Making sure that the investment in a high tunnel will pay off

A high tunnel greenhouse can be the key to profitability for growers, whether they are growing vegetables, fruits or cut flowers. High tunnels are a proven tool to extend the growing season, improve quality and size of your harvests, and enable winter growing.

© Rimol Greenhouses

Measuring high tunnel ROI
To measure the return on investment, let's look at one of the most popular high tunnel crops – tomatoes. If you have a 30' x 96' Nor'Easter high tunnel, you could plant six rows of tomatoes. With the plants spaced two feet apart, leaving some room for walkways at the ends, that means you can fit around 275 tomato plants in your greenhouse.

Each tomato plant should yield at least 25 pounds of tomatoes over the course of a season, totaling 6,875 pounds of tomatoes. If you sell them for the $3 per pound, that nets $20,625 in just one season – meaning you can pay for your high tunnel investment in just one year!

There are also many ways to make a standard tomato crop even more profitable. For example, you can fit more plants in the greenhouse, grow varieties like large heirlooms or fancy cherry tomatoes, or sell at a specialty market. The tomato season also gives you some extra time at the end of the year to grow other crops, maximizing your profitability.

© Rimol Greenhouses

If you decide invest in some small upgrades for your tunnel, like HAF fans or automated roll-up sides, you can quickly net an even larger crop yield and a higher profit.

Making money with a high tunnel
You don't need to settle for simply earning back your investment – your high tunnel will quickly become the most productive land on your farm and can help you make more money year-round. With the season-extending capabilities of a high tunnel, you can put your land to work growing spring and winter greens.

Let's do some more math. If you fill a 96' tunnel with 8 beds of winter greens, using a standard yield of around .3 pounds per foot per harvest, you'll end up with close to 900 pounds of greens through the winter season. Selling those greens at $10 per pound, that means you're making almost $9,000 through a season that is typically dormant.