Maegen Lewis

Plants, Soils, and Climate

Mentor: Dr. Brent Black

High Tunnel Systems for Producing Annual Cut Flowers in the Intermountain West

Small farms in the U.S. Intermountain West are using high tunnels to expand their production season for high value crops such as fruits and vegetables. Cut flowers are one potential high value crop that hasn’t been fully explored, partly due to a lack of region-specific information. A research project is underway at the Utah State University Greenville Research Farm in North Logan, Utah to develop appropriate management strategies for two representative annual cut flower crops (snapdragon and sweet pea). Replicated plots of ‘Chantilly’, ‘Potomac’ and ‘Animation’ snapdragon, planted at four-week intervals February 8 through April 12. Sweet pea cultivars ‘Mammoth’, ‘Elegance’ and ‘Spencer’ were planted February 27 in high tunnels, with comparison field plantings in late May for each crop. Stems were harvested 3 days per week and evaluated for yield (stem number), marketable stems, and length of harvest season. Results from 2018 indicate an increase in quality and stem length of snapdragons grown in high tunnels, compared to the field. The second and third planting dates yielded the highest marketability. Sweet peas showed increased quality during cooler months in high tunnels, but quality decreased quickly due to unfavorably high temperatures and insect problems. For 2019, snapdragons will be trialed again for the two optimal planting dates while sweet peas will be removed from our trials due to repeatedly poor results as a cut flower for this region. This research will provide Utah producers with crucial production guidelines of cool season annuals in order to extend the growing season and take advantage of local high value markets.