Growing Vegetables in Winter Using Protected Structures

Transcription

1 Growing Vegetables in Winter Using Protected Structures Presented by: Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association Dayton, Ohio Feb. 16, 2018 Michael O Donnell, Purdue Extension David Robb, Eden Prairie Farm Liz Maynard, Purdue Dept. of Horticulture and LA

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3 Fall and Winter Vegetable Production in Protected Structures Winter: The Hottest Thing in Farming New technology and growing demand for local food is making winter farming more possible than ever Production of cool season / cold hardy crops in low tunnels, unheated (cold) and minimally-heated (cool) high tunnels, with strategic use of row covers. Not covering basics of high tunnel construction/selection/etc. 2

4 Hi-tech hydroponic tomatoes how-canada-became-a-greenhouse-superpower 3

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6 Fall and Winter Vegetable Production in Protected Structures Great way to diversify use of existing structures. Increase income and maintain relationship with customers for four seasons. Increasing number of winter farmers markets. Greater income potential per sq ft with cool season crops? Do you have markets? More researchers and practitioners, so production systems maturing, lots of information available. Value proposition for local leafy greens versus product off the truck. 5

7 Fall and Winter Vegetable Production in Protected Structures Questions remain: timing, varieties, yield potential, financial benchmarks Each farm microclimate is unique. Monitor and keep records. Potential impact to planning time and quality of life factors. Balancing warm- and cool-season crops in valuable real-estate. High tunnel features impact level of daily management. Other infrastructure considerations are necessary, E.g., irrigation, heated wash-pack facility, product storage, ventilation that limits crop exposure to winds, access to crops (doors that don t freeze shut), etc. 6

8 Clay Bottom Farm The Lean Farm 7

9 River Ridge 10/19 9

10 River Ridge 11/10 11

11 Clay Bottom 12/2 12

12 River Ridge 12/12 13

13 River Ridge 12/

14 Who Are You? Do you produce vegetables for sale? Do you grow in high tunnels? Do you grow in high tunnels in the winter? 16

15 Partner Farms Clay Bottom Farm, Goshen Two high tunnels in the project: Unheated: 90X30X14, single layer poly Heated: 90X30X14, double layer poly, 28F River Ridge Farms, Roann Two high and one low tunnel in the project: Unheated: 96X30X12, double layer poly Heated: 96X30X12, double layer poly, 32F Low tunnel: 30X6X3, row cover with plastic added in very cold weather. Eden Prairie Farm, Greenfield One high and one low tunnel in the project: Unheated, caterpillar tunnel: 50X12X7, single layer poly Low tunnel: 50X4X4, row cover 17

16 Partner Farms EDEN PRAIRIE CLAY BOTTOM 18

17 Partner Farms Mean Temp Solar RadIation and DLI RIVER RIDGE 19

18 Pinney Purdue Ag Center, Wanatah, IN This project was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service through grant (SCBG ). The contents of this report are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USDA. Collaborators: James Farmer, Project PI, and Analena Bruce, Project Post Doc, Indiana University Bloomington, E. Maynard, co-pi and E. Blrhm, Technician, Purdue Acknowledgements: Pinney Purdue Ag Center Staff: J. Leuck, M. O Neal, A. Leman HLA Vegetable Crew: D. Oudman 20

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21 growingformarket.com 24

22 Many Online Information Resources hightunnels.org Facebook groups (four season farming community) Hoophouse Environment Management, J. Biernbaum MSU student farm high tunnel schedules Johnny s Selected Seeds Winter Growing Guide 23

23 What Crops? Mizuna, Arugula, Spinach DS (Mizuna) 25

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25 Taken 1-27 Lettuce - Salanova 27

26 Turnips and Radishes + beet, carrot (but consider versus storage crop) 28

27 Days to Harvest vs. Planting Date Darkibor Kale Days to Harvest from Transplant Transplant Date Transplant Date Days to harvest increases with later plantings. Late Oct-Nov. plantings not ready for harvest until next year, if at all Days to First Harvest First Harvest Date Aug Sept 27 Sept Oct 11 Sept Nov 9 Oct Jan 20 Oct 28 Nov 11 PPAC

28 Marketable Wt. (lb. per 100 sq.ft.) vs Transplant Date Darkibor Kale (Harvests through ) Transplant Date Relative Yield $/100 sq.ft.* Yield decreases with later plantings: delay kale transplant to 9-15 from 8-30 and harvest only 67% (2/3rds) as much. Aug % $ 960 Sept 15 67% $ 641 Sept 29 28% $ 268 Oct 14 4% $ 42 Oct 28 0% $ 0 Nov 11 0% $ 0 *Price of $7/lb. Average at Bloomington, IN, Winter Farmers Market between Nov 28, 2016 and April 30,

29 Salanova Red and Green Reef Lettuce in High Tunnels Transplant Date Days to First Harvest First Harvest Last Harvest Days to Harvest from Transplant vs. Transplant Date Aug Sept 29 Dec. 13 Sept Oct 13 Dec. 13 Oct Dec 1 Apr 18 Feb 7 70 Apr 18 May 23 Feb Apr 18 May 23 Mar 8 56 May 3 May 23 could have continued harvest of Oct. 14- Mar. 8 plantings PPAC

30 Gazelle Spinach in High Tunnels Days to Harvest from Seeding Seed Date Days to First Harvest First Harvest Days to Harvest Aug Sept 28 Sept Oct 12 Sept Nov. 3 Oct Nov. 29 Oct Feb. 27 Nov Mar. 16 Last harvest for all planting dates was March 16, 2017 PPAC

31 Gazelle Spinach Marketable Yield (lb/100 sq.ft.) vs. Seed Date For every day delay in seeding lose 1.54 lb. per 100 sq.ft. For 1 week lose 10.8 lb. per 100 sq.ft. At average spinach price of $10/lb. that is a loss of $108/100 sq. ft. Yield through Mar. 17, 2017 PPAC

32 Days to Harvest Radishes: Days to 1 st Harvest vs Plant Date Seed Date Days to First Harvest Predicted First Harvest 1-Sep Sep 15-Sep Oct 1-Oct 34 3-Nov 15-Oct Nov 1-Nov Dec 4/5/ Nov 84 6-Feb EP

33 Daily Light Integral vs Date Shorter days mean less light, so longer time to harvest Daily Light Integral (DLI) DLI < 10 Mid-Nov. to End of Jan. Hours of Daylight J F M A M J J A S O N D J 35

34 Growing Degree Day Bar Graph by Month Lower average temp and fewer GDD mean longer time to harvest Growing degree day accumulation determines how quickly plants grow Ave. Temp or Growing Degree Days (High + Low) 40 = GDD 40 2 Example: [(60+26)/2] 40 = 3 GDD 40 36

35 Outside Cool tunnel (minimally heated) GDD accumulate very slowly in winter. Oct 3 Nov 22 Mar 2 Apr 21 Oct 3 Nov 22 Mar 2 Apr 21 Plan to get crops near harvest size by mid-nov. Crops start to grow again in Feb. Cold tunnel (under cover) Cold tunnel (above cover) Vernalized crops will bolt and bloom as temperatures increase in spring. Oct 3 Nov 22 Mar 2 Apr 21 Oct 3 Nov 22 Mar 2 Apr 21 37

36 What Resources Are There for Scheduling? 38

37 Coleman Planting Schedule Coleman, 2009 (note: when we make these types of graphs for spinach or radish, the steep part comes in October) 39

38 JSS Winter Growing Guide Baby Kale in Muncie Last 10-Hour Day == Nov. 13 Seed last week Sep. first week Oct. Kale (full leaf) in Muncie Start TPs Aug. 1-15, TP Sep

39 MSU table 41

40 Harvest Season of Cool-House Crops (Coleman 2009) Coleman, Eliot. The Winter Harvest Handbook p.11 42

41 Planting Table from Coleman 2009 Coleman,

42 Cumulative Growing Degree Days 40 Under Row Cover Oct. Dec Clay Bottom Eden Prairie River Ridge Predicted Actual Pred-ActCumGDD40UH-vs-date-byLOC_OCT-DEC

43 Growing Degree Days to Harvest for Selected Crops Crop Kale Darkibor, leaves, 8-in blade Spinach, Gazelle leaves, 7 cm blade GDD 40 to 1st Harvest* Minimum GDD 40 to 1st Harvest Location/ Year PPAC PPAC 2016 Lettuce, Salanova Red and Green Reef, 6-inch head PPAC 2016 Radish EP 2016 *Transplant or seed about Sept. 1 45

44 Days to Harvest vs Planting Date, 600 GDD 40 Crop A Growing Degree Day Approach to Estimating Days to Harvest research in progress... Data Table=PtototypeData-for-graphing.jmp 47 46

45 Days to Harvest vs Planting Date, 600 GDD 40 Crop How do predictions compare to observations?? Spinach, 2016, Wanatah 8/31 9/13 9/29 10/15 47

46 Key Points for Scheduling Plant early for shorter time to harvest and higher yield. Plan for sequential harvest of crops that reach ~size by start of Persephone (10-hour days). Continue with sequential plantings that resume growth as Persephone ends. Take into account crop hardiness and vernalization. 48

47 Resources for Scheduling Use past experience to determine days to harvest for different planting dates Coleman Schedules published by others Identify 10-hour daylength and count back to plant date Johnny s Selected Seeds Planting Tool Use knowledge about temperature in the high tunnel and crop growing degree day requirement to determine days to harvest for different planting dates Purdue research in progress Keep your own records to fine tune schedule 49

48 Wooden Stake Records 50

49 Keep your own records to develop Coleman graphs for your operation. Example from Clay Bottom Farm Days to Harvest baby lettuce Days to Harvest spinach 0 23-Aug 2-Sep 12-Sep 22-Sep 2-Oct 12-Oct 22-Oct 1-Nov 11-Nov 21-Nov Planting Date 0 12-Sep 22-Sep 2-Oct 12-Oct 22-Oct 1-Nov 11-Nov 21-Nov Planting Date Hartman, Ben. The Lean Farm p

50 Example of Scheduling Based on DTM Source: David Robb. 52

51 Example of Scheduling Based on DTM - Mustards Days to maturity from seeding for mustards Sep 1-Oct 1-Nov 1-Dec 1-Jan 1-Feb 1-Mar 1-Apr Source: David Robb. 53

52 Summer and Winter Crops Compete for the Same Space 10/28/16 and 3/9/17 9/6 and 10/25/16 54

53 Summer and Winter Crops in the Spring 55

54 Vegetable Production Budgets for a High Tunnel, Iowa State University, PM3025 How much of this gross $/sq.ft. is harvested in September? October? How much is from the first two weeks of harvest? How would it change if you stopped harvest at the end of August?...started plants two weeks later in the Spring? lb./plant Jul Yield of Red Deuce tomatoes in a high tunnel, PPAC, Jul 31 Jul 7 Aug 14 Aug 21 Aug Harvest Week 28 Aug 56

55 Marketable Yield vs. Harvest Date for Four Transplant Dates Darkibor Kale Lb./Plot High Tunnel 1 Transplant Date Aug. 30 Sept. 15 Sept. 29 Oct. 14 PPAC 2016 Harvest Date 57

56 Marketable Yield vs. Harvest Date for Four Transplant Dates Darkibor Kale Lb./Plot High Tunnel 1 Some leaves could be left on plants for harvest later in season Aug. 30 Sept. 15 Sept. 29 Oct. 14 Transplant Date PPAC 2016 Harvest Date 58

57 Managing the Environment Solar radiation / light Temperature RH Structure considerations Row cover management Venting Supplemental heat 59

58 A Draft Framework for Thinking About Environmental Management Time of Year Mode Danger Sept. Oct. growth, acclimating overheating Nov. slow growth cold injury Dec.-Jan storage, surviving, very cold injury, disease slow growth Feb. Mar. slow to faster growth cold injury, overheating, unwanted bolting April growth overheating, unwanted bolting 60

59 Daily Light Integral vs Date Daily Light Integral (DLI) DLI < 10 Mid-Nov. to End of Jan Hours of Daylight Corresponds to Days less than 10 hours 10 J F M A M J J A S O N D J 62

60 Min. Daily Air Temp Outside and In Determines what will survive Daily Minimum Air Temperature Outside and in High Tunnel (unheated) and Low Tunnel, RR, Outside Minimum temperature determines what will survive Under row cover 5-10 F warmer than above, F warmer than outside Daily Solar Radiation and Light RR_min_air-tempWITHOUTHEATED-vs-date-overlay RR_daily-radiation-and-DLI-graph 63

61 Air Temperature and Solar Radiation for a Week in February 2016 Air temp in tunnels increases quickly when the sun comes out. Air under row cover in tunnel Air above row cover in tunnel Air outside Air temp and solar radiation in Feb. Data from CB,

62 Air under row Temperature Increases Quickly When cover in tunnel the Sun Comes Out! Air above row cover in tunnel Air outside Air temp and SR in Feb, 1 day Data from CB, 2016 Data from Clay Bottom,

63 Temporary side walls 66

64 Row cover on conduit, 4- season, unheated 67 67

65 Row cover as a blanket. Insert picture of venting tunnels, removing row cover, etc. 68

66 RR_ave_soil-temp-vs-date-overlaySepMar RR_daily-radiation-and-DLI-graph Daily Solar Radiation and Light 69

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68 Relative Humidity and Temp What s a good way to reduce RH in a tunnel? Vent RH_AirTemp_UHandHt_CB jpg 71 71

69 How are You Using Row Covers? Do you use row covers? Blankets? or hoops? Single bed? or whole tunnel? 72

70 What s better: Row Cover on Hoops or Row Cover Blanket? 73

71 Spinach Row Cover Trial Row cover better than no row cover. No big difference whether row cover was on hoops or used like a blanket. This was only spinach, uneven plants stands, one year... 74

72 Managing the Environment Standard Daily/Seasonal Practices Watch forecast. Not just daily, but leading up to harvest to anticipate ideal windows for harvest. Monitor internal temperatures (if you have sensors) Anticipate venting and row cover removal in late morning and closing/covering in afternoon for temperature and RH management. Uncover to reduce RH, and increase solar radiation gain to soil. Vent to reduce RH, limit high temp. Multiple layers of row cover may be needed incrementally as temperatures drop. Do NOT remove covers early after freezing nights or you risk damaging plant tissue. 75

73 Managing the Environment Standard Daily/Seasonal Practices Some growers leave peak vents slightly vented at all times. Little air exchange will occur if no side wall or lower vents are open. Management is then reduced to side wall venting and row covers. Remove snow or ice to limit structural stress Emergency heater for extreme low temp situations? Insulate end walls, and north walls? Row covers not typically used in minimally heated tunnels. Low temp threshold set at ~28 F (depends on crops and your fortitude) Make close observations by crop, variety, weather conditions, mgmt., and keep records. In fall keep tunnel vented to harden off or acclimatize the plants to low temps until absolutely necessary to close. Don t baby your plants! 76

74 Minimally Heated Tunnels Benefits Less hardy crops survive for more diverse mix in mid-winter Faster growth means higher yield No need for row covers Heating systems Air - unit heaters are common Soil - hydronic, air-to-air, electric Temperature Management What temperature? 28? 33? 40? Manage for average daily temperature instead of minimum? Flexible based on sunny/cloudy weather? USDA Virtual Grower software for calculating greenhouse heating costs Average temp: 22.6, 38, 37.5., Total of hourly differences in temp vs unheated: 370, 358,

75 Logger and solar panel at EP Solar Radiation and Air Temp. Sensors at RR Light (PAR) Air Temp., and Soil Moisture Sensors at CB 78

76 Wireless Sensor Tags - Info 79

77 Wireless Sensor Tag - Specs 80

78 Wireless Sensor Tags - Output 81

79 Accurite 3-Sensor Temperature and Humidity Smart Home Environment System with My AcuRite mometers.html 82

80 Some Suppliers of Environmental Monitoring Equipment Acurite Davis Instruments Extech Hobo onsetcomp.com Lascarelectronics Meter metergroup.com Monarch monarchinstrument.com Spectrum Technologies, Inc. specmeters.com Wireless Tag wirelesstag.net This list is not meant to be all-inclusive. Inclusion on the list does not indicate endorsement nor does exclusion indicate lack of endorsement. 83

81 Fall and Winter Vegetable Production in Protected Structures Planting date matters for yield, but other factors will influence planting Planting date greatly influences days to harvest Plan harvest based on market needs Tools available to help you schedule plantings, but keep your own records Consider trials on your farm: planting dates, row cover management, varieties Sunlight drives heat, soil is main heat sink Vent and use row covers to manage temperature and RH Monitoring equipment available at reasonable cost, but line of sight is a factor 84

82 Thank you! Consider applying for NCR-SARE grants! Farmer-Rancher, Partnership, R&E Collaborators and Funding Liz Maynard, Purdue University Nathan Fingerle, River Ridge Farms Ben Hartman, Clay Bottom Farm David Robb, Eden Prairie Farm This project was supported by a NCR SARE Partnership Grant through subaward H to Purdue University from USDA Award to the University of Minnesota. The views and conclusions contained herein are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies or endorsements, either expressed or implied, of the USDA or the U.S. Government. Erin A. Bluhm James Farmer Analena Bruce Indiana University, Bloomington This project was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service through grant (SCBG ). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USDA. Israel S. Calsoyas Purdue University, HLA