Examine the practicality of using high tunnels on a rotational basis to increase sustainability on a small acreage.

View the project final report

• 2011 annual report

Commodities

• Agronomic: potatoes
• Fruits: berries (strawberries)
• Vegetables: asparagus, cucurbits, eggplant, radishes (culinary), tomatoes
• Additional Plants: herbs
• Animals: poultry

Practices

• Crop Production: conservation tillage
• Education and Training: farmer to farmer, on-farm/ranch research
• Energy: solar energy
• Farm Business Management: marketing management, agritourism
• Pest Management: biological control, mulches - living
• Production Systems: integrated crop and livestock systems
• Sustainable Communities: public participation, social networks

Problem: • High cost and use of propane in greenhouse used to grow herb and tomato transplants • Managing soil quality and fertility in a chemical free system • Controlling insects in a chemical free system Solution: • 6 plot rotational system (6 20 foot x 24 foot plots) with rotations of herbs, vegetables, chickens and fallow in various combinations of plastic-covered, insect fabric, row covered and uncovered high tunnels, and low tunnels. Chickens will also be introduced into the system at various points for benefits of heating, fertility and insect control. Rising costs of propane heat and the difficulty of transporting manure to the field leads to the probability of creating high tunnels to rotate with poultry, plantings and fallow land. This rotation schedule is designed to improve the land, use natural resources, and create new sustainability. The small farm is a unique place to be able to utilize a wide variety of production techniques on a rotational level, and to quickly adapt to a system that is economical, effective, and easily changed.