Low Tunnel over Geothermal bed in High Tunnel

[Maggie13]

We purchased:
10 - Schedule 40 Conduit, 1/2" X 10'

1- 1" X 4' X 8' Expanded Polystyrene Foam Board Insulation
foil backed 2 sides

1 - 10' x 100-ft x 6-mil Clear Plastic Sheeting
1 -3/16" Insulated Metalized Mylar Double Foil Bubble Wrap, 24" X 125'

First thing to do was to till in several 5 gallon buckets of compost with my little Earthway electric tiller.





We fasten each length of Conduit to the raised bed boards with screws with a layout out of 24" on center:






Then fastened the ridge board and duct taped the foam board to the conduit using to form our end walls:


We used 6 mil greenhouse plastic as our first layer so on sunny days we could roll up the bubble wrap and either leave the plastic down if it is not a real sunny day otherwise I simply pull it over the ridge board.

I sewed together three-pieces of double bubble wrap 4 ft wide by 18 1/2 ft to make the 12 ft wide top blanket.
Using 1' X 2" strips we screwed the blanket to the raised beds on the north wall.and to the ridge board.


On the south side we used a couple of sections of conduit for roll up side.

[Rockoe10]

You are living my dream!

Very nice

[Cole_Robbie]

Yes, very nice. The choice of conduit over pvc pipe is wise due to the conduit having uv inhibitors.

You have a very nice baseboard for attaching the hoops. An alternative method for people working with less would be stakes of a larger size conduit driven into the ground and holding the hoop end that slides into it.

[Amateurinawe]

It all looks so lovely and so much fun!

[bower]

This is a winter paradise!

[USMC130FE]

Love your guys ideas and ability to get things done

[Maggie13]

Thanks everyone!
I love being able to snow shoe out to the HT in below freezing weather and bring back some fresh lettuce for our salad during the winter months when most everything here is in hibernation.


The Tom Thumb tomatoes were grown under lights in the house

[GoDawgs]

I LOVE your set up! Well done! And I hope you post pics as stuff grows. Your bubble blanket is genius.

Is this a permanent set up or are you going to take it down for the summer? And have you taken any ambient temperatures in both the HT and the small tunnel?

I had to google map your location and yep, you sure do need that tunnel. I have relatives in Oswego so I'm familiar with the weather up there.

[Maggie13]

Thank you GoDawgs.
We take it down in the spring!
I do take both the air and the ground temperatures throughout the winter months.
It can get below freezing in the HT.

The sun warms the air and the soil during the day and a little ceramic heater that is set on low helps warm the LT over night. If it is snowing or just a really overcast day I leave the bubble wrap down to conserve the heat.

The only part we have yet to control is the amount of light the plants receive. With the sun low in the sky and the days so short the plants do not grow very fast.
We are thinking next year to include lights in the low tunnel.

[PhilaGardener]

That set-up looks really nice!

[Harry Cabluck]

Very nice work. Well planned.