First I would ask if you COULD return it, if not I would use it. I don't have a good track record selling things.

Make sure that you have plenty of weights (dirt/smooth rocks/etc) for the edges or bury it and then put the weights on. You don't want to wind to rip it away. Lay the length, weight in down, then start pulling the other side over the hoops and weight it. Try to make the 2nd side to be the side that the wind isn't as strong.

You've already spent the money and unless you want to wait to use it, then you might as well try.

Hold off until spring or until you have your hoop situation figured out. It will be just fine in the box for another 20 years (unless critters start chewing)

Interesting opposite advice. I am a little worried about the tunnel after what happened in summer. If it looks safe and I risk it it would only be half of it so that isn't so bad.

yes, it will last. You have to decide if you want it or not, I read that you might not want it.

wait until spring. how do you control the heat under the greenhouse poly on sunny days? how about on sunny windy days? i would use the tunnels (chunnels) for early tomatoes, but i would need to know how to ventilate when needed. i think the poly and row covers provide equivalent low temperature protection.

It is very thin row cover that I had made to that width though so it is not going to hold in as much heat.

Here is another question. When spring comes is there temp benefit for say something like early planted corn to use a row cover on it and a proper EMT low tunnel over it with more row cover or is a wire hoop setup with row cover just as good? I am just wondering what crops could be pushed up with the EMT tunnels vs just wire hoops.

We have a huge sweet corn grower that uses row covers and tunnels on his FIELDS, he usually has sweet corn by 7/4 if not before, usually 2-3 weeks before anyone else. He must take the hoops down after the corn gets so high, because he sends a picker thru to pick. He picks 3-4 large farm wagons each day.

His fields look strange, since he's the only one that does this. He was charging $5 dozen this past season.

I already grow corn with wire hoop row covers but I wonder about the increased heat of a higher low tunnel. Is there any?

don't know, it is a good question. I would guess that it would take more to heat up, but also last longer. Are you using black plastic on the ground, i know that vendor does in addition to the hoops and row covers. Getting sweet corn to our community 2-3 weeks before anyone else makes it worth it to him.

If I had a small amount, I would also add milk jugs or something to hold the heat, even rocks if you have enough.

Marla

Yes you can probably tell from my pics that I use lots of plastic mulch.

What I am thinking about is the cost difference between the EMT low tunnel and just wire hoops and what the heat unit difference would be.

Marla,

$5 a dozen, that is what vendors charge around here all summer. Sometimes it goes down to $4, but that is as low as I have seen.

Just Curious.

Jay, here most are doing good to get $3/dozen. Some people even try to go to $2, just to get the business. They don't realize that they are cutting their own throat.

Minnie, I would think that the EMT would be cheaper than the wire hoops and tubing, but I haven't check the total price. I don't use hoops and haven't done much gardening this year or last (drought). I'm changing over to preserves and buying the needed produce for that. Beats the outside heat and not as perishable. Plus nobody else is doing it in my markets.

Marla

No it costs more than nine guage wire.
I don't sell corn by the dozen as I do it all by hand but I charge 3/$2 and then maybe down to the average 50c per ear.

Here is what the two cost when on sale:
10 foot piece EMT 1/2 inch about 1.50 on sale. I bought one last one at The Depot yesterday for 1.89. 9 is a good fit for my 48 foot beds, 8-10 is necessary. 10 for 50 feet I suppose.
9 gauge fence tensioner wire 170 feet for $10. 170 feet covers a lot of hoops! You may have to buy a bolt cutter. I suppose one roll would make about five 50 foot beds covered and ready for row cover or my cheap shade cloth thing.

But I just assume the more space around the bed the more heat is retained. I think that is how high tunnels work. So there must be some principle about the higher the row cover or film is, the further from the plants, the warmer the air, right?

row covers hold the most heat in when they are close to the soil. a bigger covered space will get hotter during the day raising the average temperature of your growing space. but the temperature in the morning under the ground hugging cover will be higher than the temperature in the bigger space. if you have plastic mulch on the ground this probably eliminates the advantage of having the row covers on or close to the soil level.
and you are talking about air temperature which is important but soil temperature counts for something too.

I picked Thursday for Saturday AM market so I could bake Friday. Thursday was cool and damp but no wind. Of course I had to take row cover off to pick and then put back on but it went fast and with no wind it wasn't a chore. I was amazed the kale grew so much in one week and the spinach a little. Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage are not growing at all. I don't think I will bother covering the young bed with film being they don't want to grow.
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View inside the kale quick hoop tunnel. I grab a half bushel basket and monkey walk in here just fine. It is so temperate and I like being in there. One hoop is shorter and so I have to duck under it but the rest are just right for stooping and gorilla walk.

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On the right is the other quick hoop tunnel of a bed and a half of spinach and the uncovered bed is lettuce, tatsoi and spinach. Spinach did poorly this fall for no apparent reason. I seeded at the right time, kept it shaded and sprinkled a lot. the only thing was it got hailed on in mid September and stunted. The tatsoi is amazing.

Tuesday I took down the big one covering late planted brassicas. They just were doing nothing. If it was covering something else I would have left it up. I did leave up the two EMT ones. They survived the 3 inches of snow we got.

3" of snow, I'm not ready for that. Of course, I'm not ready for any snow, but I know I'll get some. I guess the snow was a good test for your tunnels.