“Have you ever wondered how you could harvest garden fresh tomatoes six weeks earlier or harvest fresh greens well into November? If you have, then the answer is a high tunnel,” said Fred Hall, Chickasaw County Extension Education Director.
According to Dr. Eldon Everhart, ISU Extension horticulture specialist, a high tunnel is, “A plastic covered hoop structure that is heated by the sun and cooled by up sides that can be rolled up to let air pass through.” This system allows you to plant earlier in the season and extend it into the fall. High tunnels come in various sizes, even large enough to do ground preparation with a tractor. Fruit and vegetable production in high tunnels translates to increase profits in markets that could formally only be tapped by greenhouses.
If this sounds like something you could put to use, the ISU Armstrong Research and Demonstration Farm in Lewis, IA will be presenting a High Tunnel Demonstration Field Day on Aug. 13, 2007 from 5-8pm. For registration a form can be downloaded at www.extension.iastate.edu/PME. There will be a $10 registration fee which includes dinner.
The presentations will include a tour of a fully functioning high tunnel at the research farm and other at a nearby farm. It will also include discussions on costs, maintenance, scouting, and marketing. This is a great way to network with horticulturalists and fellow farmers. There is no better way to get information on this exciting method of growing vegetable crops. For more information contact Linda Naeve at 515-294-8946 or Eldon Everhart at 712-755-3104.
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8/6/2007