Improving tunnel tomato production by picking the low-hanging fruit with Vern Grubinger from the University of Vermont

As the Vegetable and Berry Specialist at the University of Vermont for 35 years, Vern has a lot of experience with helping growers improve their high tunnel tomato production. One of the best ways to find out what is working on actual farms is with a survey- in 2024 Vern and his team did a survey of 48 tunnel tomato growers (heated and unheated) that included growing practices and yields, in order to correlate the best practices to the best yields.

In this conversation, we talk about the conclusions we can draw from this survey, highlighting the best practices and prioritizing the smallest changes that can have the biggest impact on yields. We discuss everything from variety selection to grafting, root zone heating, planting density and biological controls. Ultimately, the biggest changes came from: using the long-term high tunnel soil test, adding up to 4 drip lines per bed, improving ventilation with gable end vents and HAF fans, and automating roll-up sides. We break it all down with Vern and if you'd like to see the slides made from his study results, they're in the show notes below.

Connect With Guest:
Website with slides from the study: newenglandvfc.org
Instagram: @uvmextcommhort

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