Willsboro, NY
By Jordan Okumura
03.12.13
Lettuce production in the North Country could see a bump with new trials funded by the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program. The trails are evaluating winter lettuce production methods for the North Country.
The research could promise a high payoff value if successful and cost-effective under North Country conditions as consumers appear willing to pay up to $12 per pound for lettuce-based salad mixes on a year-round basis, according to a news release. The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program-funded trials are conducted at the Cornell University Willsboro Research Farm in Willsboro, New York.
Cornell University researchers and extension specialists are investigating the use of prototype low-wattage heating strips to warm the soil to increase lettuce production during the winter months in St. Lawrence and neighboring counties.
According to the report, Cornell University Cooperative Extension Vegetable Specialist Judson Reid says, “This research in northern New York is the first attempt at developing a system for heating the greens-growing environment inside high tunnels using heating strips primarily designed for in-floor radiant heat.”
Amy Ivy, Cornell Cooperative Extension Horticulture Educator for Clinton and Essex counties, says, “While spinach can be grown and harvested year ’round in northern New York with a minimal addition of heat largely in January and early February, lettuce crops are more cold-sensitive. Our question is can growers cost-effectively add heat to grow the salad greens year ’round without sacrificing profitability.”
The 8- or 15-watt electrical heat strip prototypes were buried eight inches below the soil surface in the 30-by-96-foot Ledgewood pipe-frame high tunnels at the Willsboro research farm to warm the lettuce production beds during the night. Production beds were blanketed with a double layer of rowcovers supported by wire hoops that straddled the beds to retain heat around the plants.
Black seeded Simpson head lettuce plants were transplanted from indoors to the tunnels on February 6th and Five Star baby lettuce mix seed was planted directly into the high tunnel growing beds on February 8th.
Reid notes, that on nights when the outdoor temperature dropped into the teens and single digits, the soil temperature at 1.5-inch depth in the heated lettuce beds with rowcovers never dropped below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Northern New York Agricultural Development Program
