High Tunnels vs Fields as Growing Environments: Annual Cut Flowers

The figures below compare the production of flowering stems on annual flowers for cut flower production in the field with those in high tunnels.

The figure below demonstrates that all crops tested produced more flowering stems in the high tunnel environment than in the field.

Stem length far exceeded field cultured Cosmos in the high tunnel environment, as shown in (A) of the figure below:

Similarly, stem length far exceeded field cultured Salvia in the high tunnel environment, as shown in (B) of the figure above.

Growth of all species was far more advanced in the tunnels than in the field. The plants in the tunnel were ready for harvest by October 2002. those in the field were not, as shown in the picture below:

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