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Tomatoes, peppers and eggplants in high tunnels
1. Tomatoes, Peppers and
Eggplants in High Tunnels
Terrance T. Nennich
Extension Professor
Vegetable and Small Fruit Production
University of Minnesota Extension
nenni001@umn.edu
2. Tomatoes
• Tomatoes are the number one product grown in
high tunnels
• High Market demand
• Very nutritious
• Cost effective
• Many uses
• Profitable
• Easily grown for the most part
• Large selections of varieties
3. Tomato Culture
• Determinant vs indeterminate
• Plant spacing 18 inches to 3 ft,
• Plant on beds, or flat
• Soil Nutrition is extremely important
• Disease control
• Irrigation
• Weed control
4. “Book Values” for Tomatoes
N P K
Plant Part -------- lb per ton F.W. ------------
Fruit 3.4 0.4 6.0
Vines 2.6 0.4 3.4
Total 6.0 0.8 9.4
A 50 ton yield/A would require: ( 20 Lbs Plant)
300 lbs N/A
40 lbs P/A (92 lbs P2O5)
470 lbs K/A (564 lbs K2O)
5. Soil Nutrient Research 2008
Fertilized Plots
Cobra Tomatoes
0-6 inch soil depth
N P K
Before Season 263 252 1349
After Harvest 26 235 173
7. Leaf mold on tomato (Fulvia fulva)
Highly dependent on high RH and temperature for
disease development
Conidia germination requires
RH > 85% and an optimal
temperature 68-77°F
Disease rarely occurs below
50°F
Conidia can survive at least 1
year in the soil
Numerous strains Sharon Douglas, CAES
8. Four stages of disease management
1. Pre- High Tunnel Establishment
2. Pre- Season
3. Transplant Production
4. Crop Production
9. Irrigation
• How long would you like to go without water?
• 10 hours of drought can delay maturity 2 days
• Drastically reduce quality
• Soil nutrients can only be taken up in solution
• Fertilizer and water .
10. Tomato Evaluation
• How do you evaluate a high tunnel tomato?
– Size ?
– Color?
– Yield ?
– Earliness?
– Firmness ?
– Heirloom ?
– Flavor ?
– You make the Call
33. BHN 785
• Determent
• Large grape
• Different in tunnels
• Sweet
34. Pepper Culture
• Raised Beds
• 20 inches wide, Minimum
• Plastic Green
• Two rows on each bed
• Plants are 18 inches in the row
• Rows are 8 inches apart.
35. Pepper Culture
• Possibility of widening the bed
• Widen the spacing between rows
• Use two drip tapes.
• Staking or weaving is important.
• Shade cloth
36. Major Concerns
• Aphids
• Mites
• White Flies
• Tip Burn
• Blossom end rot
37. Takii Ace
• Very early
• 50 day
• Completely different
in high tunnels
• Three lobe pepper
• Excellent Green to
Red
38. Hunter
• Early Pepper
• Blocky
• 4 lobe
• Good green to red
39. Chesapeake
• High tunnel pepper
• 4 lobed pepper
• Very uniform
• Mid season
• Very quick color change
40. King Arthur
• Older pepper
• Very large
• Latter season
• Uniform
• Must be stakes in tunnels
46. Mango
• Mid Season
• Green to Orange
• Smaller plant
• Stake
• Very thick
• High fertility
47. Moonset
• Mid Season
• Green to Yellow
• Blocky
48. Aruba
• Excellent growth in H T
• Cubanelle
• Good color
• Very prolific
49. Anastar
• Anaheim
• Very long
• 9 inches
• 1500 S U
• Mid to later season
50. Tiburon
• Ancho
• 1000 -3000 S R
• Green to red
51. Inferno
• Hot banana
• Turns nice bright red
• Early 60 -65 day
• 2500 – 4500 S R
52. Habanero
• Red , Yellow, Orange
• Very hot
• Small plant
• Late season
53. Hungarian Hot Yellow Wax
• Open Pollinated
• Hot
• Inexpensive seed
• Good yield
• Average color
• Uniform ?
54. Sweet Banana
• Open pollinated
• Sweet
• Not Hot
• Very prolific
• Not uniform
55. Golden Summer
• Mid Season
• Green to Yellow
• Turns Quickly
• Good yield
• Medium Size
• Heavy set
56. # 7 Jalapeno
• Rupp Seed
• Very early
• Strong continuous set
• Semi hot
• Green to red
57. EggPlant Culture
• Raised Beds
• 20 inches wide, Minimum
• Plastic Green
• Two rows on each bed
• Plants are 18 inches in the row
• Rows are 8 inches apart.
58. Eggplant Culture
• Possibility of widening the bed
• Widen the spacing between rows
• Use two drip tapes.
• Staking or weaving is important.
59. Major Concerns
• White Flies
• Aphids
• Potato beetle
• Pollination
• Blossom abortion
60. Epic
• Black
• Glossey
• Uniform
• 4X8 Big in tunnels
61. Millionaire
• Japanese Type
• Early
• Smooth
• Must stake
62. Orient Express
• Early
• Smooth
• 10 inches long
• Cold set
• Takes early cool springs
63. Galine Italian
• Early
• Cold set
• Continuous set
• Gets big in high tunnels
• Very smooth
64. Fairy Tale
• Small
• 1 inch x 5 inches
• Solid
• Very polific
65. Gretel
• White egg color
• Very early
• 2009 AAS Winner
• 4 inches long
• 1 inch
• solid
66. Hansel
• Early
• AAS winner
• Harvest at 4 inches
• Will continue to grow to 10
inches
67. Nadia
• Full size
• Cool set
• Will keep
• Solid
• Calyx stays green