Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture Enrollment

Program Areas

  • Food Safety
  • Variety Evaluation
  • Market Development
  • Pest Management
  • Cultural Practices

Enrollment Benefits

  • Telephone / Email Consultations
  • Newsletter
  • Direct Mailings
  • Educational Meetings & Conferences
  • In-Field Educational Opportunities
  • On-Farm Research Trials

ENYCH Enrollment Form (PDF; 372KB)

Enrollee Login

Password:

Log In To Access:

  • Helpful Diagnostic Tool:
      What's wrong with my crop?

Not an Enrollee? Enroll Now!

Online Enrollment Form

Supplemental Heat for Winter Greens Production: What's the Cost?

Ethan Grundberg, Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture

April 25, 2018

Winter Greens PFPWinter greens in high tunnels at then Poughkeepsie Farm Project

There seems to be little agreement among winter greens growers regarding the true costs and potential value of using supplemental heat all winter. With support from the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (NE SARE) and the generous cooperation of the Poughkeepsie Farm Project (PFP), we tried to start gathering some data to add to the high tunnel heating debate. We tracked yield, soil nitrate availability, total nitrogen uptake, propane use, and soil temperature all winter in the two identical side-by-side 42'x196' double layer inflated poly Harnois high tunnels with one tunnel set to 33 degrees ambient air temperature and the other set to 40.

 

The data from the trial is still being analyzed, but here are a few key results that have emerged:

 

  • Maintaining adequate soil moisture and, ideally, living roots in the high tunnel before planting is necessary to preserve the soil microbial community that makes nitrogen available for plant uptake.
  • Soil nitrate levels were not significantly or consistently different between the two temperatures; however, total nitrogen uptake in the warmer tunnel was higher for curly kale, spinach, and especially for Salanova lettuce.
  • The warmer tunnel yielded three harvests in the same time that the cooler tunnel yielded only two.
  • It took 979 gallons of propane to heat the tunnel to 33 degrees from November through March. It took 2.1 times as much propane to add the extra 7 degrees to reach 40 over the same period.
  • Fertilizing to 70 pounds/acre of nitrogen in September provided sufficient nitrogen to kale, spinach, and Salanova until mid-February.
  • Targeted early spring fertigations with soluble Chilean nitrate carried those crops to maturity in early April

 

A big thanks to the great crew at PFP for all of the help tracking yield! Going forward, a group of vegetable specialists with Cornell Cooperative Extension hopes to continue to investigate fertility management in winter high tunnels generally and specifically the interplay between supplemental heating and nitrogen. If you are interested in collaborating, please reach out to Ethan at eg572@cornell.edu.

 

This article is from the April 26, 2018 edition of ENYCHP Vegetable News.  To read the full newsletter, CLICK HERE.



more crops
Apples

Apples

Apricots

Apricots

Asparagus

Asparagus

Beets

Beets

Blueberries

Blueberries

Broccoli

Broccoli

Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts

Cabbage

Cabbage

Carrots

Carrots

Cauliflower

Cauliflower

Cherries

Cherries

Cucumbers

Cucumbers

Dry Beans

Dry Beans

Eggplant

Eggplant

Ethnic Vegetables

Ethnic Vegetables

Garlic

Garlic

Grapes

Grapes

Horseradish

Horseradish

Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi

Leeks

Leeks

Lettuce / Leafy Greens

Lettuce / Leafy Greens

Melons

Melons

Nectarines

Nectarines

Onions

Onions

Parsnips

Parsnips

Peaches

Peaches

Pears

Pears

Peas

Peas

Peppers

Peppers

Plums

Plums

Potatoes

Potatoes

Pumpkins / Gourds

Pumpkins / Gourds

Radishes

Radishes

Raspberries / Blackberries

Raspberries / Blackberries

Rhubarb

Rhubarb

Rutabaga

Rutabaga

Snap Beans

Snap Beans

Squash - Summer

Squash - Summer

Squash- Winter

Squash- Winter

Strawberries

Strawberries

Sweet Corn

Sweet Corn

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes

Tomatoes

Tomatoes

Turnips

Turnips

more crops

Upcoming Events

Cover Crop Field Meeting

Event Offers DEC Credits

October 21, 2025 : Cover Crop Field Meeting
Willsboro, NY

Thinking about upping your farm's cover cropping game? New technology for seeding and crop tracking, research-driven recommendations for high tunnel cover cropping, cold tolerant varieties for North Country climates, and farmer expertise will be shared at this field event.

View Cover Crop Field Meeting Details

New York State Agritourism Conference

November 10 - November 11, 2025 : New York State Agritourism Conference
Saratoga Springs, NY

The first-ever New York State Agritourism Conference, hosted by the CCE Agritourism Program Work Team, is designed to support farms in growing successful visitor experiences. This statewide gathering will feature expert-led sessions, peer networking, and practical tools to help farms expand direct sales, education, hospitality, and entertainment offerings.

Date:

  • November 10: A full day of educational sessions targeted at beginning or experienced agritourism operators.
  • November 11: A half-day, interactive networking session with fellow attendees.
View New York State Agritourism Conference Details

ASL 104sp Seleccion y organizacion del personal (Staffing and Organizing Your Team) taught in Spanish

November 12, 2025 : ASL 104sp Selección y organización del personal (Staffing and Organizing Your Team) in Spanish

ASL104-SP: Selección y organización del personal (Staffing and Organizing Your Team - impartido en español) ¡Inscripciones abiertas!

En este curso identificamos cómo escribir descripciones de puestos disponibles en el trabajo para atraer a los mejores candidatos. Aprenderá a encontrar empleados con un perfil deseado, cómo entrevistar y seleccionar a las personas adecuadas. Descubrirá cómo completar la documentación de nuevos empleados, la autorización de empleo y la contratación de personal (on-boarding): es decir, cómo efectivamente incorporar nuevos empleados al rancho en una manera exitosa y productiva.

Los temas incluyen:

  • Convertirse en un lugar de trabajar preferido
  • Planear cuántos y qué trabajadores se necesitan
  • Diseñar descripciones de trabajos para un mejor reclutamiento
  • Cómo evitar favoritismos y discriminación
  • Cómo buscar y entrevistar los nuevos trabajadores
  • Cómo decidir a quién contratar
  • Y cómo dar una buena bienvenida al nuevo trabajador


Inicio del curso: miércoles, 12 de noviembre de 2025
Discusiones en vivo por Zoom: Cada martes 18 de noviembre - 23 de diciembre, de 1:00 a 2:00 p.m. (hora del Este)

View ASL 104sp Seleccion y organizacion del personal (Staffing and Organizing Your Team) taught in Spanish Details

Announcements

Resources from CCE ENYCHP!


This website (https://enych.cce.cornell.edu/) contains our calendar of upcoming programs and registration links. For updated programmatic information, technical resources and links to newsletters please see our program blog site: https://blogs.cornell.edu/enychp/.
We also maintain the following online resources that you can view directly from these links:

• CCE ENYCH YouTube (program videos): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSk_E-ZKqSClcas49Cnvxkw

• CCE ENYCH Facebook (program social media): https://www.facebook.com/CCEENYCHP/

• CCE ENYCH Instagram (program social media): https://www.instagram.com/cceenychp/?hl=en


NEWSLETTERS  |   CURRENT PROJECTS  |   IMPACT IN NY  |   SPONSORSHIP  |   RESOURCES  |   SITE MAP