Locations
• SW Ontario harvests more berries the 1st year
after planting (they can plant earlier)
• The cool summer weather in New Liskeard
results in fruiting over the whole second season
• Higher temperatures in SW Ontario result in
earlier spring harvest but no berries mid-summer
(too hot)
High Tunnels
High Tunnels
• Modify the climate on a
field scale
• Extend the growing
season in spring and fall
(depending on when
covered)
High Tunnels
• Increase air and soil
temperature
• Protect fruit from
rain
• Affect disease and
insect populations
• Low cost compared
to a greenhouse
High Tunnels
3-bay high
tunnel (30 m x
24 m) installed
in New
Liskeard Aug
2010 with
funding from
the Northern
Ontario
Heritage Fund
(NOHFC)
New Liskeard High Tunnel
• Sides covered
at all times
• Roof vented
for summer
months &
closed in early
spring and late
fall
• Doors closed if
< 4 °C
Marketable Yield
7
6
5
kg/m
4
High tunnel not covered until mid-August 2010
Albion
Monterey
3
Portola
Seascape
2
1
0
Outside
High tunnel
2010
Outside
High tunnel
2011
Seascape in Cedar Springs
Overwintering
Standard in New Liskeard –
Straw mulch with a floating
row cover on top
2010-11 Overwinter Trial
1.
2.
3.
No winter cover
Heavy row cover removed at
blossom (when there are 3-4
open blossoms per plot)
Straw + heavy cover
% Winter Survival 2010/11
100
90
80
outside
70
high tunnel
60
50
nothing
42 g cover
Albion
straw +
cover
nothing
42 g cover
Seascape
straw +
cover
Albion
Days to 1st
harvest 2011
25
20
Outside
15
High tunnel
10
5
0
No cover
42g cover
Straw+cover
30
Days to harvest (1 = June 1)
Days to harvest (1 = June 1)
30
Seascape
25
20
Outside
15
High tunnel
10
5
0
No cover
42g cover
Straw+cover
Effect of winter cover on yield in
2011
4.5
4.0
3.5
a
b
Yield (kg/m)
3.0
2.5
b
2.0
1.5
Unmarketable yield
a
b
a
1.0
0.5
0.0
No cover
42g cover
Straw+cover
Marketable yield
No winter cover x
environment
or winter cover x
cultivar
interactions
What would I do as a grower?
• Grow Seascape, some Albion and try Portola
• Grow outside and in a high tunnel both on black mulch
• Plant early with the best plants possible and pick
blossoms for 4 weeks
• Overwinter 2 ways
move the picking peaks &
reduce risk
• More research – runner removal, more over-wintering
treatments, etc
Other Potential Crops for
High Tunnels
• Fall-bearing
– Autumn Britten
– Joan J
– Polka
• Summer-bearing
– Nova
– Prelude
Vegetable Crops
Single high tunnels
• More rapid temperature
fluctuations
• Higher temperatures
• Limited frost protection
Multi-bay high tunnels
•Lower cost per unit area
•Large enough for field equipment
•Higher temperatures than outside but
not as high as single tunnels
•4 °C frost protection
Cool Season Vegetable Crops
• Often grown in single span high tunnels
(hoop houses)
• University of Saskatchewan research has
shown you can get more crops of lettuce
in a hoop house than in a multi-bay high
tunnel
⏎
• Temperatures in the midsummer may be too hot
for these crops
• Floating row covers often
used inside the hoop
house for frost protection
Warm Season
Vegetable Crops
• Can extend the growing
season in hoop houses and
multi-bay tunnels
• Higher temperatures
accelerate growth and
increase yields of some crops
• Improved quality
Disadvantages:
• cost
• plastic installation and
handling
• wind!!
• high tunnel management
• soil management and
crop rotation
• water runoff
• heat stress/excessive
temperatures
• spider mites and powdery
mildew
Sources of Information
Strawberry and Raspberry Research in northern Ontario:
Becky Hughes
University of Guelph, NLARS
PO Box 6007, 340 Armstrong St
New Liskeard ON P0J 1P0
705-647-8525
Fax 705-647-9315
Email bhughes@uoguelph.ca
Production Information:
www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crop
s/hort/berry.html
Agricultural Information Contact
Centre: 1-877-424-1300 or e-mail
ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca
www.leopold.iastate.edu or 515-294-3711
Acknowledgements
Funding for the research trials at NLARS came from:
Ontario Berry Growers Association (OBGA)
CanAdvance, AAC
Farm Innovation Program, AAC
Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation
Canadian Horticultural Council, Canadian Agri-Science Cluster for
Horticulture (AAFC)
OMAFRA/University of Guelph Partnership