High tunnels stretch season for Fergus Falls pair
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By Carol Stender
Fergus Falls, Minn. (AP) - Some growers have one or two high tunnels, but Mark and Diane Boen are using seven in their 136-acre direct market produce farm near Fergus Falls.
The high tunnels have extended the Boens' growing season from four months to seven months with vine plants and cabbage, Mark said. The tunnels, also known as hoophouses, are greenhouses that are often unheated.
The Boens' operation now is a far cry from their start in mid-1970s. The couple lived on a 10-acre property near Fergus Falls. Growing vegetables for sale was one way the couple supplemented Mark's income as a teacher.
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They purchased Mark's home farm from his parents, Kenneth and Margaret. The farm, located northeast of Fergus Falls, was a dairy operation and Mark milked cows with his parents.
Teaching, milking cows and growing vegetables made for a busy schedule.
The dairy herd was sold in 1986 and Mark and Diane expanded vegetable production.
His interest in high tunnel production peaked after hearing Terry Nennich speak about the relatively new production model at a Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference in St. Cloud.
They tore down the dairy barn to make way for the high tunnels, he said. It was hard to see the barn go.
A key player to the high tunnels remains the farm's greenhouse. Plants get their start in the greenhouse and are transplanted in April to the high tunnels.
High tunnels allow for intense growth and maximum production, but there are challenges, he said. Adjustments need to be made for plant watering and fertilizing due to more heat in the tunnels.
Boen has experimented with production of a principal and secondary crop in the high tunnel. He started with crops that he can trellis. Once plants start growing, he adds a secondary crop of spinach, kohlrabi and flowers.
Boen has tried beets and carrots, but says they don't do well in his high tunnels. Peppers are also difficult mainly because of the competition from principal plants. Cabbage does well in the outside rows where it's not growing with other crops.
The planting system gives him two harvests in the high tunnels. Between the 100-plus acres of outdoor garden and the high tunnels, the Boens offer around 30 types of vegetables to customers.
Their produce is sold at stands. They have two stands each in Fergus Falls and Fargo, N.D., and stands in Pelican Rapids and Breckenridge.
The couple says they are getting 132 times more income now than when they first started their vegetable production.
They aren't finished tweaking their system. The couple's next project is to add an outdoor woodburner near the high tunnels to pipe heat underground to warm up the soil.
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Information from: Agri News, http://www.agrinews.com/
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
