Webinar Schedule and Participants' Guide
Webinar Dates
Live instruction for 2024 has concluded. You are welcome to complete this course on a self-paced schedule and join our next live session in Winter 2025. All webinars are recorded and posted here in your online classroom to watch anytime. Once enrolled in this course, you will retain access to all materials indefinitely and may return to participate in future live offerings of the course as well. Please join us!
To access the webinars during our next live session, you will simply need to click on the webinar join link that is posted in the Weekly Resources section of this course. This link only works on the appointed day and time for the webinar, so while you can try clicking it sooner, it won't open the webinar meeting for you.
You may also join our webinars from a mobile device by installing the official Zoom app from your preferred app store. Then, when it's time for a webinar, simply open your Zoom app and enter the 9-digit meeting ID that will be posted along with the webinar link.
Weekly Topics
Week 1: Soil Health & Management in High Tunnels
We will discuss site assessment for high tunnels and how to soil sample from tunnels. We then will discuss interpreting soil test results and creating a nutrient management plan that emphasizes long-term soil health and crop quality.
Week 2: Selecting Appropriate Structures
High tunnel structures vary greatly in their durability, adaptability, movability. This class will detail key considerations in tunnel selection to help grower avoid selecting a tunnel that doesn’t meet key needs.
Week 3: Cool Season Crops
High tunnels can also be used to grow hearty crops through the winter. This lecture will detail considerations for successful winter growing including common varieties, planting best practices, and harvesting with our guest speakers, Sam Zurofsky and Erin Enouen from Long Season Farm in Ulster County, NY.
Week 4: Warm Season Crops
A common use of high tunnels is to grow tropical-origin plants like tomatoes and cucumbers in naturally temperate environments. Doing so successfully involves careful selection of varieties, attention to planting best-practices, precise use of cultural practices including pruning and trellising. These strategies will be covered during this lecture.
Week 5: Pest Control and Trouble Shooting
Extending the growing season can bring unique horticultural challenges, and growing in an enclosed structure causes growers to redefine pest control strategies. This lecture will discuss come common issues growers face with high tunnel production with an eye towards applying preventative solutions.
Week 6: Pulling it all Together
Is high tunnel growing a good fit for your farm? What lingering questions remain?
Webinar Participants' Guide
Review the document below for more detailed instructions on how to use the webinar technology.