High Tunnel Bramble Production

1. High Tunnel Bramble Production Kathy Demchak Penn State University

2. What Are High Tunnels? • Low-cost protective structures • similar to a greenhouse, but • less infrastructure, • no floor • Use methods similar to field production with minor changes • Or, more similar to greenhouse production (soilless media) • Multi-bay or single-bay

3. Variations • Tunnels where climate control is automated in some way • For single bays • Additional inputs making culture more similar to greenhouse production • Rain shelters

4. Multi-Bay Tunnels

6. Multi-Bay Tunnels • No tolerance of snow load • Plastic gathered for winter • 3-season tunnels • Plastic gathered at top during high winds (>20mph), hot days • Multi-bay size: depends on no. of bays (std 24' wide/bay), 100-1400 ft long

7. Multi-bay Use • All significant high tunnel bramble acreage (so far) is multi-bay • California: 4400 acres – raspberries • Oregon: 50 acres – blackberries • British Columbia: 10 acres – red raspberries • Ontario: 14 acres, raspberries

11. Single Bay Tunnels

12. 20’ x 150’

13. 17’ x 36’

14. 30’ x 50’

15. Single-bay Tunnels • Single bay size: 14 to 30 ft wide 36 to 150 ft long • Can be kept closed for winter • 4-season tunnels • Moderate snow OK if peaked design • Closed when windy • Used mainly in colder areas with short growing season

16. Single-bay use • NJ, PA, MD, OH, UT, MN, IN • No “real” statistics • Acreage is low • One common (17’ x 96’) commercial-sized single bay = 0.04 acres

17. Bramble Crops Grown in High Tunnels • Red raspberries Primarily primocane-bearers • Blackberries • Black raspberries - limited

18. Primary Sought Benefits • Extend spring & fall growing seasons (especially with single-bay) • Protection from rain (single and multi-bay) • And wind (single-bay)

19. Environmental Changes Relative to Field – Single Bay • No moisture on foliage from rain or irrigation • Placement and amount of water is controlled • Higher humidity • Warmer air temperatures • Mild in winter • Can be hot in summer • Warmer soil temperatures • Lack of soil freezing during winter

20. Environmental Changes Relative to Field – Multibay • Same benefits as single bay when covered • Differences are no winter protection (can be an advantage with insects and leaching of salts) • Can fully vent on hot summer days

21. Resulting in… • Longer growing season – earlier and later yields • Plants generally grow much larger than in field • Higher yields • Can grow some crops that we couldn’t otherwise due to short growing season or cool temps • Changes in pest complexes

22. HT’s and Small Fruitat PSU

23. “Tunnel Town”, PSU

25. Conditions at Rock Springs • Short growing season • Last frost: Last week of May (officially May 15) • First frost: First week of October • Low yields for primocane-bearing raspberries • Typical winter lows of 0F, some years -15F • Winter injury (?) on blackberries • Highest temps in summer in 90’s • Windy

26. Primocane-Bearing Raspberries • Reasoning behind trying them? • Much of the potential yield of primocane-bearers remained in the field as green fruit • Can we increase yields by extending the season?

27. Brambles: 2000-05 (1st planting) ‘Autumn Britten’ ‘Heritage’ ‘Triple Crown’

28. Raspberries 2000-05 • 2000-01: comparison of cvs, plus in-ground vs. containerized (Earth Boxes) with 2 types of media • 2002 and 2003: comparison of cvs, trying different cane densities for summer crop • 2004: comparison of cropping time (summer + fall vs. fall only) • 2005: 2-3 canes/ft for summer

29. Mkt. Yields, 2001-2005 • If only fall crop: 11,400-13,600 lb/acre • Highest in field previously: 5000 lb/acre • If summer and fall crop: 14,300-23,300 lb/a • Substantial summer crop

31. Mkt. Yields in lb/ft (lb/a)8’ between rows Summer Fall Total 2001 (4-6 fc/ft) Aut. Britten ---- 2.5 (13,600) 2.5 (13,600) Heritage 0.8 (4,200) 3.5 (19,100) 4.3 (23,300) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2002 (? fc/ft) Aut. Britten 2.4 (13,100) 0.6 (3,300) 3.0 (16,400) Heritage 2.1 (11,400) 1.6 (8,700) 3.7 (20,100) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2003 (5 fc/ft) Aut. Britten 1.6 (8,800) 1.0 (5,500) 2.6 (14,300) Heritage 0.7 (3,800) 2.0 (10,800) 2.7 (14,600)

33. 2007 • New planting comparing ‘Jewel’ summer-bearing black raspberry, PT9301.A.3 primocane-bearing black raspberry (‘Explorer’)

34. Raspberry Results • High yields • Long shelf-life (11 days) • Large fruit (2.8 g for ‘Heritage’) • Earlier (and later) production • Balance between summer and fall crop can be an issue

35. No fungicides needed • “Greenhouse” pests can be a problem • Potential for deficiencies, esp. potassium

36. Why were raspberry yields so much higher? • At least part of the answer • Longer growing season?? Would seem logical… For PA, increased the growing season by at least 2 months • Less wind stress (more hours of photosynthesis)?? • More leaves doing more photosynthesis (more light to lower leaves)?? • Something else?

37. Blackberries: 2000-05 • Historically, yields at this site were 0, zip, zilch in 1994 – 2000 with ‘Chester’, ‘Choctaw’, ‘Shawnee’, ‘Arapaho’, ‘Navaho’ • Explained as due to cold winter temps or fluctuating spring temps

39. Blackberries

40. Blackberry Yield (lb/a) Low temp (F) 2001 19,602 -2 2002 28,859 9 2003 33,907 -2 2004 23,359 -11 2005 – dug plants out (crown borers)

41. What works? • At Rock Springs…

42. Culture • Used methods similar to field production with changes necessitated or made possible by tunnels • Drip irrigation • Venting • Earlier planting • Longer harvest season • Usually (not always) primocane-bearers • Changes in pest complexes

43. Site Selection • Must be well-drained • >2% organic matter good, >5% preferred • Slope – minimal OK if you can step up or down slope

44. Fertility • pH: 6.0-6.5 • Before planting, test soil • Amend according to soil test results with lime, and compost or fertilizer • Use tissue-testing yearly and adjust fertilizer (or compost) amounts based on test results • Baseline of 60 lb N acre as 20-20-20, 20-10-20, etc. - not just nitrogen

45. Cultivars • Red raspberries: usually primocane-bearers • Autumn Britten, Josephine • Large berries, uniform fruit size • Any cultivar that works well on your farm • Black raspberries? – short harvest season

46. Planting • As early in spring as possible • If tunnel up, could be late winter • If using tissue-cultured plants, have row covers ready • Raised beds are best • 1.5’ to 2’ between plants • Minimum 7-8’ between rows

47. Landscape Fabric? • For red raspberries, just have between rows

48. Trickle Irrigation • 1x/week during early spring and late fall, increasing to 3x/week during summer • About 2 hours each time if 0.45gal/100’/min trickle tape - unless uncovered (make get rain)

49. Trellis • Simple supported hedgerow or narrow “V” works well

50. Venting • Raspberries grow well in cool temps. • Goal is to keep temperature around 70-80 degrees • Keeping rain off of the blossoms and fruit = major decrease in disease incidence = major decrease in fungicide use • Wind makes plants shorter = lower yields; gentle breezes are good