How can growing seasons be extended?

Fresh vegetables taste great, and they are healthy, too. But, in the dead of winter, they can be impossible to find in colder states, at least locally. The December 7th Sustainable, Secure Food blog explores “high tunnels” and how the help farmers extend their growing season.

 

 According to blogger Vicki Morrone, high tunnels are “simple structures made from PVC pipes and heavy-duty plastic. They are an economical way that allows farmers to grow food for nine or ten months of the year. While it’s freezing outside, some very tasty vegetables including spinach, kale and carrots grow inside high tunnels.” Morrone is an agronomist with Center for Regional Food Systems at Michigan State University.

 

 “The tunnels do not need heaters or lights,” says Morrone. But, watering and fertilization can present some problems. “Farmers often apply manure, compost and chemical fertilizers to provide nitrogen and phosphorus, the most important nutrients needed for plants to grow. Adding fertilizer or manure not only feeds the plants, but also adds salt to the soil. These salts from fertilizer take various forms, like calcium phosphate. This salinity is an unfortunate side-effect of fertilization that needs to be managed.”