Lengthening the growing season in the June 19 Ithaca Journal extols the virtues of high tunnels. These unheated, metal-framed, plastic-covered structures allow growers in cool climates like New York to extend their harvest season for vegetables, fruit and cut flowers.
In the article, Cornell High Tunnel Team member Judson Reid, a vegetable specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Yates and Seneca counties says that
… the movements for local food and sustainable practices are driving some purchases. High tunnels represent a way to extend the short local food season in upstate New York. Their cost – about $4,000 for the most common size – can be recovered in one or two growing seasons by a small producer.
“Since they don’t use fossil fuel, they appeal to people’s desire for sustainable production, versus a (heated) greenhouse, which generally uses fossil fuels.”
For more about Cornell’s high tunnel research and extension efforts, see the Cornell High Tunnels website and blog.