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Extend growing season with hoop house, low tunnel or fabric
 


By SUSAN BLOWER
Indiana Correspondent

ANDERSON, Ind. — While most Midwest gardens and croplands are turning the telltale gold and brown of autumn and giving up the last of their fruits for the season, some gardens are just getting started.
Green with rows of cardoon, dandelion greens, arugula and radishes, some newly planted, Aspire Indiana Harvestland Farm in Anderson will supply farm markets and upscale restaurants in Indianapolis all year.
Aspire Indiana Harvestland makes use of five 30-by-96-foot hoop houses and one doublewide to fulfill the needs of health-minded consumers throughout the year. The farm hosted up to 20 participants in a “season extension program” recently, organized by Purdue Extension of Delaware and Madison counties.
“We sell retail to gain the best return. You can get your best dollar,” farm manager David Robb told the crowd.
The farm store on campus, 6775 Indiana 32, between Anderson and Lapel, allows local residents to buy direct. The farm also participates in a spring and summer community-supported agriculture (CSA) project.
Some of the restaurants who buy from Aspire are R Bistro, Blue Beard, Recess, Late Harvest Kitchen and others in the central Indiana region.
Robb said the farm is not yet profitable but will be. The farm’s main mission is to employ disadvantaged youth, he said.
The farm uses heated and unheated hoop houses.
In the unheated hoop houses, Robb said the farm grows kale, chard and spinach throughout the winter. In January, production drops, with the exception of kale. Last year’s cold winter presented more challenges than normal, he said.
“In the unheated hoop houses, we start a new cycle in February when the day lengthens to 10 hours. The plants think it’s spring,” Robb said.
On a sunny day in cold weather, the unheated hoop houses can reach 85 degrees Fahrenheit, Robb added. He can start the summer garden of tomatoes, cucumber, pepper and egg plants in late February.
Culinary dandelion is hardy and produces all winter, he added. Herbs and mustards contribute to a salad mix he sells to restaurants.
With some crops, Robb and his staff grow several varieties in different houses to protect against disease and to develop the best results.
Soil health

In hoop houses (also called hoop greenhouses or high tunnels), soil health has to be “intensively managed,” said Lori Hoagland, Purdue horticulture specialist. 
“High tunnels are like irrigated deserts. It is a much warmer environment, and because it’s covered, the usual chemicals are not leaching from the rainfall,” Hoagland said.
Hoagland advised selecting the location of the hoop house carefully.
“This is expensive real estate. You want to select a place with good soil and drainage. It should be elevated for drainage. You should start building the health of the soil even before you erect the high tunnel,” she said.
Hoagland showed the participants various soil drainage and density measurement tools and recommended soil health tests.
When testing soils, choose a repre-sentative sample at the same time each year, she advised. “You can’t change the soil type, but you can amend the structure of your soils,” Hoagland said.
Not only can growers add nutrients, they can open the high tunnels to flush out the soils for a month, as the evaporation inside can bring too many soluble salts to the surface.
Hoagland believes that cover crops have a role to play in replenishing the soil in high tunnels, also.
“They are expensive real estate to be growing cover crops, but they still have a role to play,” she said.
Other, less expensive options for those who want to extend their growing season or protect from pests include low tunnels and floating row covers – using a light fabric rather than plastic to cover the crops, said Michael O’Donnell, extension educator in Delaware County.
One participant, Brandon Shrock, came from Selma, Ind., to gather more information on how to develop his organic farm. “I’ve always dreamed of an organic farm. Right now, I have almost an acre in cultivation. This is the first year, and I’ve started by selling to friends and family. Someday I’d like to have a sustainable business,” Shrock said.
To help others like him share ideas, he has just started a public Facebook page, East Central Indiana Small Farm Network, which all are invited to join.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service has launched a high tunnel initiative under the federally funded Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) in recent years, said Tod Herrli, district conservationist for Madison County, who spoke briefly at the program. “The more you can improve the environment, the better your score will be. Use agronomic engineered practices, record your farm income and get your records established with the Farm Service Agency,” Herrli said.
Related upcoming events include the Indiana Horticulture Congress in Indianapolis on Jan. 20-22, 2015, and the Indiana Small Farm Conference on March 5-7 at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds in Danville.
10/16/2014