www.GrassRootsInfo.org is an excellent non-profit resource to learn more about organic turf care

Organic Turf Care Practices

The non-profit organization known as Grassroots Environmental Education is an excellent resource for organic turf care.  They have published a number of different articles and also produced a course instructing turf care professionals about the practices of organic turf care.

Another helpful tool is their GRASSROOTS HEALTHY LAWN PROGRAM - Six Steps for a Perfect Organic Lawn 

If you are looking to make a change to your turf care needs, contact your turf care professional and show them how making some small management changes to include compost, compost tea and other safe natural products can have a profound impact on the environment and reduce pesticide/herbicide exposure to you, your kids and pets.

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beautiful no-mow yards takes a look at alternatives to highly managed lawns, helping homeowners recognize the value of natural landscapes.

Vermagreen Organics is proud to post an article produced by Evelyn J. Hadden, author of beautiful no-mow yards.  Evelyn is a friend  and fellow enthusiast of sustainable lawn care practices.  We’re very appreciative of her contribution to the Vermagreen Blog.

Soil Food Web Basics - Evelyn J. Hadden

Wise farmers and gardeners have always advised us to focus not on growing healthy plants, but healthy soil. Until we invented powerful enough microscopes, we didn’t understand that the soil is not merely chunks of mineral and rock; it is an underground living community of bacteria, fungi, and micro-organisms as well as many barely visible creatures.  Ongoing research into this soil food web continues to show us how crucial it is to the health of our plants, and consequently of all other living things.

Soil microbes decompose dead plants and animals, converting them to nutrients that feed new life.  They bind soil particles together, improving the soil’s structure so it can hold more water and nutrients.  Some even keep disease and pest organisms in check, protecting the health of plants.

Studying how the soil food web functions, it becomes clear that some of our traditional landscaping and agricultural practices harm it.  These practices include using synthetic pesticides, synthetic herbicides, and regular tilling.

Home gardeners can use these alternative practices to continuously improve soil life (and therefore plant health):

• composting yard waste and returning it to the soil,
• growing nitrogen fixers like clover and legumes among plants that are heavy feeders,
• biodiverse planting to keep populations of leaf eaters in balance,
• manual pest and weed controls like pulling or digging unwanted plants and picking or  knocking bugs off plants,
• using mulches (fallen leaves or rocks may be more effective than wood chips in certain situations) to retain soil moisture, prevent erosion, and add organic matter, and
• covering bare ground with living mulches (and filling the soil with their roots) to prevent unwanted plants from moving into gaps.

You can read more about the soil food web at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s website

Evelyn Hadden is the founder of LessLawn  and the author of Beautiful No-Mow Yards (Timber Press, Feb. 2012)

While traditional pollination practices are an effective way to pollinate many different crops, producing under covered production structures like high tunnels generates navigation challenges for honey bees.

Bumble Bees are used in High Tunnels and other covered production to pollinate crops and can be shipped anywhere and anytime of the year.

The technological achievements in modern thin-films used to cover high tunnels have done wonders in improving life expectancy of the films.  Other benefits include increasing crop production and generating higher yields.

The fundamental tenet of these achievements is the control or removal of different spectrums of sunlight to reduce heat inside of tunnels and improve the spectrum used for photosynthesis to occur.   In some cases, like Luminance poly from Haygrove, the production results can be profoundly greater than any other products on the market.

Honey bees require sunlight as a navigational aid to forage for nectar or pollen and return back to their hive.  Underneath covered production the changes in light from the films causes disorientation in the bees and interferes with navigation.  In turn, honey bees prefer to stay out of these structures and won’t perform the necessary pollination for the crops to produce.

The pollination solution is also a natural one – Bumble Bees.  This natural pollinator is not affected by the changes in the light inside of high tunnels.  Additionally, the average Bumble bee will deposit more pollen and has twice the work ethic of a honey bee – Bumble bees are eight times more effective at pollinating than a honey bee.

The only bumble bee producer in the United States is Koppert Biological Systems out of Romulus Michigan.  They have a great support team and a knowledgeable staff to advise you how to use bumble bees and other natural methods of pollinating and managing pests inside of tunnels.

Construction Video of Haygrove Tunnels

As interest gathers around the value and profitability of three-season agriculture inside of high tunnels, more questions are being asked about construction of the Haygrove Multi-Bay Tunnels.   This video will help our customers understand the construction methods and practices of building the multi-bay tunnel.  Of course there are many options and types of tunnels manufactured by Haygrove not shown or described here.  If you have more questions or a unique application you would like to discuss, please contact Vermagreen Organics to get  your questions answered.

The video, produced by Michigan State University’s Department of Horticulture, demonstrates the construction of multi-bay high-tunnel hoophouses from Haygrove Tunnels built at MSU’s Student Organic Farm in 2009.

Fruit and Vegetable nutrient needs can be forecast well in advance by using plant tissue tests during critical times of development

Soil Nutrition – Vermagreen’s Focus

A system wide approach toward soil and plant nutrition is necessary to produce the highest quality crops possible, especially when operating in high tunnels.

Water testing and soil testing are primary to establishing a baseline from which to start the growing season.  Recognizing the starting point and knowing the nutritional needs of individual crops help to establish a plan.  Comparing incremental soil tests and plant tissue test results against the plan and responding with the appropriate nutritional needs is the defining factor between good and great results.

Organic or Conventional

How growers decide to manage their soil and plant nutrition is a decision each farmer must make.  No matter the approach, it is often the case where growers are surprised by the excess nutrients in one area and the deficiency of others.  Only good testing and tracking will help producers understand how they can do a better job for their crops, soils and bottom line.

Testing Resources

There are many good agricultural testing labs across the United States. The ability to ship soil, water and plant-tissue samples across the country can be done overnight.  Vermagreen Organics works with several laboratories focused on agricultural testing, and one of them is Agri Analysis, Inc. in Leola, PA.

George Mitchell, president and agronomist for Agri Analysis talks about plant tissue testing this way:

“Healthy plants contain predictable concentrations of essential elements.  Submitting plant tissue samples for analysis during critical growth developmental stages allows for the monitoring of actual levels of these elements within a crop throughout the growing season.  A plant tissue test can discover deficiencies even before visible symptoms are present.  As a result, growers can optimize fertilization in a timely manner, increasing the quality of the crop and its yield. Plant tissue analysis can be used as a diagnostic tool for future correction of nutrient problems.”

Agri Analysis has supplied a document outlining their procedures and directions for submitting tissue analysis for several different varieties of plants. Use these Plant Tissue instructions when obtaining plant tissue samples. The sample will accurately reflect the nutritional status of the plant being submitted for analysis.  Plant Tissue analysis alerts growers to any deficiency or if fertilizer is being over applied.  The test provides both macro and micro elements.  Additionally, interpretation of the test results is provided to help growers evaluate their options.

If you have more questions, testing needs, or extra help completing the form contact Agri Analysis.

Similar Design to the Tunnels Used in the Trials

In the Summer of 2011 Seedway performed field trials of tomatoes and decided to add in an additional variable into their trial – They used Haygrove Tunnels and managed the tunnels to compare Luminance plastic vs. plain clear poly, and the exceptional venting capabilities of the Haygrove tunnels compared to tunnels which only vent to 4 or 5 feet.

The results from the trial are in the attached summary in a PDF format.   Haygrove High Tunnel Temperature Trial

Image of the Interactive Map found on USDA Website

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

The 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a location. The map is based on the average annual minimum winter temperature, divided into 10-degree F zones.

For the first time, the map is available as an interactive GIS-based map, for which a broadband Internet connection is recommended, and as static images for those with slower Internet access. Users may also simply type in a ZIP Code and find the hardiness zone for that area.

No posters of the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map have been printed. But state, regional, and national images of the map can be downloaded and printed in a variety of sizes and resolutions.

The link to the interactive map on the USDA Website is here.

Unprotected High Tunnels Are More Susceptible to Wind Damage

The reason for building a high tunnel is to help plants through challenging weather conditions, but to be effective in excessive wind, the tunnels themselves must also be protected from severe/excessive conditions.  Site selection for high tunnels requires due diligence on the part of the producer to select a location where these structures can best survive exposure to extreme meteorlogical events.

Several links have been placed below to help producers plan and design for their high tunnel locations.

Windbreak Design and High Tunnel Considerations

How Windbreaks Work

In October 2011 I had the good fortune of participating in a growers conference sponsored by Haygrove Tunnels in Pennsylvania.  During the event there were several excellent speakers addressing topics about raising many different fruits and vegetables in high tunnels.

If you are a tomato grower, and intend on growing in a tunnel I found an article that is a must read.  Growing in tunnels produces a unique set of challenges.  One of those issues is managing nutrition for the plants, and Potassium for tomatoes is the focus today.

Tomatoes in tunnels requires extra attention on nutrient levels, and if the tomatoes are being grown under Luminance plastic sold by Haygrove, it becomes even more important because of the additional growth achieved with this superior tunnel film.

High tunnels are beneficial for production of several annual crops in northern climates like Michigan