Author: Daniel Becker
Planning Unit: Horticulture
Major Program: Commercial Horticulture
Outcome: Intermediate Outcome
Jenny Clark runs a roadside vegetable stand in Caldwell County and attends local farmers markets as a vendor. She was looking to expand her high tunnel and field area to grow more vegetablesl but had difficulty with weed control. She was also inexperienced with water and fertilizer application. Through the county agent, Shane Bogle, she got in contact, interested in becoming a cooperator and demonstration site. Working with the extension associate, it was decided that the best avenue to economize labor expenditure and maximize her business was through use of ground cover and fertigation. Kentucky Horticulture Council provided funding for the purchasing of rolls of landscape fabric, a fertilizer injector system, fittings and drip irrigation line. Jenny learned how to set up an irrigation system, measure fertilizer and water flow, about appropriate plant spacing, and how to lay the fabric and place the planting holes. After a season of management and good sales her takeaway is that "growing vegetables using the fabric is much easier than bare ground, weeds are virtually nonexistent. I wouldn't have been able to keep up without it". A field day was held in August where attendees examined the field and learned about drip irrigation system design.
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