There are plenty of ways to skin a cat, as are there plenty of ways to build a garden tunnel.

You may have seen tunnels made of cattle panel, and I think that is a wonderful way to make a tunnel if you've got at least 5 foot or more of width to span.

If you need to span and narrower width like I had to (32"), you might find my solution here more helpful:

tunnel garden trellis t posts organic winter desert flowering vegetables growing up sides of narrow garden tunnel
Garden tunnel built to span a narrow 32" gap between two beds.
This build relies on 8ft T-posts, which can be hard to find.
narrow garden tunnel trellis tposts sunset pink sky winter desert white and yellow flowers vegetables growing up sides of narrow garden tunnel

This build is great for the narrow 32" width between these two plots.

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Cattle panel would likely have trouble bending enough to create an arch over such a narrow gap.

garden tunnel rectangular trellis with tposts

I'm using 8ft T-posts here, which can be difficult to find. None of the hardware stores nor garden centers carried them, but the Tractor Supply across town hooked me up right. They even fit in my little coupe through the trunk with the back seat folded down!

Garden Tunnel Supplies List

narrow garden tunnel sonoran desert with butternut squash hanging
Pro tip: tennis balls are a great way to cover the pokey things in the garden

The following supplies gave me a tunnel that was 20' long, and spanned a 32" wide path between the two beds.

Adjust supply quantities to fit your specifications.

narrow garden tunnel trellis side view
A side view of the narrow garden tunnel.

I'm growing butternut squash and cucumbers up the far sides,
and have also planted cowpeas which will climb it.

After pounding the 8ft T-posts into the ground 2ft, I still had a 6ft tall trellis.

You may have to duck a little if you're tall, but this is a pretty easy tunnel to get through and maneuver in.

garden tunnel side view tpost trellis yellow flowers broccolo white flowers radish winter greens in sonoran desert

The netting I used is nylon 3.5" squares, and I found the 5ft x 15ft size to be absolutely perfect. I used 5 of these, one for each of the 5 segments. I'm sure you can find the stuff if you look around.



I really love jute twine because it biodegrades so quickly. Anytime I cut down my trellises / stakes which I've tied, I just simply drop the cut twine scraps into my garden and let them turn into dirt.

butternut squash waltham hanging on trellis curing on vine with sky and clouds
This trellis is strong enough to hold plenty of heavy butternut squash easily!

What to Grow on a Garden Tunnel

So you've got your tunnel built, now what do you grow on it?

pole beans plant with brown and green pods drying
Pole beans are a great candidate for tunnels and trellises, they really love to climb and dig the heat

Here are a few good options to get you started: