after a good experience with the Tidy Tent storage solution from the same manufacturer (don't think it came via the same seller, that's not really the point though). I wanted a temporary greenhouse-alike which would see me through my first full year of serious allotmenteering ie. the 2011 season. After much searching online and also time spent balancing possible drawbacks vs. the hassle and expense of getting even a basic 'real' greenhouse to my plot (given that as a novice, I could not be sure I would want to stick with the allotment for the long haul) I decided to go for the culti cave.
I bought two, because one would not have been sufficiently spacious for my needs. Even given that, at the price I paid at the time (some ten pounds less each than the current price, I note!) this still was over 30 quid cheaper than the cheapest flat-pack greenhouse, and I could fit them in my small car, so also saved on the inevitable van hire fee if I'd gone for the flat-pack alternative.
All good so far! Have to say though that the culti cave proved a good deal more challenging to install than its Tidy Tent cousin! Whether it is to do with the tough but rather inflexible clear plastic skin, or something to do with the length of the tent-poles vs. the dimensions of the culti cave tent, I found it very difficult indeed to erect the culti cave on my own - In fact, I had to tie a nylon cord to a tree, then loop it through the eyelet at the end of the pole channel; then, by leaning back on the cord with my entire body weight, I was able eventually to slip the end of the pole into the eyelet. Had to repeat this process four times in all to erect both of the tents.
And in this process, some of the stitching holding the tent body to the groundsheet ripped so badly in one case that I had to contact the manufacturer for a replacement.
The manufacturer, I have to say, was very very obliging and helpful, and sent an entire replacement culti cave without even asking for the damaged item to be returned. Fantastic customer service! This meant that I had two entire pitching poles, one front door and one back door, and one mesh front door spare for any disasters. This turned out to be just as well, since one pole snapped in half in a high wind back in January, and I had to replace it with one of the spares ...
I don't think the manufacturer has its UV durability quite sorted out vs. flexibility and ability to take stitching, in the case of the culti cave. This year, since April, the stitching holding the zip to the front door of my double cave has all but given way, I'm securing it with gaffer tape in the hope that the weather will soon allow me to ditch the current front door and install a mesh alternative (which I hope won't rip, but we'll see). However, I still favour this product, just because of its economic price, its flexibility (you can zip any number of these things together to obtain a really economical 'polytunnel' solution ... have you ever checked out the price of 'real' polytunnels on the 'net?) and the fact that it can be carried in the boot of a teeny tiny Ford Ka without any difficulty! And of course, the real killer recommendation: I am currently using my double culti cave as my 'greenhouse' on the allotment, and despite the issues described, it is extremely successful. I have tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and watermelon thriving in my culti cave, and even though the front door stitching is about to give out I am very happy with the way things are going.
I recommend this product to those who want a strictly temporary 'greenhouse' solution which is less likely to be blown away or blown down by wind than your average plastic temporary greenhouse. Even if the stitching fails at the corners, this item has a sewn in groundsheet so you can weight it down as you like, and also has plenty of guying points so you can peg it down as required (mine is attached to 4 150cm ground screws, it is not going to be blown away any time soon). Be aware that considerable physical strength is required to get the pitching poles into place; either hire yourself a strong-man or be prepared to use ropes and other assistance to get it erected (though what I've read of basic flat-pack greenhouses suggests that they are no easier to deal with, and may in fact be worse). Once it's up, the culti cave is actually very nice, and given what I have growing in mine at the moment may well be worth it to you even for one season. Will save you money on van hire also of course.
Actually intended to give this 3 1/2 stars, but since Amazon seem to want 3 or 4 and nothing in between, I'm opting for 4, since it's working well for me at the moment despite the (major!) hassles attached earlier in the year to getting it up and running.

The main problem is that the poles (making the cuve) on one side were difficult to get in - the straps at the end were a bit short. In the end I used some large pliers to get a good grip on the strap so I could pull it over the pole end. You also have to be careful pushing the poles into the sleeve as they're a series of straight lengths that are elasticated together. I scuffed mine as the pole end tried to poke through.

The zip is a bit of a pain too. It zips from the top in one direction, it would have been better to be able to zip in both directions (like a suitcase).

However, once I'd assembed it and screwed it up against a wooden fence it seems quite sturdy, though we haven't had a really windy day yet!

took 10 minutes to put up only advice would be is put some house bricks inside if it's not tied down it will blow away on a windy day! plants are growing really well for a small garden it's just the job!