Profitable Production of Quality Winter Greens in Unheated High Tunnels

December 2013 Paul & Sandy Arnold

Pleasant Valley Farm Argyle, New York

• INEXPENSIVE START-UP WITH SMART EXPENDITURES • GOOD BUSINESS MANAGEMENT & RECORD KEEPING • LABOR EFFICIENCIES TO MAXIMIZE PROFITS • EFFICIENT PRODUCTION SYSTEMS & SOIL MANAGEMENT • MULCHING AND WEED CONTROL • PEST AND DISEASE MANAGEMENT • SEASON EXTENSION-ROWCOVERS & FIELDHOUSES • YEAR-ROUND HIGH TUNNEL PRODUCTION • POST-HARVEST HANDLING AND CROP STORAGE • CREATIVE MARKETING

OUR 10 KEY FACTORS TO REACHING OUR GOAL OF PROFITABLE FARMING

• 5 Acres Mixed Diverse Vegetables • ½ Acre Large Fruits • ¼ Acre Small Fruits • Perennials & Herbs From Seed • 3-4 Acres Cover Crops • Sell at 3 local weekly farmers’ markets in

summer & two Saturday winter markets • Hay fields used by local Beefalo farmer

PLEASANT VALLEY FARM 1988-1998

GETTING OLD?? NEED LESS MAINTENANCE!

HIGH TUNNELS

3 RIMOL HIGH TUNNELS

2006 30’X144’ 2008 34’X144’ 2012 34’X144’

CONSTRUCTION DETAILS

• Drain tile • Polycarbonate • No wood • Utilities • Auto Roll-up Sides

SUN DRIVEN SYSTEM—NO HEAT

WINTER PRODUCTION

IN HIGH TUNNELS

SOIL PREPARATION

• Soil Tests • A&L Labs • Compost

• Organic Fertilizer

• Micros • CNG

FERTILITY

ROTOTILLING

• Chisel Plow

• Rototill • Plant

DECEMBER TO MAY

• CROPS • VARIETIES • SEEDING

DATES • SPACING • PERCENT

USE

DECEMBER TO MAY

CROPS WE GROW • Kale • Swiss chard • Spinach • Asian Greens • Lettuce Mix • Arugula • Broccoli

DECEMBER TO MAY

VARIETIES • Kale: Red Russian, White Russian, Winterbor • Swiss chard: Bright Lights • Spinach: TRIALS • Lettuce Mix: Disease resistant varieties; Mustards • Arugula: Astro, Regular

Asian Greens: Tokyo Bekana, Yukina Savoy, Vitamin Green, Tatsoi, Red Choi, Black Summer, Mei Qing Choi, Joi Choi

LETTUCE ALL WINTER DISEASE

RESISTANCE NOW SEED

SEPARATELY HAPPY CUSTOMERS

WE RATE OUR LETTUCE VARIETIES EACH WINTER BY: • COLOR-RED AND GREEN • GROWTH • DISEASE RESISTANCE

RATINGS OF LETTUCE FOR SALAD MIX

R=RED COLOR G=GREEN COLOR GR=GROWTH D=DISEASE 1=BEST 7=WORST

• Blade • Spock • Bolsachica • Refugio • Gaviota • Sulu

• Trials : • Bixby • Dane • Aerostar • Gem

NEW TRIALS ALWAYS!

SALANOVA LETTUCE

• New 2012 • Trialed Winter

2012-13 • Seeded 9/30 • Not ready until

March • Very cold

tolerant • No disease issues

SALANOVA LETTUCE

• Fantastic efficiency for harvest

• Cut 8 pounds in 5 minutes

SALANOVA LETTUCE

• Makes a great quality mix

• Same length leaves

• Can recut • Slower to grow

SALANOVA LETTUCE

• Trials for 2013-2014

• Weekly seedings starting Aug 15

• 8 Varieties • First seeding

almost ready • Record dates for

cuts and recuts

2011-12 VARIETY TRIAL WITH 24+ VARIETIES • PRODUCTION BY

WEIGHT PER FOOT • COLOR • HARVEST TIME • VT Veg & Berry

Website Results • http://www.uvm.edu/vtve

gandberry/meetings/meetlist.html

SPINACH VARIETIES

AMERICA BAHAMAS CORVAIR CROCODILE DONKEY EMILIA EMU ERSTE ERNTE GIANT WINTER LAZIO LOMBARDIA MENORCA

24 VARIETIES FOR 2011-12 WINTER TRIALS

TYEE QUEEN RACCOON RED KITTEN REFLECT REGIMENT SAMISH SEVEN GRN SPACE SPARGO ST HELENS TARPY

COLOR RATED JAN 1ST 1 TO 10 (10 BEST)

AMERICA 7 BAHAMAS 5 CORVAIR 9 CROCODILE 9 DONKEY 7-8 EMILIA 7 EMU 5 ERSTE ERNTE 2 GIANT WINTER 3 LAZIO 8 LOMBARDIA 5-7 MENORCA 8

QUEEN 7 RACCOON 6-8 RED KITTEN 8 REFLECT 4-5 REGIMENT 7-8 SAMISH 8 SEVEN GREEN 7 SPACE 5-8 SPARGO 8 ST HELENS 7 TARPY 6 TYEE 7

MAR 8 1 SPACE 2 LOMBARDIA 3 REGIMENT 4 LOMBARDIA 5 ST HELENS 6 SAMISH 7 DONKEY 7 EMU 8 GIANT WINTER 8 REFLECT 9 SPACE 10 BAHAMAS 10 TARPY 10 ST HELENS 10 7 GRN 10 LOMBARDIA

YIELDS CAN VARY!! OPERATING FRM

MAR 8 11 EMILIA 11 SAMISH 11 LOMBARDIA 11 LOMBARDIA 11 RACCOON 11 QUEEN 11 SPARGO 12 RED KITTEN 12 TYEE 12 LOMBARDIA 12 GIANT WINTER 12 CORVAIR 12 ERSTE ERNTE 13 REGIMENT 13 ST HELENS 13 GIANT WINTER 13 CORVAIR 14 SPACE 15 CORVAIR 16 EMU 16 TYEE

FEB 16 1 SPACE 2 LOMBARDIA 3 LOMBARDIA 4 REGIMENT 5 ST HELENS 6 REFLECT 6 LOMBARDIA 6 GIANT WINTER 7 SAMISH 7 DONKEY 7 EMU 7 ST HELENS 8 GIANT WINTER 9 LOMBARDIA 9 EMILIA 9 ERSTE ERNTE 9 REGIMENT 9 CORVAIR 10 7 GRN 10 RACCOON 10 GIANT WINTER 10 TYEE

NOT A SIMPLE LIST!!

• SOME EARLY • SOME LATE • UPRIGHT • FLAT • SPACING • DIRECT SEED • TRANSPLANT

SUMMARY

TOP 10 SPINACH?? • SPACE • RACCOON • LOMBARDIA • REFLECT • GIANT

WINTER • PIGEON • LOMBARDIA • DONKEY • SAMISH • EMU • ++NEW ONES

SPINACH VARIETIES

GREENHOUSE SEEDING DATES

SEED STRIPS, SPEEDLING, WINSTRIPS

SEEDING TRAYS

Must be on special list to get imported Winstrips from Korea-ask!

SEEDED JULY 15TH

KALE & SWISS CHARD

• Asian Greens- Sept 1st to Oct 15th

GREENHOUSE SEEDING DATES

• Spinach- Sept 20th to Oct 1st

HAVE READY TO PLANT IN TUNNEL ABOUT OCTOBER 15TH

TRANSPLANT UP • TRANSPLANTS ALLOW

SUMMER PRODUCE TO CONTINUE PRODUCING IN TUNNELS

• CAN POT UP IF NECESSARY DEPENDING ON VALUE OF TUNNEL CROPS LIKE TOMATOES

ROCK DOWN BIOTELLO---ADD STRAW TO PATHS

PREPARE TUNNEL MID-LATE OCTOBER • 6 BEDS IN 30’ WIDE

TUNNEL • 7 BEDS IN 34’ WIDE

TUNNEL • ROTOTILL AND FORM

BEDS BY HAND WITH A SHOVEL…TAKES APPROX 5 HOURS

• BEDS ABOUT 3.5 FT WIDE

• LAY BIOTELLO BY HAND TO SAVE SPACE

MUST PLANT BY NOVEMBER 1ST

PLANT TRANSPLANTS • 5 Rows per bed • 3 Rows of Kale or

Swiss Chard with 2 rows of Asian Greens in-between

TEAGLE TOMAHAWK FOR MULCH

FRENCH INTENSIVE METHOD

Swiss Chard and Asian Greens

Asian Greens for Braising Mix • Tokyo

Bekana • Yukina

Savoy • Vitamin

Green

FRENCH INTENSIVE METHOD

Kale and Asian Greens

• Asian Greens also named “Large leaf mesclun mix”!

• Start harvesting December/January…love cold

• Kale & Swiss Chard dormant till late Feb unless warm!

SPACING

8 x 12 for • Kale • Swiss chard • Asian Greens • Happy Rich

Broccoli

4 X14 for • Broccoli

Raab

SPACING

• Spinach-

From Transplants with 3-4 seeds per cell: 5”x8”

• Spinach- Direct Seeded 8” between rows

DIRECT SEEDING DATES

WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY SEPTEMBER 20TH TO OCT 10TH

OCTOBER 1st OPTIMUM FOR US

(some years!)

• LETTUCE for Salad Mix • MUSTARDS-Reds,

Greens • SPINACH • ASIAN GREENS-

Mizuna, Tatsoi, etc

FIND YOUR DATE!

THE WINTER HARVEST HANDBOOK BY ELIOT COLEMAN Time of seedings are critical…Successive seedings gives consistency Weather is a changing factor

SPACING

Lettuce, Asian Greens & Mustards for Salad Mix

Arugula • 2 ½ inches • Separate varieties • Earthway Seeder

or Jang

ARUGULA • Successive

seedings • Oct 1st to

Nov 15th

• Astro & Regular

JANUARY SEEDINGS • Asian Greens • Salad Mix

Greens

IN THE GREENHOUSE

GH Seeded in early January, transplanted to tunnel in March Produces for

April & May

ASIAN GREENS

GH Seeded in early January, transplanted to tunnel in March Produces for April &

May Includes lettuce,

mustards & greens

SALAD MIX GREENS

GO PLAY TILL HARVEST! Well.. • Rowcovers left off

as much as possible to get sunlight

• Keep humidity down

• Scout often for diseases

• Monitor and set traps for rodents

• Sluggo for slugs • Water

PERCENT USE & VALUE Map for efficiency Value per square foot high: Usually about $4-$5

WINTER MAINTENANCE

Winter Weeding

WINTER MAINTENANCE

WEEDING Our Favorite: Dutch Push Hoe Walking pace Incorporate fertilizer

WINTER MAINTENANCE

WATERING OVERHEAD • Good for seed starting • Use nozzles that empty water out so

don’t freeze • Out of way

WINTER MAINTENANCE

DRIP TAPE WATERING

• Great for BioTelo beds

• Can use on all beds year-round

• Don’t get row covers wet

WINTER MAINTENANCE

HAND WATERING • In winter—only about once per month • Even watering • Seed starting & Transplant watering in • Row covers can be left in place

DISEASES

Fusarium & Mildews

• Root Shield • Root Shield Plus • Actinovate Greenhouse drench and Tunnel Drench Re-drench every 6 to 8 weeks if disease

WINTER DISEASES

• Venting most important!

• Temperature fluctuations

• +/- 20 degrees

• HAF fans helpful-6 per tunnel

Cladosporium leaf spot

WINTER DISEASES

• Venting critical-no moisture!

• Fans help • Keep row cover

dry • Actinovate • Regalia • Cease • Double Nickel • LOTS OF TRIALS!

Downy Mildew in Lettuce and Greens

WINTER INSECTS

Aphids Ladybugs: • Buy Early • Spread weekly

WINTER INSECTS

Aphids Aphidoletes

• Predaceous midge

Safer Soap

WINTER INSECTS

Mites • Microscopic

• Predatory

Mites-IPM Labs • Aza-direct

Ragged edges

on leaves/ Irregular leaves

Monitor to

catch early!

SPINACH CROWN MITE

VENTS OPEN 24/7 TO KEEP HUMIDITY DOWN

LESS THAN 85% HUMIDITY

WEATHER STATION

SOLAR TEMP HUMIDITY WIND RAIN

WEATHER STATION

Wireless 3 Stations Computer Davis Vantage Pro II

WEATHER STATION

Scientific Sales, Inc.– Repeater—Harvest time

DATA LOGGERS

44 temperature data loggers with multiple parameters: Soil temp 1” down, outside temp, rafter temp, plant height, 1’ up, 6’ up

44 DATA LOGGERS JANUARY TO APRIL 2009 HOURLY TEMP RECORDINGS 3 DIFFERENT FARMS

•2 Unheated High Tunnels •2 Ground-Heated High Tunnels •1 Heated Low Tunnel & 1 Unheated Low Tunnel

LOTS OF DATA!! Rowcovers varied; Tent heights varied (0, 18”, 2’ to 3’)

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

2/1/2009 0:00 2/2/2009 0:00 2/3/2009 0:00 2/4/2009 0:00 2/5/2009 0:00 2/6/2009 0:00 2/7/2009 0:00 2/8/2009 0:00 2/9/2009 0:00

H1_no BP_18"hoop_ground (7) H1_BP_18"hoop_ground (20)Outside (13) 32ºF

Soil temps: Biotello plastic and No Biotello plastic under 18” hooped Swiss Chard; Outside temp Not much difference at night, but daytime advantage to warm the soil…more growth

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

2/1/2009 0:00 2/2/2009 0:00 2/3/2009 0:00 2/4/2009 0:00 2/5/2009 0:00 2/6/2009 0:00 2/7/2009 0:00 2/8/2009 0:00 2/9/2009 0:00

Down right cold night

H2_2rc__no hoop_plant height_spinach (18) H2_18" hoop_plant height (19)

H2_3' tent_plant height (16) 32ºF

45ºF Outside (13)

COLD NIGHT: Plant Height (2”): No hoops; 18” Hoops; 2-3’ Hooped area; Outside 5-10 degree increase in temp the closer rowcover is to the ground; laying right on crop best for night; Daytime peak temp all about the same

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

3/6/2009 0:00 3/7/2009 0:00 3/8/2009 0:00 3/9/2009 0:00 3/10/2009 0:00 3/11/2009 0:00 3/12/2009 0:00

Chilly nights

H2_2rc__no hoop_plant height_spinach (18) H2_18" hoop_plant height (19)

H2_3' tent_plant height (16) 32ºF

45ºF Outside (13)

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

2/1/2009 0:00 2/2/2009 0:00 2/3/2009 0:00 2/4/2009 0:00 2/5/2009 0:00 2/6/2009 0:00 2/7/2009 0:00 2/8/2009 0:00 2/9/2009 0:00

Down right cold night

HeatHa_plant height (33) H2_18" hoop_plant height (19) H2_3' tent_plant height (16) 32ºF 45ºF Outside (13)

Plant Height (2”) and outside temp Heated tunnel; 18” hoops; 2-3’ tent COLD NIGHT: 5 to 7 degree benefit from heat at night and 2 to 5 degrees in the daytime. WORTH THE COST OF PROPANE or OIL? Stockpile? Production yields????

WINTER HARVESTING

•Tools •Specialty Knives

WINTER HARVESTING

• Buckhorn crates

• Window of opportunity for harvest

WINTER HARVESTING

• Keep area clean and neat—no debris

• Clean up bed after cutting

• Many re-cuts

WINTER HARVESTING

ONE OF OUR FAVORITE THINGS! GOLF CARTS • We now have 3 • Easy to drive • Inexpensive • Great for kids

PROTECTION ROWCOVER • 1, 2, 3 • Height • Hoops

•STAINLESS STEEL

•FLOOR MATS

•WARM WATER

Winter Washing Station for Energy Savings & Efficiency

YIELD DATA

DECEMBER TO APRIL

•Kale •Swiss chard •Spinach •Asian Greens •Lettuce Mix •Arugula •Turnips •Herbs

Increased weekly sales by $450 in 08-09

FIRST WINTER 2007 Plastic on in January 11 Rows of Spinach Gross over $10,000 Just one crop!

2009-10 Gross $16,000 and $150,000 per acre 2010-11 Winter 9 Variety Trial

SPINACH

W

Winter Tunnels increased Sales $1200 per week ‘09-10

SWISS CHARD: 800 square feet yielded $4998 for one winter season

2010-11

•Perfecting the systems •More per square foot •Yielded $1630 per week •Markets building every year

2011-12

•Every year different •Weather variables •Diversity Important

TOTALS 2011-12

•Asian Greens 11/12 to 5/19 $4,116 •Arugula 11/19 to 4/28 $4,039 •Spinach 11/25 to 4/3 $12,858 •Swiss Chard 12/17 to 6/20 $7,440 •Salad Mix 1/1 to 6/1 $18,484 •Kale 1/28 to 5/12 $3,291 TOTAL: $50,228 Gross 2 Tunnels-6 Crops!

TOTALS 2012-13

Averaged approximately 120 pounds of greens weekly out of the three tunnels

ALWAYS NEW THINGS TO TRIAL!

TURNIPS ONIONS-FORUM & BRIDGER

WINTER TUNNELS INCREASE PROFITS IN THE SPRING…..

AS WELL AS IN THE WINTER!!

DIVERSITY AND BIG DISPLAYS!

TAKEN IN MID - JANUARY!

SUMMARY • LARGE INVESTMENT • FAST PAYBACK • COST $20,000 to $30,000 • LESS THAN TWO YEAR PAYBACK

FOR EACH • PRODUCTION HIGH—LABOR LOW • MUST BE GOOD MARKETER • IMPROVING EVERY YEAR

SOLAR, SOLAR & MORE SOLAR! 2007-10kW 2012-19kW NETMETERED

HOW WE GET OUR ELECTRICITY….

THANKS AND HAVE A GREAT 2014 SEASON!

Alaska, Glacier 2011 Hawaii 2006