Farmers Friend Caterpillar Tunnel - What It's Like To Build One 

Good to see you at home. Our tunnel arrived last week. I'm in MI and will be building in spring. Good to watch you first. Thanks for all the education.

I appreciate your no-nonsense reviews of the products, strait forward, TY Josh, very nice.

Farmers Friend is the best. I like when the truck showed up, the excitement showed in your eyes and face, like a child on Christmas morning. Thanks for sharing.

Can’t wait to see what you will grow! Great looking tunnel!

Farmers Friend happens to be based out in my neck of the woods in Middle Tn. Great company run by a great family.

I thought for a moment that was Obi Wan doing some seed trays at the start :)

Turned out really nice. Looks like the instructions are great and looks good once put up.

So excited for you and even more so to watch this step-by-step so congratulations can’t wait to see more

Pre-bent tubes from a proper hydraulic bender is so much better than manually bending, and so much easier on the back!

Congratulations! Looking forward to seeing what you grow in there. 🙂

Very thankful for the information that you share. I am in the caribbean island of St. Lucia and have been learning so much from you.

Pretty awesome!!!! Well done and thanks for showing bloopers, that shows humility. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🇺🇸

Super helpful, insightful, and inspiring video. Your videos account for a large part of the fragments that create the dream I work towards every day! Can't wait for more!

Thanks Josh. That looks so exciting. Can't wait to see the beds fully in production! Respect for Africa 🇿🇦

Thank you for all your wonderful videos. Always an inspiration to watch it.

Can't wait to get one! I need to extend my growing season.

Great video, Josh! Thanks for sharing your experience!

I have put up 2 of these tunnels. I did find it easier to put the hoops together in order of assembly with cross braces the side hooks and lift kit. When we went to assemble we just lifted the next hoop and put in place. We did a 2 person plastic install and found that if we folded the plastic in half as it comes off the roll it was easy to put in place and the unfold and drop in place.

Great video Josh, thanks. I know you're excited to grow in a more controlled environment. Fingers crossed you dont have any high wind activity before the end walls are complete. Thanks again for sharing your experience.

Looking good Josh. I can't wait to build my hoop house this spring. Very good video. Thanks for sharing with us.

Such a great setup. FF seems like the way to go for tunnels

Another great vlog as always. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Looking forward to the irrigation set up!!

Can’t wait to see how you use it Josh! I’m in Canada, so pretty cold right now but will be moving to a farm soon with an old mink barn we’d like to convert to greenhouse! Need some ideas...

I thought I was watching an Assassin's Creed trailer at the very beginning. haha. Great content.

Congrats! Thanks for sharing the tips.

good job ,, nice idea ,, building the Caterpillar Tunnel .. good luck what you are doing ..

great video Josh! I agree that moving 3 at once is best :) I put rebar caps on the rebar to make it a bit safer as the bows are manoeuvred into place and the other thing was marking out 5 feet along the purlin in sections as it's put up so there's no measuring up on the ladder

Awesome thanks I’m waiting for my tunnel now be February when it gets here

Great video!

I put one of these up by myself in Oklahoma. Make sure you put everything on the bows before you put them up. IE, support wire for the tomato kits, etc. It is MUCH harder to drill on these hoops when they are put up than on the ground. In Oklahoma wind can blow up to 80 mph. We concreted most of the ground posts to keep the tunnel grounded. No issues whatsover in the two years we have used. I put in scissor doors and they have worked well. I used Johnnies plans. Some states don't allow FF tunnels for NRCS. Ours did and it has met my needs and budget as I was not approved for anything more than $4,000.

Looking good brother I love the grind!!

Looking good

i've got 2 50ft gothic pros. i recommend anchoring the corners in concrete. we lost half of one due to 40 mph winds. rebuilt it and used concrete. other than that i love them! building a regular 30 x 60 greenhouse now to add to the farm. ;)

We don't have this design in the UK, I put one up this year and this method of securing the plastic seems much, much easier.

Thanks josh

Good job!

Contact your local Dept. of Ag and fill out the form for a government rebate for building high tunnels like that. They’ll inspect it once it is complete and you’ll eventually get some money back. That is assuming that program is still active.

Love the videos man

I like the tunnels but we went with a Bootstrap Farmer DIY kit this fall and love it. I only worry about the wind with the farmers friend tunnel not being bolted to a pole in the ground....but alot of people buy them. Good luck and can't wait to see more!

I got the exact one, just about a week ago delivered, however I won’t be putting mine up YET here in MN 🥶 can’t wait for April/may

thanks for making this video

Probably purchase paste fall 2021 once settled in on our new farm. Looking forward to your end wall design.......don’t you love the expectations?!

The zipper end walls from farmers friend but $500 for end walls is a bit more of an investment. But the Eliott Coleman scissor doors is what I plan on doing for the farmers friend tunnel I just bought too.

I have been looking at their tunnels on line and some competitors. Its my goal to have one of these beauties one day. Please keep us informed on what you find with this tunnel over time.

Great job. Yeah my 8x12 DIY is taking me forever. lol

I just checked their website. Nice prices. Buy 2 and get free shipping!

Josh, love your channel so much good info your hard work has helped me on my farm so much. I have some questions on low vs high tunnels how can I send you a message??

I finished mine recently, concreted in for an NRCS Grant. On paper it looks like the standard caterpillar would fit inside the gothic pro for double cover korean style greenhouse. I'm thinking of trying that for next winter, then having the inner tunnel available for shade or rain cover after winter.

Josh there is one thing I was wondering about. The rebar is it the only thing holding your Greenhouse to the ground ?? With my Greenhouse I dug 2 feet hole for every hoop on which was 18 holes plus 2 on each end wall which was a lot of work and set my first straight 4 foot pipes 2 ft in concrete 2ft exposed for connecting and built off that. I have heard many story's of the Greenhouse being lifted up and flown away and destroyed. I live in the Sierra's in California so we get some very big storms. I have watched many of your video's and they are always interesting and you are a great host Thank You

Sick build Josh ! i think the folks @HoneyTreeFarm tuck in their end walls . they have a boat load of tunnels

Hey there! I've been working with these tunnels for a few years now. A few concerns id have with your set up is how close those two are... lots of water comes off these especially in heavy rains. I'm not sure how well those ditches are pitched but water can end up saturating through your beds if you're not careful. Lost my entire spring spinach crop from root rot because my outer ditches were holding too much water. Also you gotta have a sand bag system for if and when high winds come. Sand bags of 40-70lbs are sufficient. Throw several on each side. I also think you should have forgone the original till. My tunnels sank because of the BCS tiller.. I could see a precision depth roller or power Harrow but the tiller just destroys the integrity of the soil and causes sinking. At least it does in my soil. I also recommend a more robust design than a scissor door. The Dutch kit is so expensive but will never rot and is always going to be true and not warp, which I think is important to the mobility of these structures. I'd say if you are more DIY to make a wooden framed door. That way you can hang windows or louvered vents for ventilation. Helps to keep them cool on a hot morning if you can't get to them to open before sunrise. If you spread your tunnels apart, and had one on each edge of your entire plot, then the alley way in between becomes a really nice microclimate for growing.

Awesome video! I have the 14’x50’ Gothic Pro tunnel with 2 zipper door end kits to close off both ends so I can use it as a greenhouse for now. Still need to put it up. What were the trenches dug for? Thank you!

Cool.

Update on your Tunnel Did you get the doors What would you change ? Would you do the 100 or 50 again Thanks

I just got my tunnel deliver it’s the gothic pro 100 ft long wonder if a can do 2 50’ tunnels instead of the long one? Thanks

Looks Fabulous x .... I would love to know the purchasing details re this tunnel, where can i buy one? X

Hi Josh! Loved the video opening. It had a little bit of a Mr. Rogers vibe. :) The video you did on Ten Mother's Farm was the first time I'd seen Farmers Friend gothic tunnels. Now it's my dream tunnel. I think there might be subsidy programs for farmers looking to expand/invest in tunnels. Have you heard anything about that?

I am working with farmers friend now on my order of custom size Golic Pro tunnel 14x20.

Question, should or can the tubes be cemented into the ground for stabilization (especially for winter growers)??

I helped assemble and put up 4 50' Farmers Friends high tunnels about a month ago here in MD. The wind destroyed 4 of the end hoops with the plastic on. Also do not yet have end walls of any type. How are your tunnels holding up 6 weeks or so being up? I think we may need to secure ours further somehow because of the winds! Keeping my fingers crossed we do not incur any more damage. Oh, and the plastic at the top of the high tunnels was ripping apart where the rope hits last I checked. So that is a concern of mine too. Nothing planted in them yet.

looking at buying and just wondering if there is a difference between the 4ft and 5ft bow spacing? in zone 5B iowa

Great video, thanks Josh! How much did you spend on two tunnels and delivery?

With this type is it possible to order a 50 ft and split it to make 2 25ft tunnels?

Hi, thank you for the video, it is helpful to see you go through the process. I’ve ordered the same tunnel from FF and expect it any day now. I have a couple of questions: how much plastic is leftover after u add the 4 extra ft? U mentioned there being enough to tie it down so I’m guessing there’s a good bit? Also, about the ends, I’m glad you mention them bc I was wondering if it was just me feeling like there’s no good answer or it’s just left to my interpretation...do you think you could take a piece of plastic, cut for the end, so basically it would be cut in the shape of one of the hoops but bigger and put it in the channel when you put your wiggle wire in that holds the other plastic in place? Obviously getting in would be intersecting but as a way to initially be protected and later add a door of sorts... Thanks! Lauren

Is there a reason to get the 14ft vs the 16 foot?

Thanks, does those ropes somehow cut the plastic?

What is your orientation? The ends face east and west or north and south. Thanks for all the info you provide. Especially that I just bought land in Cedar Grove nc.

Awesome video! I'm considering doing something very similar with a plot almost exactly the same size. I am curious, though, with 100' tunnels, do you have a problem with heat buildup even with the sides open? I'm thinking of putting heirloom tomatoes in them and they would likely get fairly tall and higher into the space of the tunnel (hotter?). Would a 50' tunnel offer better ventilation? It would cost a little more to build four 50' tunnels than two 100' tunnels, I know. I also thought about ease of picking produce with the access at the 50' mark that wouldn't be there with 100' tunnels. Dunno, just thinkin'. Glad for thoughts if ya wanna share them. Thanks!

Do you mulch your falling leaves???

Great video, just wondered if you could use 1ft extension poles on one side of the tunnel if you're on a slope?

Hey Josh, thanks for the content. Did you explain why you went for gothic style instead of classic? Just curious. My context is NW Georgia

Will you have to do more trenching to accommodate your slope? If so, please show us

Great point about the end walls, I have asked FF why they haven't released a sliding door end wall kit yet. Wood rots and is going up in price and with winds, swing out doors make zero sense to me especially on a slope. I ordered some parts from Tunnel Vision and going try to perfect a sliding design on one tunnel then replicate it on others. How do you like that workwear jacket? Mine didn't fit so well and moved on from it. Cheers mate.

do any of their models not have the ability to roll up the sides?

What about ventilation when it gets warm? Are you going to have a way to roll up the sides?

That looks great! If you don’t mind me asking, what was the cost per tunnel? (Obviously the end walls more later) I checked out their website but couldn’t find prices.

Hi Josh, just wondering why you went with Farmers Friend as opposed to some of the other companies for your tunnel? Thanks

I am curios if the tunnel is wind resistant? The rods don't seem to be long enough to provide firm grounding? Maybe I am just paranoid as I come from a really windy place, but that is also why I am curious. Thanks for the video.

Excellent video. how much cost per tunnel?

any idea why the FF Cat tunnel plastic looks different? like more opaque or blurs the backgroundmore? if i compare it with bootstrap farmers kits the plastic looks a lot more see through on those. FF plastic seems more expensive on their site and it looks higher quality to me, but does the opacity filter some of the suns light?

How do you keep your tunnels warm at night? The inside of mine drops down to lower than the outside air temp. I am in the high desert of southern California.

Hang your plastic early in morning less wind then hope this helps

How vulnerable is your site to high winds? Do your kits have all the wind strength bells & whistles?

I know you haven't used these through the summer, but I'm curious if there's any downside to having these during warmer months. After losing some winter crops to inclement weather and pests in 3 4x8' raised beds, I'm considering either individual raised bed tunnels just for the cold months, or something like this tunnel across all 3 beds that would stay up year round. Which would you do if you lived in the temperate SF bay area?

So after this experience, would you say it took you, with 3 people, about 24 man hours to put this 100ft tunnel together?

if that is 1 continuous rope holding it down? 1 cut and you lose the entire thing. I'd highly suggest several independent lines for some redundancy against breakage.

The HoneyTree Farm showed how he made end caps for his tunnels and he also has the tied down ends using the extra plastic on the ends but is in the process of finishing off with end caps. Also a market gardener. He has a great channel.

So how much did that 100-foot cost

Price

Cool stuff, what's the tunnel width you got ?

What reason did you decide to go with the gothic pro design?

Love the tunnels can't wait to get one. I would like to ask a question? What type of grow light do you use for seed starting? Keep up the good work enjoy your videos.

How long is that tunnel?

Hope that's not construction grade plastic. It only lasts 12 months in the sun.