Protected Culture for Vegetable and Small Fruit Crops: Southern Highbush Blueberry Cultivars under High Tunnels

Figure 2b. Blueberry plants growing inside high tunnels  in early January in north-central Florida. High tunnels have been proposed as an alternative for freeze protection and to increase fruit earliness of southern highbush blueberry. But there is no information about the effect of this type of structure on southern highbush blueberry fruit earliness under subtropical Florida conditions. This 3-page fact sheet summarizes the results of 2-year study in a commercial southern highbush blueberry farm in North Central Florida to compare early fruit weight in high tunnels to that of open fields. This 3-page fact sheet was written by Bielinski M. Santos and Teresa P. Salame-Donoso, and published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, July 2013.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1226

Protected Culture for Vegetable and Small Fruit Crops: The Soilless Trench System (HS1204)

Figure 5.  Mature tomato crop growing in an SLS filled with pine barkVegetable and small fruit crop production under protective structures, such as greenhouses, high tunnels, and shade houses, often requires using soilless media to mitigate the impact of soilborne diseases, nematodes, and weeds, and it helps with management of fertilization and irrigation. Regardless of the nature and property of the media, they need to be held in containers to avoid direct contact with the soil or to elevate plants above the ground. An alternative to purchasing containers is building a soilless trench system for production of certain vegetables and small fruit crops. This 3-page fact sheet was written by Bielinski M. Santos and Teresa P. Salame-Donoso, and published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, August 2012.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1204

Cultural Practices for Vegetable and Small Fruit Crops: Using Kaolin Clay to Reduce Sprinkler Irrigation for Strawberry Transplant Establishment (HS1188)

Because of the current limitations on water usage for strawberry growers in the Plant City area of Hillsborough County, researchers at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education center have been looking for inexpensive ways to reduce the amount of sprinkler irrigation in strawberry production. This 3-page fact sheet presents research results on the effect of kaolin clay application on sprinkler irrigation volumes applied to newly transplanted strawberries. It was written by Bielinski M. Santos, Teresa P. Salame-Donoso, Craig D. Stanley, Alicia J. Whidden, Crystal A. Snodgrass, and Mary B. Henry, and published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, December 2010.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1188

HS1186 Solutions for Small Farmers and Home Gardens: Building a Low-Cost Vertical Soilless System for Production of Small Vegetable and Fruit Crops

HS1186, a 5-page illustrated fact sheet by Bielinski M. Santos, Teresa P. Salame-Donoso, and Shawn C. Arango, provides written and graphic instructions on how to build a homemade vertical soilless (hydroponic) growing system (also known as “bottle grow”) to produce vegetables and small fruit crops at a fraction of the cost of commercially available systems, without occupying premium agricultural land and by utilizing materials available in the home and local hardware store. Published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, November 2010.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1186

HS1882 Producción de Hortalizas en Ambientes Protegidos: Estructuras para la Agricultura Protegida

HS1182, a 5-page illustrated, Spanish-language fact sheet by Bielinski M. Santos, Henner A. Obregón-Olivas y Teresa P. Salamé-Donoso, describes the advantages and disadvantages of various types of structures used in protected vegetable production. Published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, August 2010.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1182

HS1162/HS407 Protected Culture for Vegetable and Small Fruit Crops: High Tunnels for Strawberry Production in Florida

HS1162, a 4-page illustrated fact sheet by Bielinski M. Santos, Teresa P. Salamé-Donoso, Craig K. Chandler, and Steven A. Sargent, presents the results of research comparing the effects of high-tunnel and open-field production on the growth, fruit earliness, and yield of strawberry cultivars in Florida. Published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, March 2010.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs407