Planning Before Building: Lessons from CTG Growers
Jul 28th 2025
How smart infrastructure sequencing and siting can save time, money, and stress down the road
Before you pour concrete or pound your first post, ask yourself one big question:
“How will this whole farm work together—five seasons from now?”
At CT Greenhouse, we work with growers at every stage—from those breaking ground on leased land to second-generation farmers scaling up diversified operations. And over the years, one lesson keeps coming back:
“I wish I had planned the whole layout before building that first tunnel.”
Whether you’re working with NRCS funding, developing permanent infrastructure, or simply trying to make smarter long-term decisions, thoughtful farm infrastructure planning is one of the most overlooked—yet most critical—investments you can make.
What Is Whole Farm Planning?
Whole farm planning is about aligning your infrastructure decisions—greenhouses, high tunnels, irrigation, electric, roads, packhouses—with your production goals, site realities, and workflow.
Instead of viewing each structure in isolation, it encourages you to treat your farm like an integrated system.
It helps answer questions like:
- Where should my greenhouse go to minimize future access headaches?
- What size water line should I trench now—even if I don’t “need” it yet?
- How do I align my buildings, tunnels, and roads for better efficiency and drainage?
The goal isn’t perfection. It’s avoiding the costly mistake of having to redo what you’ve already built.
Key Lessons from CTG Growers in the Field
We’ve gathered a few common-sense strategies from our most experienced customers—along with insights from early-stage farmers who learned the hard way.
1. Start with a Scaled Site Map (Yes, on Paper)
Before you build, map your beds, tunnels, packhouse, roads, water, power, and vehicle turnarounds to scale. Use flags or markers in the field if needed.
Pro Insight: Draw in your tractor and harvest cart paths. Flow matters just as much as square footage.
2. Trench Once, Plan Twice
Anytime you trench for power or water, think beyond this year. One of the most common regrets we hear? Undersizing buried lines.
If you’re renting equipment or hiring trenching work, maximize the cost by installing conduit to future locations (or for planned automation and improvements).
Future-Proofing Tip: Bury extra conduit—even if you don’t use it for years. The small upfront cost saves you from tearing it all up later.
3. Site Greenhouses & Tunnels for Your Workflow
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer for high tunnel siting or greenhouse orientation.
- North-south layouts offer balanced summer light.
- East-west layouts boost winter solar gain.
But the best choice? The one that matches your farm’s topography, wind, and workflow.
If your tunnel blocks tractor access or channels water into your fields, that’s a much bigger problem than ignoring another farmer’s “rules” for siting.
At CTG, we recommend:
- Orient for grade and ease of installation first.
- Consider snow loads, trees, wind, and watercourses second. (Then adjust #1 if needed.)
In snow zones, leave 10–15 feet between structures for maintenance, airflow, and access.
4. Don’t Build Only for Today—Plan for Growth
It’s tempting to size your wash station or tunnel for current sales volume. But most farms grow—or want to. Building only for today often creates limits right when momentum takes off.
Instead:
- Build a slightly larger tunnel now (wider and longer lowers cost per square foot).
- Size your packhouse and water system for your next phase.
This doesn’t mean going overboard. It means making smart, modest choices now to avoid major roadblocks later.
We call this “infrastructure stacking”—a powerful way to future-proof your farm.
Research and Resources Worth Knowing
- Starting a Farm from Scratch Decision Tool – Tufts University
- Siting Greenhouses for Energy Efficiency – UMass Extension
- National Young Farmers Coalition
How CT Greenhouse Supports Smarter Planning
At CTG, we’re more than a tunnel supplier—we’re a partner in long-term farm success.
Our team of farmer-owners has helped thousands of growers map their infrastructure to match their vision.
Every structure we build is:
- Custom-fit to your site and NRCS specs
- Backed by real-world installation support
Built with future upgrades in mind (from automation to heating)
Final Word: Build Smart, Not Just Fast
Whether you’re installing your first tunnel or planning a full greenhouse expansion, infrastructure decisions have long shadows.
Get them right early, and you’ll thank yourself in every harvest that follows.
Need help thinking it through?
Book a call with us » CONTACT US