Caterpillar tunnel: An inexpensive variation on the hoophouse theme

publication date: Jun 1, 2010 | author/source: Lynn Byczynski

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By Lynn Byczynski
Among the many season extension structures in use on vegetable farms today, one of the least expensive is the caterpillar tunnel.
Caterpillars so named because of their segmented appearance are constructed of pvc pipe, rebar, and rope. They can be up to
300 feet long, and dont require flat ground. Most are 5 to 6 feet tall at the center of the hoop, so the grower can walk into them from
any point along their width (although its not as comfortable as working in a high tunnel).
Caterpillars are easy to build and move. They are inexpensive compared to permanent hoophouses and most of the materials can be
found locally. They provide protection but, at the same time, excellent air flow.
Caterpillars are used for many crops and many purposes. They can be covered with poly early and late in the season to provide a
warm environment. They can be covered with shadecloth in summer to grow lettuce, cut flowers, or other cool-loving plants. When
covered with row cover (e.g. Agribon) or insect mesh, they can be used in summer to exclude pests.
This article will focus on growing summer crops, including cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants, and flowers in a caterpillar tunnel.
Building a caterpillar
The hoops for a caterpillar tunnel can be galvanized steel, electrical conduit or
pvc. They can be pushed directly into the soil, or placed over rebar ground
stakes, with about a foot in the ground in either case. Hoops should be spaced
6-10 feet apart, depending on wind exposure. A rope is then tied from hoop to
hoop to form a purlin that runs the length of the tunnel. The rope should be tied
off to stakes at both ends of the tunnel. The covering is then pulled over the
tunnel and held to the ground with pegs, sand bags, or rocks. Stakes are
pounded into the ground between hoops on both sides of the tunnel. Ropes are
tied across the top of the tunnel to the stakes to hold the covering in place.
Anne and Eric Nordell of Beech Grove Farm in Trout Run, Pennsylvania, use caterpillars on their farm. Here is how they build them:
They set 30-inch pieces of 5/8-inch rebar 6 feet apart and 18 inches deep (12 inches of rebar sticking out of the ground) in two rows
10.5 feet apart. For the hoops, they use 20-foot lengths of Schedule 40 1-inch pvc pipe. They slide the pvc pipe over the rebar stakes,
forming flexible hoops. For the ridge purlin, they use clothesline and loop it around the top of each hoop and tie it off to 36-inch rebar
posts that are set about 8 feet past each end of the tunnel. They attach a separate rope from the end hoop to the stake to add
stability.
Cucumbers and tomatoes
The Nordells have a short season at their farm in the mountaints. They have found the caterpillar tunnel to be a cost-effective way to
get growing earlier and later, and to protect crops from insects and disease. They use a caterpillar for lettuce, spinach, salad mix,
cucumbers, tomatoes, basil, chard and kale.
For the past three years, they have participated in a trial of organic control of cucurbit pests sponsored by the Pennsylvania
Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA). The Nordells focused on early cucumber production using Enviromesh anti-insect
screen and 6-mil greenhouse poly on a caterpillar, and compared it to their standard practice of growing cucumbers under floating
row cover outside.

For pollination, they removed the floating row cover when the plants flowered in the field; inside the caterpillar, they placed
bumblebee hives.
Yields were 78 percent higher in the caterpillar than the field. The field cucumbers had a 28 percent cull rate, all because of damage
by cucumber beetles, compared to 20 percent culls in the caterpillar, all caused by misshapen fruit. Some cucumber beetles did
manage to sneak into the caterpillar, but in general it did a good job of excluding them. The caterpillar also accelerated the first
harvest of cucumbers by nine days compared to those under floating row cover.
The caterpillar also saved the Nordells tomato crop last year. In the field, the first tomato harvest is normally the third week of August.
But late blight, which was rampant all over the East in 2009, killed their field tomatoes in mid-July, before they started producing. But
the tomatoes in caterpillars started bearing in early July and kept on going until late August, when they finally succumbed to late
blight. In other words, the caterpillar provided six weeks of earliness and six weeks of late blight protection.
The insect screening, while obviously essential for pest control, also seemed to improve the stability of the caterpillar tunnel, Eric
said. Whereas spunbonded row cover such as Agribon is susceptible to being torn off by wind, the insect screening lets air move
through the tunnel, resulting in less damage to the structure and better air circulation for the crops.
Enviromesh, also known as Proteknet, insect screen is available from Purple Mountain Organics in the U.S. and from Dubois
Agrinovation in Canada (they will ship to the U.S. See www.duboisag.com). Other brands of greenhouse insect screening are
available from G&M Agricultural Supply.
Flowers
Growing cut flowers in caterpillars has resulted in longer stems and higher quality blooms for Jan and Ted Blomgren of Windflower
Farm in Easton, NY. They started using the tunnels with row cover to exclude leafhoopers, which carry aster yellows, a disease that
damages many flowers in the Aster family. Not only were they able to grow China asters without leafhopper damage, they also got 3foot stems. Since then, they have grown many kinds of flowers in caterpillars, including bells of Ireland, godetia, lisianthus,
snapdragons, and stock. Now they cover the flower caterpillars with 3-4 mil greenhouse film, not row cover, and grow asters under
row cover in low tunnels. The Blomgrens have about 12,000 square feet of the tunnels on their farm for production of vegetables as
well as flowers. Many more details are included in the manual High Tunnels: Using Low Cost Technology to Increase Yields, Improve
Quality, and Extend the Growing Season. Ted Blomgren is co-author with Tracy Frisch and Steve Moore of this excellent resource,
which was published by the University of Vermont Center for Sustainable Agriculture. It covers many kinds of season extension
structures, from low tunnels to Haygrove multi-bay tunnels.
The High Tunnels manual is available free as a PDF at http://www.uvm.edu/sustainableagriculture/hightunnels.html. There is an
accompanying DVD, for $15, that features six farmers explaining how and why they constructed their high tunnel system, what they
grow in it, and how it helps sustain their farming operation. To order the video, see
http://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/Videos/hightunnelvideo.html, or call (802) 656-5459.
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The Hoophouse Handbook is a great introduction to building and growing in unheated hoophouses/high tunnels.
Copyright Fairplain Publications Inc. All rights reserved. No portion of this article may be copied in any manner for use other than by
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