Horticulture: December 2005

Figure 1: A partially vented tunnel.

Those of you who have spoken to me or have heard me speak on the topic know I'm a dedicated disciple of hoop house gardening. While I recommend every commercial and home gardener take advantage of the season extension and weather modifying benefits offered by hoop houses, I realize there are many gardeners who do not have the space or the funds to construct a hoop house. With this in mind, we set our sights on developing a mini hoop house or mini tunnel, a name more appropriate for its size. While it is too small for a gardener to stand inside, it does offer the same benefits of larger hoop house structures.

After years of tinkering with existing mini tunnel designs and making various modifications, we've developed a mini tunnel custom designed for use with both our recycled auto tire and corrugated sheet metal beds. The mini tunnel will provide the gardener with a versatile, user-friendly means of protecting and enhancing the growth of crops growing in permanent raised beds.

Figure 2: Installing PVC hoops.

Figure 3: Mini tunnels installed on a corrugated sheet metal bed and a recycled auto tire bed.

The basic components of this mini tunnel are hoops made from PVC pipe, a polyethylene greenhouse film cover and hold-down straps made from 1/4-inch rope. The tunnel cover is held in place using rope straps located between each hoop. The straps enable the user to raise and lower the cover without unfastening or fastening the cover every time the tunnel is opened or closed.

Material cost to construct a mini tunnel to cover a 40-inch-wide by 30-foot-long Noble Foundation recycled auto tire or corrugated sheet metal bed is under $90.

For a complete set of plans for constructing a raised bed mini tunnel, call the Foundation's Annie Coble at (580) 224-6500.

Any hobby or market gardener interested in learning more about the benefits and use of hoop houses should plan on attending the 25th annual Oklahoma-Arkansas Horticulture Industries Show January 6 to 7, 2006, at the north Tulsa campus of Tulsa Community College in Tulsa. Participants will have the opportunity to listen to presentations by university experts in the field of modified-climate hoop house culture as well as expert growers who use hoop house technology. For more information, contact Donna Dollins at (405) 744-6460 or donna.dollins@okstate.edu.