How to Build Low Tunnels That Open and Close Easily

Low tunnels are one of the most cost effective methods for extending the growing season in your vegetable garden in both spring and fall. Follow along as I share everything you need to know to build the best low tunnels with fully adjustable sidewalls for ventilation and the strength to resist wind and snow loads.

Here's a list of the equipment used for these low tunnels:
- 1/2 inch EMT conduit - 10 foot lengths
- some 3/4" plywood scraps and a few screws for the hoop bending jig

To extend your growing season as long as possible, you'll also need to know the temperature tolerance of each of your vegetable crops which can vary significantly. I teach this subject in detail in my Seed to Table course.

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[dhersies]

This is the best hoop house tutorial I've ever seen

[alanmcrae]

This is where YouTube really shines. When somebody smart & creative comes up with a brilliant, simple, inexpensive, diy solution to a problem.

Just what I was looking for to get low, easy to heat & cool poly tunnels where I can micro control internal conditions for a group of plants that thrive in the same temperature, humidity and sunlight environment. And when it gets really cold outside, I only need to heat inside the low poly tunnels, not the entire volume of the glassed in greenhouse. A huge energy saver!

Liked & subscribed

EDIT: as a computer expert I do not like monitoring devices that log to remote servers thru a home gateway. I consider them both a network security risk and, eventually, these companies tend to erect a paywall once they have a large enough captive customer base. I'll be holding out for an open source system that runs totally on premises on an air gapped, high security home VLAN network. (But for your current R&D it is a quick & easy solution for collecting temp/humidity data.)

[dudeusmaximus]

Been doing low tunnels for a couple of decades with 4 mil plastic sheeting. Grow cold hardy greens, roots, and grains, we get down to -20F in many winters and they all survive fine with no damage. Have had half the length of the tunnel fly open and flapping in the wind in single digit temps, the exposed half of course gets smoked, the half that's covered still has little damage except at the end near the opening. It's almost magical how that works to be honest.

[chachadodds]

Priceless advice on that jig! I think even this almost 70-year-old can do that.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience. Much appreciated.

[kenkrick]

Seeing a valuable video like this always makes me wish I could smash the like button multiple times! Thanks

[yearofthegarden]

Great demonstration. I've been using these type of low tunnels for over a decade, a design i took from some japanese farmers i talk to on instagram. These cheap low tunnels are what gave me edge over larger farms, because I could show up to market earlier before the huge growers show up when the weather works for them. a 50ft version of these used to cost about $50 back when EMT conduit was $3.50, and poly was cheap. There is still nothing as cheap as fitting two 50ft beds under, especially when each bed can make up to $300. Personally though I am not a fan of sticking the conduit directly into the ground, that's what the farm I work at does, and when you tie the string to the conduit, wind will rip the whole thing out. I personally use rebar and attach the hook to the rebar which has better grip in the soil.

[ecologytoday]

Last year, I created similar low tunnels utilizing dollar store hula hoops (there are different lengths and thicknesses) and thick Agricultural fabric sewn into small Quonset huts with tent style tubes and attachments.

It worked really well in 6A to extend the season and have a low cost and small space option to have more cool weather crops in the autumn.

Most people in my region quit gardening in the first week in September, but last year, my last harvest was the first week of December for an additional 15 bushels (post Sept 1) of cool weather crops.
Yes- we did knock snow off the hoops in November and December.

[promagnuman]

Easiest design I have seen yet. Making 3 today

[jlindschmitt]

Thank you so much for this!!! I watched a lot of videos on low tunnels before watching yours and thinking: *THIS* will work! The jig instructions worked like a charm and now I have three beautiful, tidy, wind-resistant low tunnels protecting my ranunculus crop.

[lemonbalm]

clear, clean, concise, informative, enjoyable. thank you

[blenderbenderguy]

Very clear, concise, and clever! Thanks for your efforts.

[yukonsmomma]

Very informative. I love the way you walk us through each step. You're a great teacher. After hearing you're growing in zone 3 I'm subscribing.

[jakehvazdamusic]

Never sink farms has had out a manufactured product with the same concept with the tension wire secured at the base of the hoop. I can't help but think that's what inspired it given this was posted 3 weeks ago

[OutsidewithTom]

This is the best instructional video I've found on this topic. Simple functional design and clear concise explanation. Well done!

[vickiwestlund]

Thank you for the details!! Had no idea they sold a UV treated poly!!

[Alyss]

I love how tidy those bungee cords make everything sit! I might try doing this next year with floating row covers next year for my brassicas 👍

[catejordan]

This is the absolute best way to both secure and easily adjust the plastic. Thank you.

[HeatherLindsay]

This is exactly what I was needing. I have a bunch of the unused conduit hoops and was going back and forth on getting a greenhouse. For my needs a greenhouse is overkill but I needed a way to make the plastic more usable. Thank you!

[MountainGardenGirl]

Love that you did not stop to talk to the pet and get all distracted. attached bungee cord a little fuzzy for me. I usually tie double cord over and through concrete mesh fencing bent into a hoop and tied from under to keep from expanding. Thanks, great video

[serenababy]

Wow you are so clever and you make this look so EASY while saving a lot of money!!! I wanted to buy low tunnel supplies but couldn't afford the pre-made kits from reputable companies, nor did I want to waste money on the cheap stuff from Amazon that had mixed reviews. Thank you so much for sharing this info! New sub.