Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
How to Grow Vegetables in a High Tunnel
How to Grow Vegetables in a High Tunnel. "High tunnel" usually refers to a hoop-shaped, walk-in cold frame. These greenhouse-like structures are erected over garden rows and can be temporary or permanent. Sometimes "high tunnel" refers to a solar greenhouse shape. Growing vegetables in a high tunnel is not too different from...
"High tunnel" usually refers to a hoop-shaped, walk-in cold frame. These greenhouse-like structures are erected over garden rows and can be temporary or permanent. Sometimes "high tunnel" refers to a solar greenhouse shape. Growing vegetables in a high tunnel is not too different from growing them in the open, except that the structure extends the growing season. Professional and hobby vegetable gardeners use high tunnels, which generally are erected over planted seeds and seedlings in very early spring to keep them warm. High tunnels can be taken down until early fall, when they're used to encourage continued production as the temperature drops.
Things You'll Need
High tunnel kit
Vegetable seeds or seedlings
Soil thermometer
Erect a high tunnel over an already established garden plot in the very early spring. A simple hoop kit with poly sheeting that spreads over the hoops is available at most garden supply centers. Sunshine will penetrate the sheeting and nourish plants. Tend the soil and plant rows as you normally would. Water the soil every day, because the poly sheeting will prevent rain from getting to the plants.
Plant seeds about a month earlier than you would without the high tunnel. The soil inside the structure will warm up more quickly than the soil outside. Take the temperature of the soil; if it is about 65 degrees and the air does not freeze inside the high tunnel at night, plant seeds.
Water the garden regularly. Take down the high tunnel, if desired, at the beginning of summer, or leave it up to act as a solar greenhouse. Monitor the temperature and humidity every day if you leave it up. Ventilate the high tunnel by opening both ends on hot days. Check the dryness of the soil at least twice a day.
Set up the high tunnel again around the beginning of fall, or if it has been up all summer, close up the ends at this time to keep it warmer inside. This will extend the time that your vegetable plants produce crops. Check for dryness and water the garden every day if necessary.
