Class Description:
High tunnels provide a bounty in early spring and late fall. Growing in unheated tunnels provides longer stems, longer seasons, and protection for crops in all kinds of weather. Our tunnels opened the door to a whole new world of quality, from Mother’s Day ranunculus to eucalyptus that touches the roof!
We’ve also learned a towering bed of eucalyptus’ worth of what NOT to do in tunnels. This online class will cover it all: successes, embarrassing mistakes, and everything in between.
Learn our approach to growing in our unheated tunnels. Get a clear picture of what goes on behind the scenes before each season starts, include our approach to crop planning in our tunnels using a series of maps. We’ll discuss what mistakes beginners often make in high tunnels and how to avoid them, what our best varieties are and crop timings, and much more. Guest speaker Mimo Davis, owner of Urban Buds, will join us for Q and A. Unlike a lot of other online classes, we keep our classes small so that participants can ask questions and participate in the conversation.
Topics will include:
-Building great soil
-Seed starting in unheated tunnels
-Cover crop and mulch
-Aphids, voles, and managing botrytis
-Crop timings
-Winter maintenance
Schedule:
We’ll start on Zoom promptly at 10 am EST. Participants are welcome to join at 9:45 am EST for chit chat! Special guest Mimo Davis will jump in later in the morning for an hour of guided Q and A. Participants will receive resources and blank templates for planning in high tunnels. We ask that participants share these with their farm team only. Class will wrap up around 12:30-1 pm EST.
Logistics:
Class is capped at 20 participants.
We are keeping the class small so that everyone can interact with the speakers and get their questions answered. As a result, please note we cannot accommodate cancellations or refunds due to the limited class size. Make sure you check the time change in your area!
Participants will receive a Zoom link to join the class in the week beforehand.
This class IS
for farmers with at least one season of experience growing
for commercial flower farmers
for farmers interested in growing in unheated high tunnels
This class IS NOT
for gardeners
about growing in heated high tunnels- we will not discuss growing in heated spaces during this class
about construction- we will not cover high tunnel construction during this class
Kind Words about our workshops:
-There's nothing more helpful or re-energizing in the midst of July burn-out than getting to talk shop with your flower growing heroes!
-Laura Beth energy is contagious and I walked away thinking that focusing on the blooms was far more important than obsessing about a weed-free field. Liberating!
-Laura Beth is so open with everything about her business - the good, the ugly, the nitty-gritty details - which is something you can't get from a reading a book!
-You cannot put a price on seeing another farmer's operation from the inside. Laura Beth's openness and willingness to share information were invaluable.
About Laura Beth:
Laura Beth Resnick is the founder and owner of Butterbee Farm, a three acre flower farm in Pikesville, Maryland. Following sustainable, organic practices, Butterbee Farm provides locally grown flowers for florists, flower lovers, and weddings in Maryland and Washington, D.C. Before creating Butterbee Farm in 2013, Laura Beth worked on organic vegetable farms across the northeast. In 2016-18, she served as the president of the Maryland Cut Flower Growers Association. She speaks regularly at conferences and arboretums including the United States Botanical Garden, covering topics from starting a cutting garden to growing great dahlias. She also serves as the Secretary of the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers and writes for their quarterly magazine. A leader in the local flower farming community, Laura Beth is proud to mentor new growers through Future Harvest's Beginning Farmer Training Program.
About Mimo:
Mimo Davis has been growing specialty cut flowers in Missouri since 1994. Her first farm was
called WildThang located in Ashland, Missouri. Her current project is Urban Buds: City Grown Flowers, an acre, urban, specialty cut flower farm located in the south St Louis Dutchtown neighborhood. Season extension techniques feature prominently in the Urban Buds production, as does diversity of plant varieties, typically 70 different beauties annually. The flowers are sold at Tower Grove Farmers’ Market, wholesale to florists, and are used in Urban Buds wedding and event design. Mimo holds a graduate degree in horticulture from North Carolina A&T University.
Mimo Davis with Dave Dowling, Laura Beth Resnick, and Ellen Frost at a workshop at Butterbee Farm