Indoor winter production has always fascinated me. I often reflect on the conservatories of the super-rich such as Longwood Gardens and the Dupont family and think how they had fresh veggies, flowers and fruits in the dead of winter. Today, the use of greenhouses and high tunnels have permitted the rise in winter markets and having fresh local produce available almost year-round.
That led me to contact my good friend Dr. Matt Kleinhenz, an excellent applied researcher and Extension vegetable specialist at Ohio State. I asked him his thoughts on winter markets. Matt said, “You know that people continue to eat all winter,” which got me to thinking about opportunities for the growth of winter markets around the country.
Matt said that he thought that winter markets were slowly evolving. He likened it to the old chicken and the egg concept. Which came first? If you think about a viable summer farmers market that decides to add a winter market, first you have to have a building in which to host it; then you need growers to supply it. If you’re a producer thinking about growing crops for a winter market then you have to first find a market where you can sell your goods.
Matt has conducted a lot of excellent research on high tunnels and winter production. We agreed about the key role that high tunnels play in promoting winter markets. High tunnels permit growers to raise hardy greens that really attract folks to winter markets. They’re like the red, ripe tomatoes that grace the summer markets.
A lot of other offerings can be produced in the field and stored and then sold at winter markets, but it’s the fresh greens that are the strongest draw to winter markets. In the high tunnels, using multiple layers of covers and winter growing techniques permits growers to have those fresh greens.
Another point to keep in mind is that you’re not really growing a crop in the dead of winter but taking a mature crop and harvesting it. As Matt says, “The high tunnel acts like a refrigerator for your winter crop.” Not having the wind on a crop makes all the difference in the world.
Another observation we both made about high tunnels is that on a sunny day (with snow up on the hip boards) it can reach 64º – 70º F in a high tunnel. (I always said growers should put some sand inside and a beach chair and rent it out for those wanting a good dose of Vitamin D.)
Winter production is certainly a different animal; growers need to get used to the nuances of growing – or should I say harvesting – in winter months.
An observation Matt and I also made is that in most years the soil did not freeze in winter, which can bring up other issues of pests, etc.
My friends and neighbors Micah and Bethany Schonberg have had a very viable and successful summer community supported agriculture (CSA) operation for the last 12 years, growing a wide variety of vegetables for their members. The summer CSA runs from the last week of May through the first week of November with around 135 families participating. The Schonbergs intensively cultivate roughly 3.5 acres that they have been farming for the last 12 years on the property of Bethany’s parents, Tom and Sharon Spicher, who own around 60 acres and raise sheep.
Micah Schonberg inside his high tunnel of greens. Photo by Bil Lamont
Recently, Micah and Bethany decided to do a winter CSA with about 30 shares and delivery every two weeks. Theirs is a very intensive certified organic farming operation and they routinely double and triple crop the land so 3.5 acres can result in five to seven acres of production. Bethany handles the logistics and the weekly newsletter to the subscribers.
I was interested in Micah’s thoughts on the winter market. I was concerned that growers need some down time in winter to get themselves ready for the next season. He assured me that he still had time to relax and get some other projects accomplished – he didn’t have the large summer shares and he only made deliveries every two weeks instead of every week. He worked on the winter market probably about four days out of two weeks.
Micah agreed that the cool-season greens (lettuce mixes, head lettuce, salad greens, kale, arugula and the hardiest spinach) in his high tunnels were big draws for his winter CSA members. The other survival crops (celeriac, parsnips, turnip, rutabaga, beets, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, storage radish, cabbage and butternut squash) were planted in the field then harvested and stored for the winter market.
They have a variety of storages: a great root cellar, a colder cooler and a warm cooler (around 55º). This gives them flexibility in storing their vegetables.
I checked with my friend Jeff Stoltzfus, Extension educator in Lancaster County in Pennsylvania, to see what he thought about winter markets. Jeff said that the Oxford Produce Auction has run a once-weekly auction through winter for the last three years and it has been successful enough that Leola and Weaverland (two other large auction markets) are considering it for next year. It’s all local (within 50 miles) – mostly greens, carrots, kale, some outside Brussels sprouts and storage crops like apples, potatoes, squash and eggs. The Oxford market was seeing over 100 lots per sale.
I then reached out to Dr. Tim Timothy Coolong, professor of horticulture and vegetable Extension specialist, University of Georgia, who worked with high tunnels when he was in Kentucky. He said that in Kentucky, winter markets were closely associated with tunnels, given that it does get cold enough where most crops won’t overwinter, so the use of high tunnels made a difference. He said most farmers markets around the state were closed in winter so there were limited markets for growers wanting to produce year-round.
Having noted that, Tim said Georgia is a bit different based on the type of market and location in the state. Whereas the majority of Kentucky vegetables were sold direct retail, in southern Georgia the majority of vegetables are produced for the wholesale market. Down there, he said they can pretty much grow cool-season crops throughout winter with no additional protection. Onions, carrots, cabbage, greens, broccoli, etc. are all grown through winter with very few high tunnels. Although there are some, they pale in comparison to field production.
In northern Georgia, there is far less wholesale production and a good bit more retail. There, Tim said most of the winter production occurs in tunnels due to both temperatures being cooler and the markets being smaller and directed toward retail/CSAs.
I believe winter markets will continue to expand. As Matt said, “People do not stop eating in the winter.” If we can supply locally produce vegetables in the winter months, all the better.
You can contact me with feedback on my columns or ideas for future columns at wlamont@psu.edu.
