Did you know that a high tunnel investment can pay off in as little as one year? If you’re looking to make more money from your farm, a high tunnel is one of the best additions you can make to your operation.
A high tunnel greenhouse can be the key to profitability for your farm, whether you are growing vegetables, fruits or cut flowers. High tunnels are a proven tool to extend your growing season, improve quality and size of your harvests, and enable winter growing.
Read more: The Benefits of High Tunnel Growing
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.
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 Your 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.
There are many other ways to make money with a high tunnel, whether that is growing seedlings or embracing agritourism. For some creative ideas, check out our blog post on different ways to use a greenhouse from more than just growing.
If you’re ready to start making more money for your farm with a high tunnel, get in touch with us today to request a quote. Don’t miss another growing season – the sooner you order your high tunnel, the sooner you can start bringing in more cash for your growing