An unheated PVC hoophouse can be a useful addition to your garden. It keeps excessive rain off the plants, blocks the wind, raises daytime temperatures 5-10 degrees (and often much more), and keeps frosts and heavy dew off the leaves. This can extend your warm-season gardening a month or more at both ends, and makes…
By the Iowa State University Extension Office This program describes how to build a system to catch, store and reuse the rainwater for irrigation in a high tunnel. Shawn Shouse, ISU Extension and Outreach ag engineer, runs us through the process. The cost of installing rain gutters, rainwater storage tanks, and an electric pump is…
Introduction A high tunnel is not, by definition, a permanent structure. Nonetheless, site selection will play an important role in its performance. Considerations in siting a high tunnel include orientation, airflow, shading, windbreaks, drainage, soil quality, weeds and other pests, and purpose. Purpose The purpose of the high tunnel is one of the first considerations…
1. Should I use a single or double layer of plastic for my high tunnel? 2. What type of plastic is used to cover a high tunnel? 3. How do I repair small tears in plastic covering? 4. Is it possible to use 4-year film plastic for longer than 4 years? 5. Why does film…
The University of Tennessee Extension maintains a collection of over 300 building and equipment plans, and all are now available in electronic format for download. The plans are primarily intended for use in Tennessee, but many are appropriate for other locations as well. The high tunnel construction plans and other plans came from many sources….
The type, size, etc. of high tunnels doors are important to their users. Doors influence ease and safety of access, high tunnel structural integrity, and the ability to maintain the targeted set of conditions in the structure.Doors also vary in cost.The Extension Vegetable Physiology Lab (EVPL) at The OSU-OARDC in Wooster, OH operates nine high…