s
W inter V egetables Under Plastic  
 
li DEAN E. KNAVEL and E, M. EMMERT
Y
])l']l(ll'llNl'7l’ of Ilorlieizlfixre summary
. . . . S= -···I ·o(I-·>· ·1 ~·o· ·» ·e t 1 " i ..
\’VIIIlCI` VCgCl2I.I)I€ ]_)1`O(IlI(JlIOII lIlI(ICl` PIQISIZIC IS U.   Lvild Cl ) tbCJb( il Cl Fb_“/Cl;   )\;/ll 0 l“l§Tllt>t  
· ~ · `() " .` i ` ‘I .` " ` l` ' ` ` O -2,
gl`()\’\/Illg uulustty ut Kentucky. Lettuce, ttuuutces, ‘ PY _"‘““P ‘“ ” ‘{" *“°* ‘“ P ‘°“° "’“°€° ‘Y' ‘ “ ~ 1
pole I)(;'2lIIS 1lII(IlI`€$lI III2Il`I(Cl CllCllIIII)f:‘l`S iIl`€ POPIII2I.I` lultlflclal heat dmlmg Fcbrmu-y’ Nhu-Ch, A1)rll’ amd
_ ~ _ . . _. _ _ _ _ _   lIIl€I`I2Iy€1'S of PliIStIC \VC1`(:‘ POSIt1OII€(l \VltlIIII
CTOPS lOI` glOWIIIg III PIHSIZIC QICCIIIIOIISCS. Otll€1 CYOPS _ _ _ _
_ . _. _ _ . _ . two diiterent houses to trap solar heat. The objective
21 gI'O\VCl ITIIgI`Il` COIIbI(I€1 {IIC CIILIIVG, SPIIIHCII, l(Hl€, _ _ .
__ _ _ ._ _ . _ . _ was to determine wI11cI1 crops grew the best under
paisley, I`IIIII)tI.II), and iadish, but the piofits in giow- _ , _ _ _ _
. _ . diflerent systems of veutilating the fieldhouses. _
mg them may be questioned. _ _ _ , _ »~
, . _ _ _. _ . Yields III House 2 where the interlayers of plastic
Iroduction costs CHI] be ieduced by using plastic , _
t. . _ I   were suspe11ded 4 feet above the soil level were
ieldhouscs as designed by Emmeit. Emmeits low- _ _ _ _
_ . _ _ _ _ _ . greater tha11 yields III House 1. Yields 111 House l .
cost fieldhouscs allow the g1()\VCl to pioduce C€lltI.llI — _ _ _
_ _ _. . _ . where the interlayers of plastic were low over tl1e
CIODS to III2lI`IIIIly Ollt ()l S(1‘tISOIl \VIllIOlIt tlI€ 2I(I(lG(I _ _
_ _ .... _ plants were higher on the south side than the north
COIlSllIICllOII cost of COI1VClIl|OII2Il pIZI.SllC IIOIISCS £I.lI(I _ _ , _
. . . . . _ _ . side. The north side of House 1 was ventilated by a ,,
tl1e IISU of artificial heat. Fieldhouse const111ct1on costs , _ _ _ _ ·
» . _ fan pullmq, air from the outside when the temperature
5 to 7 C('lllS per square foot as compared with 30 to tm _ _ `
» . . reached 56 F. The temperatures of the north side
  C(‘IllS l)(’l` S(llIiII`(‘ l()Ol lOI` llIC 1`Cf.’;lIl1I.1`·tyP€ l)IlIStIC _. . . ·
_ . r . . \V(‘1`(;‘ IIIO1'(:‘ llIIIlO1`lII I)CC2IlIS€ of tlI(;‘ l2IlI, tIIiI.II llIOS€
houses. Ileatmg gieenhouses 111 Kentucky with coal . _ _ _ . _ ·
_ _ _ _ _. V _ of tl1e south side which was ventilated by folding back ‘
OI gills tlIIIOIIIllS l() 1ll)l)l()I\lIII2IlCIy 8 to   (J€IIlS PGI   i t_ 1 I         ”T
- · . » . I(;‘ )lIS IC RI. €1`S 'III( I IIIU IG Sl((:‘ \V'I S. (*1]-
stiuare foot of growing space. The use of fieldhouses, I _ y ° G _ ° I
. - p(‘l'2ItIIl`C‘S III l“lOlIS€   \V€1`€ COOl€I` Ht Illgllt {III(I \V[ll`III(‘l` A
IIO\V(‘V(‘l`, l`(’III()V(‘S l.II(‘ lI(‘lIl cost \VlICII llIIZ€I`l2IyG]`S of i _   i ti _   1 ‘ A
. . ( lI1`llI Y I0 ( 'I I'IlI III OIISG .
plastic are IIS(‘(I to trap tI.II(I hold solar l1eat. TI11s sys- E ly T _ r
- On tl1e basis of gross returns to tl1e grower, Inbb "<
l(‘III IIRIS l)1`()l(‘(Jt(‘(I I(‘lllICI;‘, ll COOI··S(.*2I.SOIl, CYOP, lI`OII`I . l
._ . . . - O and leaf lettuce offered ,the greatest returns at pre-
lIOSl IIl]lIl'y \VII(‘II ()IllSI(I(‘ l(‘IIIpCl'2IllIl`("S   to     _ _ `
V-. . . · . . IIIIIIIII III2II'l(€l P1`IC€S.
III(‘ OI)](‘(JlIV(‘ ()l lIIIS (‘XPCl`IIII€IIl \V2I.S to SlZlI(Iy tlI(‘
l)(‘I`I:OI`III2IIIC(‘ of C(‘I`llI.IIl (.`OOI··S(‘1I.SOIl V(‘g(‘liII)lC‘ CI'()PS III   l
plastic Iieldhouses IIII(I(‘I' dilliereiit methods of venti— _
lation. house was ventilated by rolling tl1e layers of plastic w
toward tl1e OlIlSl(IC‘ wall VVIICII outside temperatures “
Methods und Description of Experiment reached 11ear SOOF during the day. During very r
1 . · . . _ _. \V2Il`III (IRI)/S III liI.lC Spllllg, l`l(I(IItI()II1`II VCIIl`IIlI.IjlOII \V2IS
II|1‘(·(· sysleuis of \'(‘IllII1lll0ll \V<‘l`(‘ IIS<‘(I III t\V() (lll‘ provided by Piigiurr the gouth Outer Plqgtic \v.i]]`; r
l(‘I'(‘Ill IIOlIS(‘S. III(‘ lI(’I(IIIOIIS(‘S \Vl‘I`(‘ OI`I(‘IIl(‘(I (‘llSl 2lII(I iviounc C) \V·1g Tlirlttct to Iiouge I but dit_fel_€d iiroln
west. Ilouse l was divided i11to a north and south ` A U 1 l , `. K I .
.i .n i ti .i i . t i t V _i Ilouse l and Emmerts system in that the two inter-
.` ‘, ’I I) I .`I( (‘.' I;1\’IlI*" \\’O iI\’L’l`S () I/’ - 1} . _ i , ,,
`lll “ I ( ` , S rl- ' , lll IlIV(‘I`S of plastic \V(‘l`(‘ SllSp(’II(lC(I 4 feet lII)OVL‘ SOII °`
l)OI\'(‘lII\’I(`IIl‘ iI[)[)I'OXIIIILIl(‘Iy   l(‘(‘l iII)O\'(` lII(‘ SOII I(‘V(‘I I rr _ . __ _ _ _ it b i
i ' i i wo 9 _ \   tb Sho _ level. IIIC pllI.StIC COV€15 \V€lC §LIp]_)OIl(/(   \VOO( GII M
A .`I S I ‘I ‘ OII . \\’Il`(_‘ V ` 'U ` {IS ` \V I I . · . '
liu 1*1* KU I ’ 1 H stakes and a wire frame CO1IStI`llClZ10lI through tl1e it
*1*. .
lh i 1 if t H 1 H t i b ce11ter and over the walk-way of the house, as shown
IQ lIOl'tI IH O OLISG \V2`lS VBII 1 EI. CC y' it · · · ·
_ lll     V€I”lli1l£lt1OI1 Ol] \V£1I`IT1 (I21yS \V£IS ZICCOIII-
tliermostatically controlled fan which cut on when the pushed bv raising the south Outside plastic Wfius
¢
msidt ttmpu.1tu1t erceeded JSUF. The fan twas and Gnd doorways.
l)I1IL`(‘(I III lIIL‘ C(‘IIll‘I` of tII(‘ IIOI`lII SI(I(‘ to pull lII1` ll`OIII 1-[·h€1_“]0ln€t€1_S \V€l_€ Piriced On the Soil Surijrlcc qt V,
{hel ontsitie. lTI1ei air WHS l>l0\¥i t0W1U`{l lbliill tfmils mudom jh each house, and high and IOW t€mp€l`k\t\U'¢*$
IIIIL (‘III(‘.IlI llk I) .ISlI(. LO\(IS. Il SOIIlI Id O lIC‘ “_Gl_(_ l_€C()l_d€d Cach day fron} Biurch 6 to    
. . . .. .·\ t ·· 1 »t·· is also I>·tt-~I t s   ·
lI'l|IIIII(‘I`l, I·.. XI. tI$)(ilII \exx· I.ool< in I‘I(‘I(I (lreeiilioiises. hummnl U W ls I S _ (Ll U ml I Post (mtndl
i.\nn.i-ii.nii \'t.u(.in]i|i. (;i·i)“-(.i· S tj); |‘]'_ 5t)_ lII(‘ IIOIISGS to l`(3‘CO1`(I OlIlSI(I€ t€‘lI`Ip€I`&Illll`(‘S.
ti K1-:x‘1‘1*<.:s1· I?.~\I\M .·xN1> IIos11·: St:11·:>:c1·:-—S11s1s11;11, 1962 ‘