DIY: Greenhouse Tunnel

High Tunnel

• High-tunnel greenhouses, or hoophouses as they're often referred to, are extremely large greenhouses designed so that gardeners can keep their crops growing in a warm, safe environment all year-round. To build a hoophouse, you need a set of large iron hoops that can be cut in half and still retain their shape. Take half a hoop and secure each end in the ground so that the hoop stands straight up. About 10 feet away place another hoop in the ground and continue until the hoops are as long as you would like your house. Depending on how high you have the hoops standing, you might need to create a spine before they will stand. To make a spine, take one of the cut hoops and straighten it so that it will slide under each of the hoops. Tie or weld the spine to the center of each hoop so that the spine will force all the hoops to remain standing. Next take a large poly-mesh net and wrap it around your loops. Usually three pieces are used during this step, a large piece that will go from the first loop to the last loop being tied off on these loops to form the walls, and two smaller nets that will be tied onto the outside loops and draped down to form your front and back wall. It is important that you use a see-through polyester mesh netting because the sunlight that makes it in will heat the room while the polyester material will trap the heat helping you maintain the optimal temperature to grow your plants.

Low Tunnel

• A low-tunnel greenhouse tunnel provides the same conditions as the high tunnel but consumes less space. Low-tunnel greenhouses are small structures that can be kept in a garage or a larger greenhouse. They contain enough room for the gardener to slide a tray of plants in and out whenever they need tending to. To make a low greenhouse tunnel, you need some sturdy copper wire or other sturdy material. Bend the wires into small half hoops and secure them on a base with about 1 foot between each other. Your base could be a wooden platform or a plastic soil dish among many other things. Once you have the hoops in place, take colorless polyester net and tightly drape it around the wires. Just like with a high tunnel, it usually takes three pieces to properly cover the tunnel. Place the finished structure in direct sunlight so that it can begin gathering heat for your plants.