Travelling through Indiana last summer, I realized that many growers plant their crops in soil inside their high tunnels or greenhouses. Soilless production offers different benefits and challenges. This is the first article in a series focusing on soilless crop production in high tunnels and greenhouses. Today we are discussing Hydroponics. What is Hydroponics? The[Read More…]
Greenhouses & High Tunnels
Last year at the Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center (SWPAC) we conducted a tomato high tunnel trial described here. In this article, I would like to talk about the trial we will conduct in 2015, a repeat of the 2014 trial. In particular, I would like to talk about what we have done for fertility.[Read More…]
Over the last several years, the number of questions I have had about tomato production in high tunnels has increased dramatically. Since I am a plant pathologist, most of the questions I have been asked are about diseases of tomatoes in high tunnels. However, I also have been asked production questions. One particular question about[Read More…]
Transplant production will soon begin in earnest if not already underway. It is sensible to check the greenhouse heating system before starting production to make sure it works and won’t pollute the air in the greenhouse. This checklist for gas or propane-fire unit heaters highlights some of the major points. If you are not familiar[Read More…]
The low tonight is forecasted to be 28 F. In preparation, we placed clear plastic over each row. This type of plastic is not vented. Therefore, one must be very careful to watch the temperature inside the tunnel when there is direct sunlight. Although we made it through last night, tomorrow morning will be the[Read More…]