Bullitt County, Spencer County and other nearby counties are perfectly positioned to host producers of fruits, vegetables, and flowers for markets in the urban and suburban areas surrounding Jefferson County. Hosting several farmers markets in each county, there are plenty of opportunities to scale up from backyard gardening to market gardening. However, to be competitive in those arenas, market gardeners must be skilled caretakers of crops, knowledgeable bookkeepers and business planners, proficient marketers, and adept stewards of the land. Not only that, growers face increasingly challenging growing seasons that include fluctuating temperatures, droughts, floods, hail, high winds, and more. 

To help market gardeners with the basics of scaling up, the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service Offices in Bullitt County and Spencer County teamed up to host a series of classes. This series covered soil health, marketing, business planning and more to give beginning farmers and market gardeners a competitive edge. The Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Agents from Bullitt County and Spencer County concluded the series with a class on growing in high tunnels that also helped market gardeners gain an advantage in the face of uncooperative weather and other challenges.  

Swiss chard grown in the soil under a high tunnel on a Kentucky Farm

High Tunnels, also known as hoop houses, are relatively simple polyethylene-covered greenhouse-like structures that are passively heated and cooled. Crops are usually grown in the ground and can include vegetables, cut flowers, brambles, and strawberries. High tunnels can be used to extend the growing season, giving market gardeners a head start. In addition to the potential for season extension and off-season production, high tunnels can provide protection from unfavorable weather conditions and insect and disease pressure. 

Strawberries grown in deep straw mulch under a high tunnel face less insect and disease pressure and can more easily be grown organically.

In the final class of the Beginning Farmer, Market Gardener, and Landowner Series in 2022-2023, controlled environment horticulture specialist, Dr. Rachel Rudolph zoomed in to a crowded hybrid room of 50 in-person and 15 online attendees to teach about the basics of incorporating high tunnels into one's farm. The Bullitt County and Spencer County Agents decided to offer this session in a more accessible hybrid format due to the request of several parents of young children who otherwise could not attend the extension programming. Suzanne Harris from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Service Center in Bardstown answered frequently asked questions about the NRCS High Tunnel Initiative which offers financial assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) cost share program.

Cooperative Extension Agents utilize classrooms with video conferencing equipment to offer programming to a diverse audience reaching as many as possible.The High Tunnel Class participants were surveyed with the following positive results. Of 72 registrants surveyed, 90% had never grown in a high tunnel before. In a self assessment, participants were asked "How Confident were you with high tunnels before this class?" and "How confident are you with high tunnels after this class?" The 75 who responded to the first question averaged 1.88 on a scale of 1 (Not Confident) to 5 (Very Confident). The 30 participants who answered the second question averaged 2.9 on the same scale with an average increase of 1.02 points in increased confidence. No surveyed participants left feeling "Not Confident" and five left feeling "Very Confident"! 

Additionally, 27 surveyed participants averaged 4.26 on the same scale of confidence when asked "How confident are you in finding resources for high tunnels after this class?" So, even those who did not have all of their questions answered left knowing they could turn to the Cooperative Extension Service for more resources.