Buying materials
Where to buy materials
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You can generally find a lot of supplies for your farm at big box garden and hardware stores such, but we encourage you to purchase materials from locally-owned stores when possible. If you live in Southern California, or more specifically in San Diego County, you can purchase great products at any of the three Grangetto's locations.
We purchased a lot of our materials from Home Depot and Lowe's, but we also went to Ewing Outdoor Supply, Imperial Sprinkler Supply, Site One Landscape Supply, Drip Depot, and Greenhouse Megastore.
Where to buy high tunnel materials
High tunnels, or hoop houses, are structures used to provide protection and shade, manage temperatures, and ultimately extend the season for certain crops grown in outdoor settings (Bootstrap Farmer 2023). Unlike greenhouses, high tunnels are typically semi-permanent and do not have any attributes, such as swamp coolers or lighting, that require electricity (Bootstrap Farmer 2023). Several companies sell kits for do-it-yourself (DIY) high tunnels, so depending on the desired size, there are many options available. We sought out to build size 12 ft × 60 ft high tunnels and decided to build three using a kit and steel hoops, and three using our own design and PVC hoops. We aim to assess which option is more cost-effective, long-lasting, and DIY-friendly.
These are the following companies we came across that sell high tunnel kits, in no particular order:
After conducting a search for the most cost-effective high tunnel kit option, we found that Bootstrap Farmer supplies a 12 ft × 60 ft high tunnel for $969.99 per kit. Most suppliers provide the plastic, fasteners, cross connectors, spring lock wire, and lock channel, but require the buyer to purchase ground posts, steel poles, and wood locally. Home Depot and Lowe’s typically have the necessary posts and wood in stock and provide discounts for bulk orders.
