High Tunnel 2017

[Cole_Robbie]

I planted my high tunnel today. Yesterday, I put the plastic back on...by myself, which I'm sure would have been comical to watch, especially given that it was 30x50 and started out laying in the mud. I was a little dirty afterward.

2017 should be the last year for this piece of plastic, which will be year #4. I tried to hose off the mud. It is still a little dirty. I'm thinking it will be ok. It has a few holes, too, but the more I do this, the more I understand how far from perfect things can be and still work.

The three rows are about 46' each. The pics below were taken right after a thunderstorm, thus the standing water.

59 plants total:

Taxi x 10
Mountain Fresh F1 x 5
Rumi Banjan x 3
Babushkin Potseluy x 1
Taos Trail x 1

Agatha x 20

Dubrava x 3
Mat-Su Super B x 3
Early Orange Stripe x 2
Mat-Su Express Plant 11, F6 x 3
Mr Bruno x 3
Poljarnij Skorospelij x 2
(Big) Russian (Red) x 3 - (I got this variety in a swap and it was labelled "Russian")


Thank you to AKMark and everyone else who traded seed with me.

[Jimbotomateo]

Love it Cole. Looks like you got a big jump on your plants. Do you have to supply heat for a bit. The plants are outstanding! Jimbo

[Cole_Robbie]

Thanks. Heat would be nice, but heating a greenhouse burns a ton of energy, which is out of my budget. I prefer to just plant a little later. It's going to be 38 here on both Thursday and Friday nights, which the plants will not enjoy, but should survive.

[Jimbotomateo]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

Thanks. Heat would be nice, but heating a greenhouse burns a ton of energy, which is out of my budget. I prefer to just plant a little later. It's going to be 38 here on both Thursday and Friday nights, which the plants will not enjoy, but should survive.

They should be fine Cole. I had a Brandywine in a 3 gallon outside that went thru several random 32 degree nights. It was three inches tall when the weather hit and I totally ignored it thru cold temps and downpours and all. Now it's about eight inches and looks great. I wasn't going to grow Brandywine this year but I transplanted it today in raised bed.. Too tuff to die! . Jimbo

[Dark Rumor]

How do you water?

How did you choose which varieties to plant?

[Cole_Robbie]

I have drip tape underneath the plastic.

Taxi, Agatha, and Mat-Su are proven performers. I have a yearn for experimentation, though, so I always try a lot of new varieties. I look mostly for early determinates, or other early, cold-tolerant varieties.

The high tunnel is great when we have normal weather. But some years, it is very cold in the spring and then suddenly very hot. In those years, the high tunnel offers not much advantage over the outdoor garden. In a typical year, I get tomatoes about a month ahead of outdoor plants.

[AlittleSalt]

They look great Cole. I have two Mat-Su Express plants growing out in the garden. They are big and healthy looking. You wouldn't guess they were developed in Alaska.

[Jimbotomateo]

My Matsu Express look like they're growing in a different media. Like they are saying eat my dust and how do my taillights look to the other seedlings. Lol.

[Cole_Robbie]

AKMark's stuff is no joke. He credits SherryAK, with his breeding efforts. Thank you, Sherry!

[AKmark]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

I planted my high tunnel today. Yesterday, I put the plastic back on...by myself, which I'm sure would have been comical to watch, especially given that it was 30x50 and started out laying in the mud. I was a little dirty afterward.

2017 should be the last year for this piece of plastic, which will be year #4. I tried to hose off the mud. It is still a little dirty. I'm thinking it will be ok. It has a few holes, too, but the more I do this, the more I understand how far from perfect things can be and still work.

The three rows are about 46' each. The pics below were taken right after a thunderstorm, thus the standing water.

59 plants total:

Taxi x 10
Mountain Fresh F1 x 5
Rumi Banjan x 3
Babushkin Potseluy x 1
Taos Trail x 1

Agatha x 20

Dubrava x 3
Mat-Su Super B x 3
Early Orange Stripe x 2
Mat-Su Express Plant 11, F6 x 3
Mr Bruno x 3
Poljarnij Skorospelij x 2
(Big) Russian (Red) x 3 - (I got this variety in a swap and it was labelled "Russian")


Thank you to AKMark and everyone else who traded seed with me.

Cole, I appreciate the seeds I got from you too.

Your tunnel looks great, I wish you the best of seasons this year.

Sherry AK is a friend of ours that I met in my greenhouse, we had a discussion over the correct leaf type of Sasha's Altai. Shortly after that, she started showing me how to do crosses, we have really had fun with the tomatoes.

[Cole_Robbie]

Thanks. I don't know about "great." I was going for 'adequate.'

Everyone got their lower leaves trimmed and tied up today. My cattle gates are bent and drift a little bit away from the plants in places, so the plants not close to the gates got stakes. It is rare for me to be caught up on pruning and trellising, so this is a notable moment.

[MissS]

Very nice. It appears to be adequately wonderful!

I bet that you enjoyed playing in the mud.

[Cole_Robbie]

Everyone is taking off. They all got pruned and tied up again today.

[Jimbotomateo]

Looks like you're way ahead Cole! Tomatoes soon. Jimbo

[Cole_Robbie]

sunny day pic from this morning