Extending the Growing Season

In areas where the growing season is short, deploying tools such as low tunnels and cold frames can potentially add several weeks or even months to your growing season.

As described earlier, a low tunnel is a system comprised of hoops and a cover installed over a raised bed or in-ground garden bed. The cover material can be swapped out depending on the need at a given time. In the context of extending the growing season, we want to create a miniature greenhouse by deploying a polyethylene (poly) material. This plastic material creates a sealed environment around your crops, amplifying the sun’s rays within and warming up the air. This allows your crops to continue to grow in favorable conditions, even though the air temperature outside the low tunnel may be near or below freezing. This can be combined with a frost cloth or barrier applied right above the crops to help retain warmth throughout the night when the sun is not shining.