Marketing High Tunnel Crops Outside the Normal Season

1. Marketing High Tunnel Crops Outside the Normal Season Ted Carey Kansas State University tcarey@ksu.edu

2. High Tunnels for the Central Great Plains:Profitable, season-extending horticultural production systems (2001-2005) Multiple cooperators Kansas State University University of Missouri, Columbia University of Nebraska, Lincoln Kansas Rural Center Olathe, KS Columbia, MO Lincoln, NE Wichita, KS

3. Additional project activities • On-farm research • Extension programming • Web-site

4. An unabashed promotion of high tunnels With some words of caution • Profitable production • Practice makes perfect (with luck)

5. Tunnels – a tool • A part of the farm’s production cycle, complemented by open field • Crop protection • Row cover • Low tunnels • High tunnels (all sorts) • High tunnels +

6. California desert What is a high tunnel? No Yes? Yes? Harnois 30’ x 96’ double layer poly Eliot Coleman’s farm, Maine Leavenworth, KS

7. High Tunnel (hoophouse) – A poly-covered greenhouse with relatively low input for environmental control. (relatively low cost) 30’ x 96’ Gothic Zimmerman’s, Versailles, MO 30’ X 96’ Quonset with stove FarmTek Versailles, MO

8. Haygrove high tunnel – 3 season

9. Homemade tunnels are less expensiveand may have their place PVC hoophouse K-State Portable field tunnel St Isidore Farm, MO

10. Early spring heat retention for tomato black plastic mulch, row covers, water bags Double-layer poly

11. Marketing • Multiple options – produce auctions; restaurants; farmers markets; farm stand; grocery store; etc. • Selling your story; fresh, local; family farm; health, environment.

13. More than Season Extension • Earlier tomatoes, later tomatoes • Year-round spinach (summer - shade cloth) • Reduced disease pressure (e.g., tomatoes) • Earlier production on berry crops, and better quality • Production vs no production (e.g., bitter melon, figs, Lisianthus).

14. Not So Obvious Benefits of High Tunnels • Capturing early markets and holding them into to the main field production season (e.g., Ralph Cramer - cut flowers) • Using high specialty items to sell other things like fall storage vegetables.

15. Olathe - December, 2003Soil almost never freezes under row cover in tunnels

16. Summer spinach production • 39% shade • Sprinkler irrigation

17. Less disease in tunnels than in the field Olathe, 2005

18. Late season tomatoes at Steve Groff’s farm

19. Little or no field production of some crops but they produce well in high tunnels Lisianthus Bitter Melon

21. Successful GrowersPaul and Sandy Arnold, Argyle, NY • Sell at farmers market • Field houses (14’ x 100’) • Over winter and spring • Lettuce • $3100/house @ 1.75/ head • Spinach (leaf) • - $3500/house @ 6.75/lb (1/3 lb bags) http://www.newfarm.org/features/0503/arnoldsbuild.shtml

24. Developing efficient production systems Pete’s Greens, Craftsbury, VT

25. Haygrove stories • K-State (0.5 acre) – cane fruit, blueberries, melon, tomato, asparagus, rhubarb • Ed Weaver, Morgantown PA. (0.5 to 4 acres) – cherries, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, tomatoes • John Cooper, Simcoe Ontario. Haygrove rep. (1 to >10 acres) – raspberries, tomatoes, strawberries

26. Steve Groff, Cedar Meadow FarmHoltwood, PA. Learning curve! Alex + Betsy Hitt, Peregrine FarmGraham, NC. Management!

27. Blueberry - planted 2005 In – 805g/5- plant plot Out – 28g/5- plant plot Patriot – 1322 g; Sierra – 1091 g; Blue Crop – 695 g; Duke – 530 g; Jersey – 383 g

28. Rhubarb – Canada Red In – 15.7 lb/5-plant plot Out – 4.7lb/5-plant plot Mulch effects p = 0.11 EM inoculant p = 0.94

29. Baby Summer Squash - Count In – 67 per plot Out – 37 per plot

30. Baby Summer Squash - Count 110a 73b 65bc 65bc

33. More news

35. Resources: Structure suppliers

36. Resources : Publications

37. Come and visit any time Ted Carey, 35125 W 135th St., Olathe, KS 66061913-645-0007; tcarey@ksu.edu