Season Extenders Summary for Farm and Garden

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Season Extenders Summary
for Farm and Garden

This season extenders summary is dedicated to anyone who wants to get going earlier in springtime, grow later into the fall, perhaps grow and/or harvest during the winter, or all the above. And that applies to most of the growers we know. If you grow produce for sale, you might also need that income sooner, and wish it lasted longer. That is exactly what season extension methods do - give us that longer, more reliable, more predictable growing season that we all wished we had.

So the question of whether the growing season can be extended is simple - of course it can. The real question is whether we take advantage of these methods, and how best to do so. There are many ways to extend the growing season, from inexpensive and low-tech methods to extend growing just a few weeks, to high-cost fully automated climate control to grow orchids in winter. Many of these season extension options can be combined, such that you have multiple layers of protective environment around your high-value market plants. Whether you're a hobbyist, growing for a farmer's market or CSA, or selling your produce wholesale, it may be cost effective for you to explore one or more of these season extension options. This section of the website will try to provide comprehensive information about current season extenders, and answer the most common questions about those options.

Season Extenders Summary Table
The following table is a summary of season extender methods, ranging from lightweight and/or temporary methods, up to more costly, complex and/or permanent methods. Please see the hyperlinks to read more about each type of protection.

Season Extension Type	Temp Change (deg. F)	Common Uses	Cost	Complexity	Durability
Floating Row Cover	5	Severe weather protection for cool-hardy crops.	Low	Low	1-3 Years
Cold Frames	10-20	Germination boost and severe weather protection for cool-hardy crops.	Low	Low to Moderate	1-5 Years
Hot Frames	20	Germation boost and severe weather protection for tender seedlings.	Low to moderate	Low to moderate	1-5 years depending on heat source
Soil Heating Cables	5-20	Germination boost and accelerated growing for high value seedlings.	Moderate	Moderate	3-10 years
Low Hoophouses	10-20	Early/Late season protection for all crops; allows for all-season harvest.	Low to Moderate	Low	3-5 years
High Hoophouses	10-40	Early/late season protection for all crops, with walk-in access and fewer thermal swings; allows for all-season harvest.	Low to moderate	Low to moderate	3-5 years
Germination cabinets	30-50	Germination boost and humidity control for tender seedlings.	Moderate	Moderate to High	5-10 years
Reemay in hoophouses	5	Provides extra buffer against extreme cold snaps.	Low	Low	Indefinite
Unheated greenhouse	10-40	Early/late season protection for all crops, with easier access and fewer thermal swings; allows for all-season harvest.	Moderate to High	Moderate	5-10 Years
Heated Benches	20-40	Germination boost and accelerated growing for high value seedlings.	Moderate to High	Moderate	5-10 years
seedling tray covers	10-30	Germination boost and humidity control for tender seedlings.	Low to moderate	Low to moderate	5-10 years
Heating Mats	20-40	Germination boost and accelerated growing for high value seedlings.	Low to Moderate	Low to moderate	5-10 years
Heated Greenhouse	20-50	Early/Late season protection for all crops, with easier access and fewer thermal swings; allows for all-season harvest.	High	Moderate to High	10-20 years with replacement film
Heated, passively ventilated greenhouse	20-50, ceilings on high temps	Early/late season protection for all crops, with easier access and fewer thermal swings; allows for all-season harvest. Controls buildup of heat and humidity, reduces heat stress and humidity-linked diseases/pests.	High	Moderate to High	10-20 years with maintenance
Heated, actively ventilated greenhouse	20-50, ceilings on high temps	Early/late season protection for all crops, with easier access and fewer thermal swings; allows for all-season harvest. Controls buildup of heat and humidity, reduces heat stress and humidity-linked diseases/pests.	Very High	High	10-20 years with maintenance
Heated, actively ventilated, artificially lighted greenhouse	20-50, ceilings on high temps	Early/late season protection for all crops, with easier access and fewer thermal swings; allows for all-season harvest. Controls buildup of humidity and humidity-linked disease/pests. Supplemental heat and light allows for year-round growing and harvesting.	High	Moderate to High	10-20 years with maintenance

Details
The above is a tremendous amount of information to digest, and it’s taken awhile to compile just the summary table. Over the next few weeks I’ll be working to flesh out this season extender summary, with a page dedicated to each different season extension method. Once each page is done, I’ll provide a hyperlink from the extension method name listed above, to the actual page. Eventually the entire table will be fully linked and crossed-referenced with additional sources of information. Please have patience as we work through all that information and get it published.

I hope somewhere in this season extender summary you found some answers to your own growing needs. We are continually looking for more options in season extenders, and new options are presenting themselves all the time. If you hear of some season extension method that we haven’t covered, let us know and we’ll add it to the list above, with a complete review. If you have more questions about one of the options already listed, let us know and we’ll look at answering those questions. This website exists to help you with your growing goals. Let us know if there’s any other way we can help you achieve those goals.

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Season Extenders Summaryfor Farm and Garden

Season Extenders Summary
for Farm and Garden