outdoors , inside the greenhouse , and under the row covers . They used that information to figure out exactly how much temperature protection the combination of greenhouse plastic and row cover provide for the crops .
According to Coleman ’ s book “ The Winter Harvest Handbook ,” crops under two layers at his farm enjoy temperatures found three USDA growing zones further south , and some cold-loving plants crops continue to grow through the winter . Since UMFK is located in a colder area , students wanted to know how much temperature protection their high tunnel and row cover combination provided from the harsh Fort Kent winter temperatures , and how can they manage their crops in harmony with these conditions . To begin to answer these questions , students in future courses will continue to plant and collect growth and temperature information , and the findings will become part of a larger , long-term data set . A goals of the research projects is to develop a planting guide for crops that is best suited to winter growing conditions in northern Maine .
The UMFK winter garden project is a small venture , but , with increased campus interest in the project ’ s growth , students and faculty hope that more students from all disciplines will have an opportunity to try growing food on campus . Gardening in the winter is a challenge and anyone who lives in Northern Maine could benefit from eating freshly grown vegetables even when it isn ’ t summertime .
As one student said , “ You can actually grow food in the winter and potentially provide for yourself year round .”
The crops in the greenhouse are not grown for educational or research purposes only , at least half of the harvest is brought to the local food pantry to supplement the pantry ’ s food supply with fresh produce . To make the food pantry connection possible , UMFK has partnered with Power of Prevention ( POP ), a program of Cary Medical Center . POP is a local organization that promotes food access and good nutrition . Through this partnership , the project has received funding for infrastructure improvements and post-harvest processing supplies that will help increase the project ’ s growing capacity .
Dr . Kim Borges , UMFK professor of Environmental Studies , and who teaches the greenhouse course and coordinates the greenhouse project said , “ The harvest is still relatively small , but we hope to expand both our food quantity and the variety of crops that we provide as we get better at timing our plantings and improving our growing conditions . We also intend to expand our growing season outside of the academic year and into the summer , in order to supply more conventional warm weather crops to the food pantry .”
68 WINTER 2017