WVU Update
Published as a Special Insert for Farm Bureau News Fall 2012
Try growing some profitable winter crops
W est Virginia growers can grow and market local produce most of the year .
Winter , a traditionally slow season for vegetable farming , can be a great season for growers to provide a locally grown alternative to consumers used to buying their fresh foods at supermarkets .
Produce marketed during the offseason can be sold at higher prices , which often justifies higher investment costs . To control the growing environment and produce food during the winter , state growers need to use high tunnels , row covers , cold frames , and superior varieties . When these season-extending tools are used together , food can be grown , harvested , and marketed year-round in the Mountain State .
Root vegetables – carrots , beets , parsnips , turnips , and radishes – can be harvested or overwintered from October to April in high tunnels . High tunnels are unheated greenhouse structures that can be constructed and operated at a fraction of the costs of greenhouse production .
Winter-grown root vegetables are in high demand since they are very nutrient dense and have optimal sweetness resulting from cold growing conditions . Root vegetables adapt to cold weather and low light during winter . In some regions of West Virginia , root vegetables can be overwintered in the open field when mulched with 6 inches of straw or grown in a low tunnel cold frame protected with fabric row cover .
Carrots grow in a high tunnel for winter harvest . ( Photo by Spring Valley Farm , Slanesville )
If seeded before mid-September in a high tunnel , root vegetables are ready for harvest before early December . Rather than harvesting and storing the vegetables , you can simply store them “ in ground ” in the tunnel and harvest them periodically . Row covers can provide additional protection against low temperature in the high tunnel .
Leafy vegetables , including mixed greens ( mesclun ), kale , spinach , chard , and lettuce , can also be grown throughout most of the winter in West Virginia . Kale , spinach , and chard are exceptionally cold tolerant . Like root vegetables , they have a sweeter taste when grown in cold weather . Spinach grown in a high tunnel continues to produce new leaves even in the coldest months of the year . For high tunnel production , seed these leafy crops in September for early winter harvest or in October for succession harvests starting in February .
Lettuce does not tolerate extremely cold temperatures and low light , but it can be harvested in the high tunnel until mid-December . In February , lettuce can be reseeded for spring harvest .
Leeks are emerging as a popular vegetable for year-round sales . Leeks have a mild onion flavor ; they can be
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Insert Provided by WVU Extension Service and Davis College of Ag ., Natural Resources , and Design Fall 2012
West Virginia Farm Bureau News 13