Rio:

Check out our website and click on the "Presentations" tab. Then click on the link and it will take you to several of our presentations that I have done about our farm and high tunnels. I have included directions on how to build your own.

I have built 4 of these buildings (really only 3, but I moved one so I count the rebuild as 1 too!) I was featured in the Farm Show magazine and continue to get emails and letters about that article still today. I have a fellow market gardener who built two of these structures about 30 minutes from us. I know one was built in California, Virginia, Arizona and probably many other places.

Feel free to look up my contact info on our website and ask any more questions.

Jay

Here is a link that might be useful: Jay's Jellies website

Thanks will do.

Finally back to this. I am looking at fall/winter income. I find myself in this situation in ever business venture I have entered into. Go bigger or stay small. This time though thanks to Jay's info it dosent involve 10s of thousands of dollars! Thanks Jay.

We were contemplating ordering a frame from the local carport sales place, but at 490.00 for a12x21 when a 20x40 is what we really want, well I am back to jays design.

Jay is there any reason I can't set my posts to be 6 feet high on the sides? I think that will give me enough head room in the middle to drive the skid steer inside.
Also what cheap but quality plastic would you recomend and where can I find it? Are two layers necessary for my zone in Indiana?

Also will I be able to cool this enough in the month of 90 deg heat we get every year to use it through the summer?

As always thanks.

I would say, yes to the 2 layer, but get shade cloth for the summer. Makes about 20 degrees difference. Our shade cloth is not as dense as you can get. Make sure the doors are larger enough for anything you want to get inside. (Ours are 8'x8' --2 4'x8' with NO center post).

As far as height, how much wind do you have. for me, it would be alittle too high. With our arched one, we can pull the tractor or any regular pickup/car inside with no problem. Tractor is a 49 Massey Harris 30, not exceptionally tall but much taller than a 8n/9n.

Yes you could move it up to 6 foot, but you would want to put 4 to 5 foot in the ground too. I have a friend to built one with 8 foot sides, but it isn't as wide.

If you are going all out, you could do two layers, but personally I wouldn't waste my time and money. None of my tunnels have two layers and we produce greens all winter long with no problems. I would suggest the use of row cover on the inside during the winter. You could use shade cloth, but I have not. We use our buildings to produce as much product in June, July and early August. THose are the best months at market and that is when we can get the highest prices.

About plastic, don't skimp. By 4 year greenhouse grade plastic. Shop around, you may find some local place or drive a short distance and pick it up will save some money. Check out FarmTek, Morgan County Seeds, Stuppy's are all places I have bought from. Shipping is expensive especially with plastic as it is very heavy!

Jay

I hanks fellas. Also do you think 1 inch plastic will be ok on 25 feet. 3 foot centers? I would need to buy a bender to go steel. While not out of the question the cheaper the better.

Greenhouses here use double layer with fans keeping a air pocket. Of course, they're professional frames and they've been doing it for over 60 years.

The bender I used was about a hundred bucks, plus I built a table to mount it on. I bought my bender from lostcreek.net

I have two greenhouses. One had a double layer the first year. You want the double layer if you are heating the greenhouse. It will save expensive propane or gas heat by more than doubling the r-value of the structure. Even with cheap wood heat like I have, the double layer gets me twice the amount of temp gain over the outside. I could get about 15 degrees of gain with the double layer, versus only 7 with a single. I think it's worth it for a greenhouse that produces plant starts, but not so much for a high tunnel that produces tomatoes or vegetables.

I am kinda thinking of using a wood stove to run heat down a pipe buried down the center. Seen a few set up that way but never I person.

Rio

Is that an outside 'wood furnace', or wood stove in the house or wood stove in the gh?
Rina

What I have in mind is called a rocket stove. I want to pair it with solar banking. Not sure if it will work or not.