Future Crafting

How to Make a Vegetable Tunnel

A vegetable tunnel is an easy way to extend your growing season by growing vegetables in a controlled environment. Whether you’re trying to grow a few tomatoes before planting outdoors, want to protect lettuce from rabbits, or are interested in sheltering cool-season vegetables through winter, a vegetable tunnel can help.

The first step in making a vegetable tunnel is to decide what types of crops you want to grow. Then, choose the type of cover material that will best suit your needs.

Plastic: – The main benefit of using a plastic covering is that it can be removed or left in place throughout the season. However, plastic is prone to overheating on sunny winter days and can smother plants if left too long without ventilation.

Floating Row Covers:

Choosing a floating row cover is important to ensure you get the protection you need. Different grades of float covers offer different levels of protection against frost, heavy freezes and pests.

You can find row covers that provide a combination of both frost and heavy freeze protection. These are often made of plastic, but can also be a cloth-like material.

If you’re using a cloth-like cover, consider adding a survival blanket on top of the cover. This will help keep the temperatures inside the tunnel warmer, and allow for better air circulation and water penetration.

The survival blankets can be bought in a variety of materials from local home improvement stores. It’s important to note that the blankets need to be kept dry and not soaked in rainwater, as this can cause the fabric to become soggy and weak.

Shadecloth:

– Shadecloth is a woven material that can be used for shade, to delay bolting, or to encourage seed germination. It’s also useful for keeping weeds out of the vegetable garden.

You’ll need a few rolls of shadecloth, and you can buy them in various sizes from your local hardware store. The size of the roll will depend on how much space you have to work with, so be sure to measure and plan your project.

Rebar Stakes:

– Use three lengths of rebar, spaced about 18 to 24 inches apart along the garden bed. Hammer these into the ground at equal distances and leave about 15/20 cm sticking up above the soil.

Repeat this process to create the rest of your low tunnel structure, pounding in the rebar stakes about a foot away from each end of the hoops. Then, grab some extra plastic from the front and back ends of your structure (see pictures), twist it a bit, loop it around the rebar and tie it in place with some twine.

Make a Ridgeline:

To build the ridgeline of your low tunnel greenhouse, tie one length of twine to the top center of each hoop. This will link the tops of the hoops together and stop the plastic from sagging. The ridgeline will also give the hoops stability when you drape the plastic over them.

A vegetable tunnel is an easy way to extend your growing season by growing vegetables in a controlled environment. Whether you’re trying to grow a few tomatoes before planting outdoors, want to protect lettuce from rabbits, or are interested in sheltering cool-season vegetables through winter, a vegetable tunnel can help. The first step in making…

A vegetable tunnel is an easy way to extend your growing season by growing vegetables in a controlled environment. Whether you’re trying to grow a few tomatoes before planting outdoors, want to protect lettuce from rabbits, or are interested in sheltering cool-season vegetables through winter, a vegetable tunnel can help. The first step in making…