He Says "Tunnel Farming" Produces Better Quality Crops

He Says "Tunnel Farming" Produces Better Quality Crops CROPS Miscellaneous 27-6-13 According to a report in a recent issue of the Ontario Farmer, John Cooper of Simcoe, Ontario, is happy with his Haygrove Tunnels which he uses to grow raspberries. He likes the system so well he became the Canadian distributor for the England-based manufacturer. "High tunnel farming" extends the growing season for fresh market vegetable crops. Unlike greenhouses, they're not heated. But, they're big enough to drive tractors and implements inside and are intended to be permanent structures in the field. The Haygrove tunnels have metal frames covered by plastic that can be rolled up on the sides. The units come in widths from 18 to 28 ft. and can be built to any length. Galvanized steel "Y" posts on each side allow you to connect as many bays together as you want. The ends of the tunnels can be opened and side curtains can be raised to allow for air movement. The open ends permit the easy access of tractors and equipment. After 12 years of growing raspberries under conventional conditions, Cooper installed tunnels to cover about one acre of his 2002 crop. He has since added several more tunnels and last year grew 2 1/2 acres of raspberries under 11 tunnels. The tunnels he uses are 24 ft. wide by 400 ft. long, and 11 ft. high at the middle. Drip irrigation is used to supply water and fertilizer to the plants in the tunnels. Cooper expected to harvest about 8,000 lbs. of raspberries per acre. In a side-by-side comparison of late season raspberries outside and inside the tunnels, he told FARM SHOW the canes grown under the tunnels produced almost twice as much fruit. "From a production standpoint, growing raspberries under hoops is definitely the way to go," says Cooper. "The vinyl tunnel protects the crop from rain and overnight dew, so the quality of the berries is far superior to those grown outdoors. What we're not getting is an increase in the price of raspberries, so if you grow raspberries under tunnels they will have to pay for themselves strictly in increased yields. I've only used this system for two years so I can't say for sure yet whether it will pay for itself. The tunnel system of growing high value crops such as strawberries, raspberries and fresh-cut flowers has been used in England and Europe since 1995 and has seen a big increase in acreage every year. However, those countries have a Mediterranean climate there and get a lot more rain. We have a continental climate, so we don't know yet how using tunnel farming to grow high value crops will work out. For example, it may get too hot under tunnels for some crops to grow well. The jury is still out." Cooper says next year he plans to also grow strawberries under tunnels. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, John Cooper, Strawberry Tyme Farms, RR 2, Simcoe, Ontario, Canada N3Y 4K1 (ph 519 426-3099; email: styme@kwic.com; websute www.strawberrytyme.com).

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