- Bobcat Standard High Tunnel Kit (#6795) | Parts List (PDF)
- Pests & Diseases of Greenhouses & Hydroponic Systems | Tech Sheet (PDF)
- Winter Growing Guide | Protection Methods for Overwintering in Low Tunnels
- Protect Your Crops | High & Low Tunnel Basics
- Bobcat Basic High Tunnel Kit Manual (#6923) | Tech Sheet (PDF)
- Winter Production in the High Tunnel | Johnny's Winter Growing Guide
- Beginning & Intermediate Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) | Advances in Greenhouse Crop Production
- Bobcat Basic High Tunnel Kit (#6923) | Parts List (PDF)
- Hitch Mount for QuickHoops Low Tunnel Benders | Instruction Manual (PDF)
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- Winter Growing Guide | Scheduling Guidelines for Overwintered Crops
- Bobcat Sliding Door Kit Manual (#6792) | Tech Sheet (PDF)
- Bobcat Pro High Tunnel Kit (#6794) | Parts List (PDF)
- Quick Hoops Low Tunnels | Set-up & Management with Eliot Coleman
- Moving the Modular Moveable Gothic Tunnel – Slideshow
- Growing Under Cover with Niki Jabbour & Johnny's | Johnny's Educational Webinar Resources
- Winter Growing | Recommended Crops & Varieties
- Video: Johnny's Season Extension & Overwintering Trials
- Recommended Varieties from Our Greenhouse Trials | What We Look For in Greenhouse Crops
- QuickHoops Seedling & Microgreens Bench | Construction Guide (PDF)
- Agribon+ AG-19, 30, 50 & 70 Row Cover | Insert (PDF)
- QuickHoops 3'W x 4.5'H Low Tunnel Bender (#7616) | Instruction Manual (PDF)
- Johnny's Winter Growing Guide | Printable Brochure (PDF)
- Seeding Date Calculator | Johnny's Recommended Flowers for Overwintering | XLSX
- Bobcat Pro High Tunnel Kit Manual (#6794) | Tech Sheet (PDF)
- Bobcat Automatic Ventilation Kit Manual (#6791) | Tech Sheet (PDF)
- QuickHoops Moveable High Tunnel Bender | Instruction Manual (PDF)
- Row Cover & Insect Netting Options & Uses | Comparison Chart (PDF)
- Why Grow in a Greenhouse? Basics & Advantages of Protected Culture
- Video: Take a Tour with Us of Johnny's Greenhouses!
- Planning for Opening Day at the Farmers' Market or for Wholesale Accounts
- Winter-Harvest Crops | Planting Chart for a Seamless Winter Harvest
- Winter Growing Guide | Introduction & Part 1: Scheduling Your Winter-Harvest High Tunnel
- Bobcat Tunnel Kits | Comparison Chart
- Video: The Benefits of Row Covers | Recommendations & Tips from Johnny's Selected Seeds
- Video: Hoop Houses & Other Ways to Extend Your Growing Season
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- Skinning the Modular Moveable Gothic High Tunnel – Slideshow
- QuickHoops Low Tunnel Benders | Instruction Manual (#9377 & #9520) | (PDF)
- Video: How to Use Quick Hoops™ Benders to Create High & Low Tunnels
- The Effect of Shorter Daylength on Winter Production
- Video: Growing Under Cover with Niki Jabbour | Johnny's Webinar Series
- Constructing the Modular Moveable Gothic Tunnel – Animated Schematic
- QuickHoops High Tunnel Bender | Construction Manual for Building a Stationary High Tunnel (PDF)
- Overwintering Onions from Seed | Johnny's Selected Seeds
- Intro to Overwintering Flowers | Method & Recommendations from Johnny's Overwinter Flower Trials
- Overwintering Crops | Planting Chart for Earliest Spring Vegetable Harvest
- Overwintering Perennial Herbs
- Video: DIY Cold Frame • Easy How-to Tutorial with Niki Jabbour
- Truss Support Kit Manual (#6790) | Tech Sheet (PDF)
- Bobcat Standard High Tunnel Kit Manual (#6795) | Tech Sheet (PDF)
- Video: Cover Cropping for Field & Garden with Collin Thompson | Johnny's Webinar Series
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- QuickHoops Elliptical High Tunnel Bender | Construction Manual for 24'-Wide High Tunnel of Any Desired Length (PDF)
- QuickHoops Gothic High Tunnel Bender | Construction Manual for Modular Moveable Gothic High Tunnel (PDF)
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- Video: Planning & Planting the Autumn Vegetable Garden | Tips & Recommendations with Niki Jabbour
- Overwinter Flower Trials | Multiyear Results for >25 Crops | Johnny's Selected Seeds | XLSX
Protection Methods for
OVERWINTERING in LOW TUNNELS
Johnny's Winter Growing Guide
We developed the Quick Hoops™ Low Tunnel Benders specifically for creating hoops from bent steel conduit (aka electric metallic tube, or EMT). We have found that hoops made of EMT are strong enough to support heavy winter snow loads, whereas other materials, such as wire or PVC, fall short in this regard.
Using different bender styles, 3'-, 4'-, or 6'-wide hoops can be created, for fabricating low tunnels that span one or two beds at at time.
When frost is predicted, the hoops are covered with row cover (Agribon+ AG-19 or heavier) to extend the crop into the fall. These porous "blankets" protect the crop from frost while allowing them to respire and self-ventilate as temperatures fluctuate throughout the day.
After a few frosts, and once the chance of warm days has diminished, a layer of 4-mil (100-micron)-thick greenhouse film can be laid overtop the row cover.
If perchance warm weather occurs after the addition of the plastic layer, you may need to manually regulate internal temperatures, ventilating the low tunnels by lifting their sides then lowering them again as temperatures drop.
In the dead of winter, the tunnels will effectively be sealed shut by the snow load on top.
Following the winter solstice, the tunnels may again need to be vented intermittently, to prevent overheating as days grow longer and warmer.
Once the danger of hard frost has passed, the plastic can be removed completely, with the row cover remaining in place to protect the crop until it is time for early-spring harvest.
Learn More
To learn more about How to Set Up and Manage Your Quick Hoops Low Tunnels, see our excerpt from Eliot Coleman's Winter Harvest Handbook.

- Intro to Winter Growing
- Scheduling Guidelines for the Winter-Harvest High Tunnel
- Winter-Harvest Crops • Planting Chart
- Winter Production in the High Tunnel
- Overwintering Scheduling Guidelines
- Overwintering Crops • Planting Chart
- Protection Methods for Overwintering in Low Tunnels
- Focus on Crops & Varieties for Winter Growing
- Overwintering Onions from Seed
- Intro to Overwintering Flowers • Methods & Recommendations from Johnny's Overwinter Flower Trials