Yield of Leafy Greens and Microclimate in Deep Winter Greenhouse Production in Minnesota

Claire Flavin Hodge, Mary Rogers, Dan Handeen and Greg Schweser
Additional contact information
Claire Flavin Hodge: Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
Mary Rogers: Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
Dan Handeen: Center for Sustainable Building Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Greg Schweser: Sustainable Development Partnerships, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: The Deep Winter Greenhouse (DWG) uses passive solar technology to create an environment where cold tolerant crops like leafy greens can be grown during the winter to satisfy consumer demand for fresh local produce year-round and increase revenue for farmers. A cultivar trial consisting of 12 different salad greens was conducted in partnership with three farmers in order to determine suitable cultivars for these unique systems. Yield and days to maturity were recorded, and microclimate conditions such as light, temperature, and relative humidity were tracked throughout the season. This study included three sites from three distinct locations within Minnesota. Environmental differences among the DWG sites and within site replicates were observed. Yield also varied with micro-climate. The trials demonstrate that lettuces and greens such as ‘Florence’ ( Lactuca sativa L.), ‘Salanova’ ( Lactuca sativa L.), and ‘Vitamin Green’ ( Brassica rapa L.) generally grow well. These cultivar trials, coupled with other horticultural trials and economic analyses, will better inform recommendations for farmers growing in these unique environments.

Keywords: Deep Winter Greenhouse; winter production; Asian greens ( Brassica rapa ); lettuce ( Lactuca sativa ); cultivar trial; controlled environment agriculture; season extension; organic vegetable production (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/1/28/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/1/28/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2018:i:1:p:28-:d:192223

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().