Blom Gren Caterpillar Tunnels

8/13/2019 Blom Gren Caterpillar Tunnels

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Caterpillar Tunnels at Windflower Farmby Ted Blomgren


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Who we are


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Where we are 175 miles northof New York City


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What we dovegetable shares


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Flower, egg, fruitand winter shares


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The last of our short stake tomatoes in 3-row caterpillars


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Inspired by Elliot Colemans New Organic Grower


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Caterpillars are probably more akin to low tunnels than

high tunnels. They are 3-season structures.


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and, while low-cost, they involve a fair

amount of management


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Caterpillars and low tunnels are not snow bearingstructures like this Ledgewood structure


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they should be taken down in a timely fashion


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These tunnels are oriented so their gables face the wind.


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Ventilation is accomplished by rolling up the sides.

There is no door - getting inside involves bending.


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10 X 138 Caterpillar Tunnel Using PVC BowsMaterials for one 10 X 138 Caterpillar Tunnel (6 bow spacing)

1 pc. 28 X 150 6 mil greenhouse plastic ($325, shop for bettersize and price, but not thickness)

24 pc. 1 .5 X 20 Schedule 40 PVC hoops ($192)

13 pc. 10 chain link top rail steel to make 48 pc. 30 groundstakes plus 2 48 pc. end stakes ($130)

46 pc. tie down anchor screws ($184)

8 pc. X 100 braided nylon rope for the ridge rope and tomake 23 over-the-top ropes ($64)

Material Cost Total $895 ($.65/ft2

)


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15 X 184 Caterpillar Tunnel Using Purchased Steel Bows(8 bow spacing)

2 pc. 28 X 100 6 mil greenhouse plastic ($398) 24 pc. bows from Rimol Greenhouse Companys Catamount

Tunnel (1.3 steel, $1,312*) 48 pc. 24 ground stakes (1.6 steel, included in price above)

1 pc. 8 chain link fence steel (1.6) for two 48 end stakes ($12) 1 pc. 12 section wiggle wire base and wire ($20) 46 pc. tie down anchor screws ($184) 12 pc. X 100 braided nylon rope for the ridge rope and to

make 23 over-the-top ropes ($96)

Material Cost Total $2,022 ($.73/ft2)


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A look at the greens in ourwinter share.


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Kale, chard, tatsoigenerate similar yields and economics about800 bunches from 2 beds (5-row beds at 8 apart) in our 138

caterpillar tunnel X $3.00/bunch = $2400.00 in December


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Kale, chard, tatsoi generate about 2000 bunches from 5 beds (5-row beds at 8 apart) in our 144 high tunnel X $3.00/bunch =

$6,000.00 during the months of January and February.


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Construction details


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High tunnels produce beautiful crops


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Snapdragons also grow tall

inside Caterpillar tunnels andare ready for harvest earlyenough for three crops(peppers or cucumbersfollowed by lettuce or a

cooking green)


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Low tunnels (calendula) and Caterpillar tunnels (snapdragons)


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The calendula has outgrown its tunnel andis ready for harvest


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Peppers


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Socrates peppers planted aftersnapdragon harvest using the same

Biotello mulch and drip lines


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Our customers are looking for colorful sweet peppers.

These peppers are growing in 2-row beds at about 14 apart.


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When peppers have finished yielding, lettuce or acooking green is planted in its place


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Peppers growing in single rows in a Solo tunnelat Norwich Meadows Farm


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Peppers growing in Caterpillars at Windflower Farm.These 15 X 180 tunnels have three 2-bed rows.


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Inside the 15 X 180 Pepper tunnels.

A box-style trellis helps keep plants upright.


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Eggplants


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Caption


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Eggplant responds to both low and high tunnels. Toensure a good crop, we grow all of our eggplants in

Caterpillar tunnels.


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Tomatoes


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Short stake tomatoes in 3 beds ina 15 X 200 walk-in tunnels


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In 2009, late blight ruined outdoor plantings of tomatoes. Tomatoesgrown in Caterpillars produced 50% yields and those inside high

tunnels produced nearly 90%.


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Greenhouse varieties with trellis line attached tothe frame of a high tunnel is certainly easier.


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Leaf mold is a disease that takes place when tomatoes are grown withhigh humidity. The remedy is to ventilate.


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Cucumbers


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Cucumbers planted into decaying Biotello left afterharvest of an early cut flower or greens crop


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Trellising improvestunnel access, harvest

ease, cucumber yieldsand fruit quality


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A late planting of cucumbers trellised on Hortnova nettingand mulched with Biotello and old hay.


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Low tunnel cucumbers


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Zucchini


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Low tunnel summer squashes


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Earliness and disease suppression


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Melons in a Caterpillartunnel at Norwich

Meadows Farm


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Cut Flowers


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SARE Trial: China asterperformed well in the

high tunnel (>36stems) and in theplastic-covered walk-in tunnel (>36), fairlywell in the Typar-

covered walk-intunnel (>24), and thelow tunnel (about24), but they

performed poorly(about 18) when leftuncovered in the field.


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Slide Master

These low tunnels will be covered to protect China asters from asterleafhoppers and tarnished plant bugs. Spun bonded row covers or a

woven netting might be used.


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Earliness in cut sunflowers can be


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Earliness in cut sunflowers can beachieved by using

transplants, raised beds, and mulch(EARLY)

plus low tunnels (EARLIER)

or a Caterpillar tunnel (EARLIEST)


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Caterpillar Tunnel

Low Tunnel


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Lettuces


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Typar is a suitable cover for fall greens, but it is not as warm orstrong as 6 mil greenhouse plastic


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Greens under a floating row cover. Leaves touching the covercan be damaged.


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This $500 structure contains three 3-row beds of lettuceplanted in multi-cells at 8 intervals; when planted to head

lettuce, this 200 unit yields 2500 units


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Greens


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Magenta and Mottistone lettuces for late fall harvest


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Slide Master

Kale, Yukina Savoy, and arugula, among other greens, performwell in low tunnels deep into the fall.


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Tatsoi and arugula for fall and early winter harvest


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Vitamin Green, Yukina Savoy, and Tokyo Bekana growingin a multi-bay low tunnel


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Swiss chard planted inlandscape fabric (above) andin bare ground. Harvest isdone by removing individual

leaves for bunching.

Red bok choy (left) planted for


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y ( ) pfall harvest following a tomatocrop. With low hoops and 9

oz. row cover, the crop wasfree of frost damage throughearly January. Choy in lowtunnels (below).


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Sweet potatoes (Beauregard and


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Slide Master

(Covington) do well under some kind of

cover. Low tunnels and Caterpillars

both boost yields and earliness.


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Scallions for fall and winter harvest


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Field work can be performed with machinery

prior to tunnel construction


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Spring lettuces under casual low tunnels


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p g


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Lettuces respond to tunnels in the spring and in the fall.Powdery mildew and downy mildew can both cause

Blom Gren Caterpillar Tunnels

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