Here’s a new research report available on the Cornell High Tunnel website:
High Tunnel Hanging Baskets
A new crop trial sponsored by the New York Farm Viability Institute
Judson Reid, Principal Investigator
Cornell Vegetable Program
In a nutshell, Reid found the addition of hanging baskets of petunias in a high tunnel over tomatoes to be marginally more profitable than tomatoes alone. (Reduced tomato yields from shading largely offset the profits from the petunias.) There is also increased risk of spread of insects and diseases between the flowers and vegetables.
Reid cautions not to draw too many firm conclusions from a single trial. He writes, “The Cornell Vegetable Program will continue to evaluate hanging baskets in high tunnels. Could a lower density of baskets be grown without affecting tomato yield? This question will be answered in a NESARE funded trial in 2010. Multiple combinations of petunias and other cold tolerant flower species will be evaluated for economic performance.”