High Tunnel Use Expanding throughout World (for plants)

[Dover]

Consider this. You can build a "High Tunnel Greenhouse" with 1000 feet of area, 12 feet tall, and 30 feet wide and 40 feet long for about $2780.



THIS COULD BE YOUR GARDEN!
You can grow enough food for your family organically, and have food left over to give or sell to others. You can power your water well, with a wind turbine, and never pay an electric bill. People are quietly doing this by the thousands, across the world.

High tunnels are inexpensive “green houses” that can be utilized by agricultural producers to grow food crops in high volume. It is an answer to the rising cost of land, an answer to the rising cost of water, and an answer for a need to move food production nearer to metropolitan areas therefore lowering expensive transportation. But more and more people, who want to preserve the environment, have fresh food, and enjoy organic foods are using high tunnels. Even churches, schools and cities are sponsoring "garden projects".

Advantages also include:

1. Ability to control humidity

2. Ability to control water, especially through drip irrigation

3. Ability to control fertilizers, insects and temperature

4. Ability to grow three crops per year, or increase production of one or two crops by 200%

5. Ability to control temperature for optimal growth

One ideal application of High Tunnel production is the small 30 by 40 feet tunnel shown in the photo in this article. This tunnel is watered by a well, with an electric submersible pump, with electricity provided by a wind turbine. This “green house” is within the city limits of Fort Worth, Texas. ..cont'd

http://bootheglobalperspectives.com/article.asp?offset=0&id=332

[ixion]

1. great article, thanks for posting, Dover

I'll be looking into one of these tunnels.

[Dover]

5. thumbs up! Me too! ... n/t

[BrklynLiberal]

2. WOW! I want one of these....

if only I had a backyard....

[Dover]

3. Nothing an extra bathtub and shower curtain couldn't solve...lol!

And if you live high up in an apartment it would give 'raised bed' a whole new
meaning. Perhaps you could save water by showering with your plants? :rofl:


Necessity is the mother of invention.
And somebody posted this cool contraption:


Window Farming - http://www.windowfarms.org/

[BrklynLiberal]

6. I have seen and seriously considered the window farm....

I love the idea of showering WITH my plants!!!:thumbsup: :hi:

[Dover]

7. Lol! Your own 'grey water' system. n/t

[shireen]

4. me too ...

apartment living is not for me .... :(

[RC]

8. This protects you from Monsanto's Frankinpollin also.

Well worth the cost then.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

9. Tunnels of cherries at OSU research farm

For five years, 320 cherry trees have been growing in three tent-like tunnels on about six-tenths of an acre located in back of the farm. Each tunnel is 400 feet long, 30 feet wide, 15 feet tall and has a different colored roof to allow for different wavelengths of sunlight to hit the trees.

The elaborate setup is part of a research project by OSU horticulture professor Anita Azarenko. Its goal is to improve the Willamette Valley's cherry-growing industry using some innovative methods.
http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/national-134/127875158140000.xml&storylist=orlocal

[Dover]

10. That's an interesting article, thanks! Hadn't thought about doing orchards this way.

I'm a little confused about how they do the bee pollination. How does that work?
I also wonder if that is status quo for pollinating when using these tunnels or if there's
some other techniques?

[LWolf]

11. I wonder if we could grow fruit consistently, and more varieties,

east of the Cascades this way.

Do those tunnels keep blossoms from freezing off? How do you keep from baking or steaming them to death in the summer?