How I Maximize the Space in My Growing Tunnel

I have a growing tunnel, just 10-feet wide and 20-feet long. But I manage to grow a lot more food inside it than you might think possible.

I'd like to briefly outline some of the strategies I employ to make the most of the space in my growing tunnel (also known as a polytunnel, polyhouse, or hoophouse). Some of these strategies might be useful to you as you consider how you can maximize yield, and make the most of space and time in your own garden or undercover growing area.

Year-Round Growing

The first and most important step in maximizing the space is making sure that I use it all year round. I live in Scotland. Temperatures can occasionally dip below -5 C (23 F) in winter, but this is not common. Summers are quite cool. We have a moderately short growing season. Last frosts are typically in April, and first frosts are typically around mid-October.

My main reason for having a polytunnel is to make it possible to grow a wider range of crops over the winter months. But it is also important in summer, when it makes it much easier to grow warm-season crops like tomatoes, peppers, and corn.

One key thing for me is planning ahead. This is crucial in order to make sure that I am able to continue to grow crops and harvest from my tunnel throughout the seasons. I typically sow warm-season crops indoors early in the year, so I can transfer them to the tunnel once the weather warms.

Read more: Start Sowing Early To Extend Your Growing Season

In spring, I often sow interim early-season crops – peas, broad beans, first early potatoes, lettuce, and other salad crops – which will be ready to harvest in June to make space for the warm-season summer crops. After midsummer, I sow brassicas and other leafy greens which can overwinter in the polytunnel, accompanied by alliums for overwintering in the fall. Every time a gap opens up, there is something new to transplant into the space.

Year-round growing means taking care to maintain fertility over time. And also thinking about crop rotation. I rotate key crop families on a three-year rotation. I also mulch and use organic liquid feeds, as well as nitrogen-fixing crops, to maintain nutrient levels.

Tunnel Layout and Vertical Gardening

As well as thinking about what I sow and when I plant, making the most of the space inside the tunnel has also involved some careful planning in terms of the layout.

I have two long beds, one down each side of the tunnel, and a rectangular bed down the center. This creates two thin paths, with small areas at either end of the tunnel where there are doors. But I also utilize the pathways through the year by placing planting containers along them that I can step over to access all the growing areas. 

I also make sure to optimize not just the horizontal space in the tunnel, but the vertical space as well. Along both sides of the tunnel, I have run wires between the crop bars of the structure; these are horizontal bars across the top. Sometimes, I run twine down from these to create a cordon system for tomatoes and other plants.

At the north end of the central bed, I have a trellis structure (made from reclaimed wood and fencing wire) leaning against one of the crop bars. Two grapevines climb the south side of this structure, and other plants can also be trained onto it from below. On the rear side, I have used milk containers to make a vertical garden, where leafy crops grow. I use these for some seedlings in the colder months and grow spinach and other leafy greens in the shade during the summer.

Above the central bed, I also created a hanging shelf with reclaimed wood and a sheet of clear plastic leftover from the creation of the tunnel's cover. This hanging shelf is used for seedlings and hardening off transplants from indoors. And it can be raised or lowered as required throughout the year. I also have two hanging baskets that are used as additional growing space.

Polyculture Planting

Finally, it is worth mentioning that I also try to make the most of the space in my growing tunnel by creating polycultures of plants. 

Companion planting is key. I think about which plants will grow well together, without competing too much. And think about how certain plants may be beneficial to others by, for example, creating shade or ground cover, dynamically accumulating nutrients (before being chopped and dropped), attracting pollinators or predatory insects, or helping in organic pest control.

Rather than just growing tomatoes in one bed, and brassicas in another, I will combine crops, and also add in other herbs, flowers, etc. for additional yields. For example, I grow basil, lettuce and other leafy greens, and spring onions alongside tomatoes. I grow peas or beans between brassicas and allow chickweed to grow as ground cover below them.

These are but some ideas for how to maximize yields in a growing tunnel. With careful thought and planning, one can garden year-round and grow a surprising amount of food in a relatively small space.

Read more: How to Build or Buy a High Tunnel