Can you envision enjoying fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables for six months rather than three? This is a reality, not a dream, as more producers around the country are using “high tunnels” to extend the growing season of horticultural crops.
“Vegetables, small fruits, tree fruits, cut flowers, herbs, and many other crops can be grown in high tunnels,” according to Dr. Eldon Everhart, horticulture specialist with ISU Extension. “This can be a profitable method to extend the season and produce high-value crops in Iowa.”
If you are interested in exploring the possibility of growing crops in a high tunnel, then you will want to attend the High Tunnels Workshops offered by ISU Extension These 2-day, 7-hour workshops will cover high tunnel selection, site, construction, irrigation and climate control, pest and soil management, and business plan development.
The workshops will be offered at two locations. The first one will be at the Horticulture Research Farm near Gilbert, Iowa on September 29 and October 1 from 6 to 9:30 p.m. on both nights.
The other workshop will be at the Armstrong Research and Demonstration Farm near Lewis in western Iowa. It will be held on January 5 and 6, 2010 from 6 to 9:30 p.m. on both nights.
The cost is $30 per person or $50 per couple. Pre-registration is required and space is limited. To register, call or e-mail Linda Naeve, lnaeve@iastate.edu, 515-294-8946.
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10/15/2009