Since 2015, our Social Enterprise program has offered high quality growing supplies and high tunnel manufacturing & installation services in the central Appalachian region.
Types of High Tunnels
A high tunnel is a season extension tool that facilitates the production of fresh vegetables twelve months a year. The benefit comes from the ability to manage the growing environment – temperature, irrigation, light (to some extent) and weather extremes. This element of control provides an opportunity to grow quality vegetables in a more consistent and planned manner.
Gothic Tunnel
Modular Movable Tunnel
The Gothic high tunnel is designed with a peaked roof profile. The design allows the grower more headroom on the sides of the tunnel. This design also allows the tunnel to shed snow and water more easily in comparison to the Quonset model.
The tunnel itself is 15 ft wide and 9 ft high. The sides roll up to provide ventilation throughout and the rolling mechanism makes it easy for growers to do themselves. Our standard kit is 48 feet long, but we can build a gothic high tunnel at any 4 foot increment.
The Gothic high tunnel meets and/or exceeds all NRCS standards for grant-funded high tunnels and is also a manageable size for all families.
The Modular Movable High Tunnel (MMHT) is designed to meet the needs of a wide variety of growers while still utilizing the Gothic peaked roof and is light enough to be moved with four people.
The modular design is a 14ft wide by 16ft long tunnel, small enough for both backyard growers and small scale producers. It is designed to connect ‘modules’ together to maximize the surface area inside the high tunnel. Movable tunnels are great for overall soil health, breaking disease cycles & soil erosion, keeping soil salinity balanced and making crop rotations and cover cropping easy.
For ventilation this design has scissor doors at each end as well as 3 foot roll up sides.
Gothic End Wall Options
Our standard end wall option
A more durable end wall option
Designed to allow farm equipment into and through your high tunnel
Our Water Catchment & Drip Irrigation Systems
A covered high tunnel creates a dry environment requiring irrigation. Water can be collected from your high tunnel ‘roof’, stored in catchment tanks and used for irrigation. Recycling collected water through an irrigation system requires catchment tanks, a filter, a pump to pressurize the water (electric hook up necessary), a pressure reducer to stabilize pressure, a check valve for backflow prevention, a header line, and drip tape with ‘drip’ emitters.
We sell a variety of water catchment & irrigation materials, design functional systems, and provide installation services within a 150 mile radius around Berea, KY.
All of our installations and materials meet NRCS grant standards. So, you will be guaranteed approval upon completion. Our crew has experience with designing and installing water catchment and irrigation systems and also customize systems based on the fruits & vegetables you want to grow.
High Tunnel FAQs
If we are installing the high tunnels, there is the option of doing payment assignment through the NRCS. This means you will be signing over your reimbursement for the project to Grow Appalachia, and acts as a guarantee of payment. If a payment assignment is not completed for the project, we will require half the total amount of the project upfront, and half on completion of the project.
Yes. Please make checks payable to: Berea College Grow Appalachia, CPO 2122, 101 Chestnut St. Berea, KY 40404.
We generally do not, but if you have no other method of payment, we can make arrangements.
Once an order is confirmed, it typically takes 1-4 weeks to manufacture and deliver your high tunnel(s) if you are within a 250 mile* radius of Berea, KY (*road miles).
When the high tunnel season is active, there might be extended lead times for installation. We recommend that you get your build scheduled up to 16 weeks in the advance. Once we deliver and the build is started, it may take several weeks for the project to be completed depending on the weather, the number and size of high tunnels you have ordered, and distance you are from Berea.
Yes, we can do partial or full installation of your Grow Appalachia high tunnel if you are within a 100 mile (road miles) proximity of Berea. If you are further out, it may still be possible for us to do the installation depending on our availability. If you are beyond 100 miles from Berea and still wish to have the tunnel installed, please let us know in the notes section of your quote.
No, but communication is key for site preparation. If you have concerns about your site, please let us know as soon as possible.
No, we highly recommend that you use microirrigation or soaker hoses to maintain good soil moisture. The use of sprinklers in your tunnel will increase humidity levels which can harm your plants.
No, but you will need to keep a close eye on the weather as there are fluctuating temperatures in late Spring and early Fall. In these instances, you will need to roll up the sides of your tunnel(s).
No, it doesn’t make sense for us to haul or ship lumber, but arrangements can be made if you have challenges sourcing lumber locally.
To date, none of our tunnels have collapsed under slow load and our first tunnels were installed in 2011.
The plastic we use are warrantied for 4 years for manufacturer defects, but will likely last 7 years. The more pressing issue with aging plastic is decreased light transmission, which can make it difficult to have healthy plant growth.
Yes. Each tunnel comes with one, 3ft wide sliding door that can go on either end of the tunnel you choose. If you need a wider door to accommodate larger equipment, please ask us about our add-on options.
Yes, however if you are outside of Kentucky we recommend that you check with your state office for approval.
Yes, there are trusses on our gothic tunnels. The Quonset tunnels do not need wind support because they have a low profile.
Learn How to Install Our Tunnels
High Tunnel Gallery
“Our Grow Appalachia high tunnels have leveraged our ability to provide fresh, local produce year round. Back to the Garden Farm has become known as the go-to provider of winter greens.”
“The high tunnels have not only provided season extension, but they protected our crops from flooding and storm damage. I would recommend Grow Appalachia’s high tunnels to all, from small gardens to large farms.”
“We love our hoop house at Appalachian Sustainable Development’s teaching garden. We use it to extend the lettuce season, in the spring and fall.
“The Grow Appalachia high tunnels work best for us. The smaller structures hold up better under the snow. The high tunnels have extended our growing season tremendously.”
