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Subject: Market Farming
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- From: "Bill Shoemaker" <wshoemak AT inil.com>
- To: "market farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
- Subject: Re: more greenhouse questions!
- Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2001 08:43:51 -0600
Alison
That sounds like a good project. It's really disappointing that you
weren't funded. Have you thought about applying again? I wonder if there's
still an opportunity out there.
Bill Shoemaker
Sr Research Specialist, Food Crops
Univ of Illinois - St Charles Hort Research Center
-----Original Message-----
From: wiediger <wiediger AT email.msn.com>
To: market farming <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Date: Wednesday, January 31, 2001 7:14 PM
Subject: Re: more greenhouse questions!
>We are. there has literally been no long term research in the US on this
>subject. Any time light levels are low, there is a significant chance that
>the growing plant will accumulate nitrates - especially known nitrate
>accumulators such as spinach. There have been some 'snapshot' studies
done,
>but nothing showing actual seasonal changes. We submitted a grant request
>to OFRF this past year to study exactly that - recording light levels each
>day, min and max temps, and bi-weekly nitrate levels in 4 different types
of
>crops. It was fairly extensive, very detailed in data. We wanted to
record
>how the nitrate levels changed as the light levels changed. We had planned
>to post data on the website in real time for those interesssted in the
>progress. Then, we wanted to run it for an additional year if there was a
>nitrate problem, changing our fertility program to try and help slow down
>the accumulation. We were not granted the funds for research, and from the
>comments, feel that they thought 'farmers' weren't capable of this type of
>research - that it takes 'university people' to do this. 'Course, the
>universities aren't doing this type of growing, farmers are.
>
>There has been quite a bit of research in Europe, where this type of
growing
>is more common, but it is difficult to extrapolate to this country -
>climates are different. Hopefully we'll still get a chance to check this
out
>someday - but the tests, light meters, and time to record and analyze data
>are too costly for us in our operation. We just tell people not to eat
>spinach salads every day - and they don't.
>
>Alison Wiediger
>Au Naturel Farm
>http://aunaturelfarm.homestead.com
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "cathy mcgregor-smith" <mcsmiths AT elgin.net>
>To: "market farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
>Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2001 8:44 PM
>Subject: Re: more greenhouse questions!
>
>
>> is anyone concerned about nitrate accumulation when growing greens etc in
>low light
>> conditions???
>>
>> robert schuler wrote:
>>
>> > A few more tidbits
>> > Double layer inflated plastic will eliminate wind damage but not help
>keeping plants
>> > warm in unheated house, in my county we have thousands of single layer
>houses for
>> > holding perennials that stay put by eliminating the ridge pipe, the
>plastic squeezes
>> > down tighter without the ridge, you can also make poly tie downs with
4"
>wide strips of
>> > plastic placed over the house at 10 ft intervals...
>> > Ventilation, if you use one year poly then just cut holes about 16"
>diameter in the
>> > sheet every 20 feet and leave a small amount uncut to act as a hinge
>then you can tape
>> > the hole partly shut on coldest nights this is only done in late
spring
>before you
>> > remove the sheet all together, if you cut holes be prepared for water
>damage to any
>> > plants below.
>> > I use a double layer house with supplemental 100000 btu propane heat
set
>at 35 deg. this
>> > really improves the quality of the crop but is costly even at the low
>temps,burning
>> > about 20 gallons a week but worthwhile because you must have quality if
>you are selling
>> > to a supermarket for example, greens or lettuce with tip burn from
>constant freezes just
>> > won't holdup in the market
>> >
>> > Infrared sheeting really makes a difference and at 25% more in cost,
its
>very cost
>> > effective but it seems to be sensitive to damage more so than regular 4
>years poly, you
>> > will gain about two extra hours of stored warmth after sundown compared
>to regular
>> > poly.
>> > Use fans to keep constant air movement this will keep plants dry and
>prevent disease
>> > like botrytis, I have been using Patton brand 18" fans that are quite
>inexpensive and
>> > very powerful and have been running them nonstop in some cases for
three
>years.
>> > Good luck to all
>> > Sunny Meadow Farm
>> > Bridgeton,NJ.
>> >
>> > ---
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>>
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>
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-
Re: more greenhouse questions!,
robert schuler, 02/01/2001
- <Possible follow-up(s)>
- Re: more greenhouse questions!, Earthfarm1, 02/01/2001
- Re: more greenhouse questions!, Earthfarm1, 02/01/2001
- RE: more greenhouse questions!, Miranda Smith, 02/01/2001
- Re: more greenhouse questions!, Alex McGregor, 02/01/2001
- RE: more greenhouse questions!, Wiediger, Alison, 02/01/2001
- RE: more greenhouse questions!, Miranda Smith, 02/01/2001
- Re: more greenhouse questions!, Victoria Mundy Bhavsar, 02/01/2001
- Re: more greenhouse questions!, Alex McGregor, 02/01/2001
- Re: more greenhouse questions!, robert schuler, 02/01/2001
- Re: more greenhouse questions!, Bill Shoemaker, 02/02/2001
- RE: more greenhouse questions!, Wiediger, Alison, 02/02/2001
- Re: more greenhouse questions!, Bill Shoemaker, 02/02/2001
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