Such an awesome idea, especially with Utah’s unpredictable spring and fall (and even summer!). I’ve got my trellises done for this year, but I’ve been wanting to do a low tunnel. This is something I’d love to try next year! Thanks for the video!
Most inspiring! I tried a trel!lis system very much like this last year, and loved it. I don't have side walls like you do, can you explain how to secure the bottom of the plastic? Tx!
Great! Yes, we usually secure the bottom of the plastic with bricks or long pieces of heavy wood. Some people bury them but that makes it too difficult to get in and out of it in our opinion.
I don't understand the T joint used on the 1" PVC, is that big enough to go over the T post? It looks like that part is bigger than the horizontals. It would be nice to have a parts list in the comments. Otherwise great video, thanks
Hi Cate! So there are a T joints and 90 elbows on the top bar that fit directly into the 1" PVC uprights when it is in Trellis mode. But, the 1" fittings are too small to fit over the top of the T post when it's in low tunnel mode so that is why we mention the 1.25" couplings. The larger couplings slip over the top of the T post and also allow the 1" fittings to go right into them. You can see the couplings and my brief explanation at 7:00 ua-cam.com/video/ESlHuIvc8Hk/v-deo.html. Let us know if that doesn't make since.
Great video. What material do you use for the low tunnel covering ? How long is the half inch pvc for the arch of the low tunnel? How tall are the One inch uprights to move the low tunnel up to be the trellis? What is the spacing between the row cover hoops? I am in Alpine and would love to see your setup sometime perhaps even a Zoom call. Richard Pickering
Hi Richard! Glad the video is helpful. The low tunnel is covered with UV protected greenhouse poly 6ml. The PVC for the hoops were 10ft lengths that I then cut to size, they are probably around 8ft. The hoops are 4-5 feet apart. Sometime during the growing season, send us an email via the contact page on our website to see about a Zoom call or we might have a scheduled virtual tour that you could join. foodscapingutah.org/contact/
Does using a low tunnel remove the need for hardening off? Can I move my tomatoes directly from the greenhouse or basement starting setup into the low tunnel outside, then simply remove the plastic completely in May after it warms up? Or is the plastic removed an hour at a time, very gradually, for a week or two?
Using a low tunnel definitely makes a huge difference for the hardening-off process. In general, we go from greenhouse to low tunnel without any hardening off but we try to time it to where there will be a nice stretch of weather following transplanting day. From a basement under lights I would still be concerned about the intensity of the sunlight and the temperature swings in the low tunnel, so I would probably go for a more gradual transition in that case.
Such an awesome idea, especially with Utah’s unpredictable spring and fall (and even summer!). I’ve got my trellises done for this year, but I’ve been wanting to do a low tunnel. This is something I’d love to try next year! Thanks for the video!
Thanks for the comment. You are so right about our unpredictable climate!
Most inspiring! I tried a trel!lis system very much like this last year, and loved it. I don't have side walls like you do, can you explain how to secure the bottom of the plastic? Tx!
Great! Yes, we usually secure the bottom of the plastic with bricks or long pieces of heavy wood. Some people bury them but that makes it too difficult to get in and out of it in our opinion.
Looks like a smart concept 🤗 we might try it out.. thanks for sharing 🙄
Please do! And let us know how it goes.
I don't understand the T joint used on the 1" PVC, is that big enough to go over the T post? It looks like that part is bigger than the horizontals. It would be nice to have a parts list in the comments. Otherwise great video, thanks
Hi Cate! So there are a T joints and 90 elbows on the top bar that fit directly into the 1" PVC uprights when it is in Trellis mode. But, the 1" fittings are too small to fit over the top of the T post when it's in low tunnel mode so that is why we mention the 1.25" couplings. The larger couplings slip over the top of the T post and also allow the 1" fittings to go right into them. You can see the couplings and my brief explanation at 7:00 ua-cam.com/video/ESlHuIvc8Hk/v-deo.html. Let us know if that doesn't make since.
Great video. What material do you use for the low tunnel covering ? How long is the half inch pvc for the arch of the low tunnel? How tall are the One inch uprights to move the low tunnel up to be the trellis? What is the spacing between the row cover hoops? I am in Alpine and would love to see your setup sometime perhaps even a Zoom call.
Richard Pickering
Hi Richard! Glad the video is helpful. The low tunnel is covered with UV protected greenhouse poly 6ml. The PVC for the hoops were 10ft lengths that I then cut to size, they are probably around 8ft. The hoops are 4-5 feet apart. Sometime during the growing season, send us an email via the contact page on our website to see about a Zoom call or we might have a scheduled virtual tour that you could join. foodscapingutah.org/contact/
Does using a low tunnel remove the need for hardening off? Can I move my tomatoes directly from the greenhouse or basement starting setup into the low tunnel outside, then simply remove the plastic completely in May after it warms up? Or is the plastic removed an hour at a time, very gradually, for a week or two?
Using a low tunnel definitely makes a huge difference for the hardening-off process. In general, we go from greenhouse to low tunnel without any hardening off but we try to time it to where there will be a nice stretch of weather following transplanting day. From a basement under lights I would still be concerned about the intensity of the sunlight and the temperature swings in the low tunnel, so I would probably go for a more gradual transition in that case.
Okay, it looks like I have some experimenting to do!
Thanks for the video. I especially like your low tunnel idea. Is that asparagus behind John? Wow it’s tall! 😊
Yes! There’s some tall asparagus back there and some artichokes behind from another angle! They have turned into monsters this year.