The second biennial Northern New England High Tunnel Conference took place on Dec. 3-4, 2018, in Manchester. This program was co-sponsored by the Universities of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont and the Maine Organic Farmers' and Gardeners' Association, and was supported by Northeast SARE project LNE 15-343. The full program, along with links to presentations, is now available.
Day 1.
Identifying arthropods (good and bad!) in high tunnels – Margaret Skinner & Cheryl Sullivan (Univ. of Vermont), Anna Wallingford (UNH Extension), Carol Glenister (IPM Laboratories)
Identifying and managing common high tunnel diseases – Cheryl Smith (UNH Extension), Ann Hazelrigg (Univ. of Vermont), Eric Sideman (Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners’ Association)
Turning your soil test into practical recommendations – Bruce Hoskins and Mark Hutchinson (Univ. of Maine), Katie Campbell-Nelson (Univ. of Massachusetts), Olivia Saunders (UNH Extension)
- Handout: Unofficial nutrient analysis of assorted natural fertilizers
- Handout: Recommended organic and natural nutrient sources or home grounds & gardens
- Handout: Improving irrigation to manage salt buildup in high tunnels
- Handout: Soil testing in high tunnels: Modified Morgan and Saturated Media tests
- Handout: Essential components of a healthy productive soil
Featured Farm: Organic Family Farm 2.0 - Frédéric Jobin-Lawler, L’Abri-Végetal, Compton, Québec.
Day 2.
Keynote: Tunnel Vision - Looking Back and Thinking Ahead about High Tunnels in the Northeast. Vern Grubinger, University of Vermont
Setting up a biocontrol program that works for you. Carol Glenister, IPM Laboratories
Recent research in high tunnel soil management: lessons learned. Bruce Hoskins, University of Maine & Becky Sideman, UNH Extension.
Lightning Round: What’s new in the world of high tunnels. Several presenters will give super-short overviews of recent research developments from near and far.
- Handout: brochure about saffron planting cycle
- Handout: critical questions to consider to help manage persistent pest problems
- Handout: lessons learned from 5 years of routine high tunnel scouting
- Want to give input? Provide suggestions about pest management needs: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8SD96PQ
- Preliminary results from 2018 New England High Tunnel Sampling Experiment – Vern Grubinger
Grower insights: optimizing our high tunnel production systems. Tasha Dunning, Spring Ledge Farm, New London NH; Christa Alexander, Jericho Settlers’ Farm, Jericho VT; Nate Drummond, Six River Farm, Bowdoinham ME, and Frédéric Jobin-Lawler, L’Abri-Végetal, Compton, Québec.
The next quagmire: How to water tunnels effectively? Stephanie Burnett & Mark Hutton, University of Maine.
