high tunnel

noun

plural high tunnels

: a typically unheated semi-permanent structure resembling a greenhouse that consists of a curved metal frame usually covered in heavy plastic, that is used especially to protect crops growing in or on the ground, and that is often large enough to drive a vehicle (such as a tractor) into

High tunnels do not have any installed temperature control system. They are warmed in the winter by the sun and cooled in the summer by the breeze.

—Tom Ingram

Eric Hanson, an MSU [Michigan State University] professor of small fruits and nutrition, said the use of high tunnels can reduce mildew infestations on autumn red raspberries and that this could enable growers to produce high value fruit further into the fall.

—Paul Dodson

The simplest high tunnel is just a piece of plastic pulled over the crop without any end or side walls. Whether built from a kit or scratch, the basic tunnel involves posts that are driven into the ground, with hoops or bows arched overhead.

—Andrew Mefferd

called also hoop house

Examples of high tunnel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Upon investigation, the city Department of Buildings discovered the 60-foot long, 8-foot wide and 5-foot high tunnel connects four neighboring buildings. —Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 10 Jan. 2024

Recent workshop topics include tomato production (a plant unfamiliar to many of the farmers), high tunnels for season extension, and row covers and tarping. —Jocelyn Ruggiero, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Aug. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined above