"Mini Tunnels" Make the Benefits of Hoop Houses More Accessible

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc.

"Mini Tunnels" Make the Benefits of Hoop Houses More Accessible

A partially vented tunnel.

Installing PVC hoops.

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

Noble Foundation horticulturist Steve Upson is a dedicated disciple of hoop house gardening. Hoop houses — greenhouse-type structures that regulate temperature by vent adjustments instead of electric or gas heating and cooling — can extend the growing season noticeably.

"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," Upson said. "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, Upson has developed a mini tunnel custom designed for use with the Noble Foundation’s recycled auto tire and corrugated sheet metal beds. The mini tunnel can provide the gardener with a versatile, user-friendly means of protecting and enhancing the growth of crops growing in permanent raised beds.

The basic components of the 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," Upson said.

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

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	Figure 1 A partially vented tunnel. (Noble Foundation)
	Figure 2 Installing PVC hoops. (Noble Foundation)
	Figure 3 Mini tunnels installed on a corrugated sheet metal bed and a recycled auto tire bed. (Noble Foundation)

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc. (www.noble.org), headquartered in Ardmore, Okla., is a nonprofit organization conducting agricultural, forage improvement and plant biology research; assisting farmers and ranchers through educational and consultative agricultural programs; and providing grants to nonprofit charitable, educational and health organizations.