high tunnel plans

pecker88 · December 15, 2015

Currently have a 16 ft x 8 ft raised bed made from railroad ties.

My plan this spring is to expand it another 8 ft, for a total of 24' then enclose it with 16 ft long cattle panels to create a high tunnel. 16 ft panel across an 8 ft. space works out to a max of 5.8 ft of head clearance.

The far (back) side will have a 30"x60" screen, the front door is 36"x61".
The ridge pole spans are 12', supported in the middle by a 4x4 post.

The tall circular plants represent tomatoes, they are spaced 30" apart on-center.

My main concerns are:
-heat; in Nebr. it gets HOT, often in mid-90's

-irrigation; current raised beds are ditch irrigated. The bed slopes from right-to-left which won't work given this design (it would flow across walkway).

when/if construction begins, I'll keep this thread updated.

December 15, 2015	#1
pecker88 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Lincoln, NE Posts: 192	high tunnel plans Currently have a 16 ft x 8 ft raised bed made from railroad ties. My plan this spring is to expand it another 8 ft, for a total of 24' then enclose it with 16 ft long cattle panels to create a high tunnel. 16 ft panel across an 8 ft. space works out to a max of 5.8 ft of head clearance. The far (back) side will have a 30"x60" screen, the front door is 36"x61". The ridge pole spans are 12', supported in the middle by a 4x4 post. The tall circular plants represent tomatoes, they are spaced 30" apart on-center. My main concerns are: -heat; in Nebr. it gets HOT, often in mid-90's -irrigation; current raised beds are ditch irrigated. The bed slopes from right-to-left which won't work given this design (it would flow across walkway). when/if construction begins, I'll keep this thread updated. Last edited by pecker88; December 15, 2015 at 04:31 PM.