For about a month, Hannah, the worker who can do almost anything, spent a little time now and then working on moving the tomato tunnel to its new location. The tunnel is made of metal hoops that are stuck into two parallel lines of posts that are pounded into the ground. A big sheet of plastic is draped over those hoops and secured so it won't blow away. The tomatoes grow inside the tunnel. Last year was the first year for the tunnel, so we learned how to put it up for the first time. This season we had to move it because you can't grow tomatoes in the same place two years in a row. We move it by putting in a third parallel row of ground posts and then moving the hoops (like ribs) one tunnel width over so then last year's tomato ground is exposed to the weather.
But you have to understand -- this tunnel is 294 feet long and almost nine feet tall at the peak. It is a big structure, with 3800 square feet under cover.
Think of this as a slow motion video, over many different days:
Hannah's job was to pound in the new third row of ground posts. A while later Michael came along and made sure they were all pounded to the right height. Then before we moved the hoops, Ellen spread compost and spaded up the area in the new tunnel space, using a big tall tractor. Then Hannah and I laid two long strips of black plastic to plant into, using a smaller tractor. Then, even though we hadn't finished moving the tunnel yet, I planted tomatoes by hand in one of the rows because the tomatoes were ready to go and the days were warm. Then Hannah set up the irrigation because it was hot and dry at the time. Then she laid out a long strip of landscape cloth next to the new posts and poked 50 holes in it so she could push the cloth over the top of the posts and then others could secure it to the ground with staples. Then Hannah and Ecole moved those 50 ribs across to the new location. The next day was a cool day, between rains, and Ecole and Hannah and Amy spread hay between the plastic strips so no weeds will grow inside the tunnel. Then Michael moved the ridge pole, standing on a ladder, tightening bolts over his head. Then Jon and Hannah moved the wires that hang inside the tunnel, from one end to the other -- these will support the tomato plants in a while. Jon built the wooden structure at the ends, like a cross, that supports the wires and stabilizes the tunnel when we pull the plastic over.
Finally, we were ready for the last step. This one can't be done with one or two people. This one takes a team. We knew there was a four day stretch of rain predicted so it would be ideal to get the plastic on the tunnel before the rain, since the point of the tunnel is to keep the tomatoes from getting rained on and getting diseases.
We were a little too cocky, since we have covered many hoop houses and greenhouses in our time. It always works because Jon is there and he makes sure we have everything we need and we do things in the right order. We had the plastic, the rope, and the people (that's my job, the people). It was warm and sunny, with a chance of rain sometime in the afternoon. As soon as we got there, I could see that we needed a few more people. That much plastic is really heavy, and it takes a lot of muscle to pull it over the top, and to hold it down if the wind comes up. I called Susan and Chip, our retired farmer friends who live right next door, and they were home and they were glad to come on a moment's notice.
We started to get the rope ready and that's where things started to go awry. The rope was tidily wrapped up from last year but it was impossible to stretch out straight without tangling and getting more tangled. We are talking about two pieces of stretchy nylon rope, each one 1200' long. It took us well over an hour to get those ropes untangled, probably more. Ciara said it was a team building activity. We all stood out in the sun, our heads bent over this project that seemed endless and possibly impossible. Jon went into the barn to work on something else for a while.
I could see there was a storm coming sometime because the sky was getting dark to the west. I yelled to Jon that we needed to get the plastic up. I didn't consider the possibility that we shouldn't even try to get this done right now. Who can tell how long it will rain for? The four days might be starting right now.
We pulled the plastic over the top and the cloud got closer. Carrie and Ciara started to secure the tunnel from the east end, throwing the rope over the top, looping it through the J-bolt at the bottom of every other ground post. It was a slow and laborious process. It got windier. We put a golf cart on one edge of the plastic, Chip held one corner, Hannah held another, I held some place in the middle. It got darker. Then it got really windy and the plastic blew upwards in the middle, where no one was holding it. In an instant, we lost control of everything. The part that was roped down stayed put but the middle slid back over the top of the ribs, exposing the middle 75% of the tunnel. The rain came pelting down as we struggled to keep the plastic from blowing any further, but in fact the rain secured it, filling the folded up mess with puddles. We were soaked. Jon was not happy. We decided it wasn't going anywhere and we walked back toward the barn, and at that moment the sun came out again. We took our soaking wet phones out of our pockets and put them in a dry place. Chip and Ciara and I returned to the second rope that was still not untangled. Carrie and Hannah heroically went to dump all the water off the plastic and somehow the two of them managed to reposition the plastic, making everything look normal again.
Slowly, slowly we put the tunnel back together. No harm done to anything.Instantly the area inside the tunnel was a hundred degrees and steamy. Our cotton clothes were heavy and wet, which made walking sort of cumbersome. Jon and Hannah secured the ends, pulling the plastic tight like a ponytail and cinching it down between two pieces of wood. When the second rope was finally untangled, they threw it over in the opposite part of the criss cross pattern, making a 294' long caterpillar, securing the rope on the alternate ground posts. I rolled up the sides about two feet, so air could move in and out and the tomatoes wouldn't cook.
The whole thing took about four hours. If we had known we had to deal with all that tangled rope, we would have made that a separate task. If we had known it would only rain for about ten minutes, we would have waited for the storm to pass before attempting to start. But in the end, the tunnel is secure and ready for a long season of keeping tomatoes protected and warm.
And that is why those particular tomatoes are so expensive. That is the heirloom tunnel. They get the best real estate.
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