By Sonja Heyck-Merlin A quick glance at most seed catalogs reveals a plethora of season-extending tools, from sprouting trays to cold frames. From there, season extension gets progressively more complicated: bendable hoops for do-it-yourself caterpillar-style tunnels, small backyard greenhouses with polycarbonate walls and large high tunnels most commonly found on commercial vegetable farms. The use
By Ivonne Vazquez Living in a cold climate requires ways to extend the growing season. One method, a cold frame, does not require too much space and can be tailored to your gardening needs, space requirements and availability of materials. What is a Cold Frame? It is a bottomless box, usually made with a glass
By Bill Giordano Implementing greenhouses and other covered structures for extending the growing season has been a popular trend in farming’s recent memory. This millennium’s plastic-covered agriculture precedent now spans hundreds of thousands of acres nationally and includes an increase in covered acreage across farms in Maine, when comparing the USDA’s 2017 census data to
Photo 1 – Each frame was fitted over a 2-foot-long, half-inch re-rod driven into the ground. Re-rods were covered with half-inch plastic pipe for added rigidity. Longer re-rods would be an improvement, and 3-foot 4-inch sections of half-inch conduit might be even better. Photo 2 – Frames were assembled on the ground, left and right
At the Farmer to Farmer Conference, Eliot Coleman (left) and Patrice Gros talked about growing crops during the shoulder seasons of the main growing season. English photo At MOFGA’s 2016 Farmer to Farmer Conference, Eliot Coleman of Four Season Farm in Harborside, Maine, and Patrice Gros of Foundation Farm near Fayetteville, Arkansas, discussed growing and
The basic 22 x 48 metal frame of my moveable high tunnel. This size allows for sufficient ventilation through end wall vents. The sliding side-wall entrance alleviates the necessity for an end-wall entrance, so the end walls are stronger. By Phil Norris Photos by the author Here in Maine, the short growing season makes some
Rich Schuler, energy consultant with Practical Farmers of Iowa, by the insulated compost bin. Heat from composting warms water which is stored in tanks and available to heat greenhouse soil when needed. Sally Gran runs TableTop Farm, where the innovative heating system was trialed. The compost is aerated by blowing air through PVC pipes set
This 22- by 49-foot high tunnel at Stutzman’s Farm in Sangerville is made from native white cedar, using an innovative design by Sunny Stutzman. Detail of the structure. Two side vents – one at each end of the house – are gas-powered and can be set to open at a specific temperature. Close-up of a
Speakers at MOFGA’s November 2012 Farmer to Farmer Conference addressed three crops suitable for growing in high tunnels: raspberries, ginger and winter sprouting broccoli. Raspberries in High Tunnels – Prospects for Maine David Handley of UMaine Cooperative Extension said that raspberries are challenging to grow, especially regarding labor. They’re the one crop he deals with
“Quick Hoop Half-Pipe” This “Quick Hoop Half Pipe” displayed at the Common Ground Country Fair measured 6 by 10 feet and held 20 pepper plants. The same sort of structure could be used to produce greens into and through winter. Says Jack Kertesz, who built the structure, “With a bender, a few fasteners and some
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