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  • From: "Bill Shoemaker" <wshoemak AT inil.com>
  • To: "market farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: greenhouse question
  • Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2001 08:54:20 -0600


Alison makes a very important point about Hi-Tunnels and climate. Different
regions have different climates and what works best in one doesn't
necessarily work best in another. In northern Illinois (zone 5, not far from
zone 4) November through March is just too harsh. I'm going to try to find
some grant support for looking at the economics of installing environmental
controls. But the trick is to remain cost-effective. These tunnels systems
work because they capture solar energy at a time when the outside
environment isn't supporting plant growth. The tunnel systems must be
designed to take advantage of the solar energy and remain profitable.

Bill Shoemaker
Sr Research Specialist, Food Crops
Univ of Illinois - St Charles Hort Research Center



-----Original Message-----
From: Wiediger, Alison <awiediger AT HART.k12.ky.us>
To: market farming <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Date: Tuesday, January 30, 2001 8:41 AM
Subject: RE: greenhouse question


>And, we'll weigh in here also. We've been growing this way in zone 6 for 6
>years. We use double plastic, with IR as the inner layer, find the inside
>temps average 6-10 degrees above outside in winter when the sun isn't
>shining (when it is, it can be 80+), and our lettuces actually got worse
>damage when we covered with remay than they did uncovered. We also can
seed
>at any time and get growth, although it slows from mid-Dec to mid-Feb.
>Everything is dependent upon your unique environment, and you have to
>experiment to find out what works for you. We also find that things do
fine
>in the hoophouses over summer (and our summers are HOT), but it's really
hot
>for us to work in them. We are going to trial several things this summer.
>As it is, we use them for ten months (September-June), that's not bad! Our
>website has some pictures of our crops.
>
>Alison Wiediger, Au Naturel Farm
>http://aunaturelfarm.homestead.com
>
>> ----------






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