Michael357: I think you are in north central KS, right? That would be a pretty good climate for protected culture. Lots of sun to warm and produce fruit. You might not want to try everything I'm thinking about. But you could have a 9 month freeze free season, the equal of the best outdoor climate in California. And at a surprisingly affordable cost. My big greenhouse, 1700 sq ft, cost less than a new car, is much cheaper to own and operate, and will last much longer. Best money I ever spent. My budget for a new one about 1000 sq ft is not much over 10K. Probably could operate it for $500 a yr. The key to keeping operating cost down is to never heat above that needed to keep things from a damaging freeze. So in KS if you choose to, the three coldest months you could just hold the minimum above say 10F while keeping the days below 50F. That would give you your chilling. As it warmed in the spring raise the minimum in step with the critical freeze temperature of the fruit buds. By this time of year you'd be in bloom and holding 33F until November. You could have apricots in May and stone fruit until Nov. If you choose to you could hold 33F all winter and grow citrus and much more. Each climate would have an optimum strategy for the most economical system. But all would be a lot more fun than the mud, wind, hail, freezes, birds, etc, etc we all face outdoors.

I don't see how 12 inch separation will make much of a difference shade-wise but will have an effect on air circulation which is what we do want. MY VARIETIES ___APPLES__ CANDYCRISP GIBSON GOLDEN DEL DAYTON ZESTAR SANSA MACOUN CALVILLE BLANC D'HIVER COX ORANGE PIPPIN SUNCRISP KARMIJN D'SONNANVILLE HUDSON'S GOLDEN GEM ORLEANS REINETTE JONAGOLD RED PRISTINE GRAVENSTEIN REBELLA HORSE ROXBURY RUSSET MELROSE CHENANGO STRAWBERRY KING DAVID SPARTAN ASHMEAD'S KERNEL WINESAP BLUSH ROSETTE GREANADINE THORNBERRY GOLDRUSH __PEARS__ SUNRISE SECKEL DOYENNE D'JULIETTE COMICE HIGHLAND MORENTINNI KEIFFER D'ANJOU UBILEEN ORCAS RESCUE CONFERENCE SUIJE COLLETTE ___CHERRIES___ EMPEROR FRANCIS RAINIER GOLDEN SWEET MONTMORENCY NORTHSTAR BING EVANS BUSH ___PLUMS___ SANTA ROSA BUBBLEGUM (TOKA) BURBANK OZARK PREMIER SWEET AUGUST SURPRISE ___APRICOT___ MOONPARK PUGET GOLD MONTROSE CHINESE (MORMON) SUNGOLD __PEACHES - NECTARINES___ 4TH OF JULY SATURN POLY WHITE HARKEN Q-18 HARDIRED NECTA ZEE ALSO 20 BLUBERRY BUSHES WITH RIPENING FROM JUNE TO NOVEMBER I have one of each. This selection is with different blooming and ripening times will keep me busy but hopefully in fruit from June to late November Wish me luck Mike

Thanks for the listserve info Flowerfarmer. I started with a high 20x96 high tunnel in 2001 growing tomatoes and cucumbers. It was a revelation for me although my season was ended when the plants cooked in my absense(at market) in Oct of that year. So I modified the structure by bringing in electric to include a thermostaticly controlled exhaust fan and intake louver, circulation fans, stoker coal stove and lights. Now I can plant in early March and have tomatoes in early June. It's now a greenhouse. In 2004 I was able to purchase a used 30x96 structure and I immediately ran electric to it and installed an exhaust fan and lights. Other than a second exhaust fan given to me and an intake louver I bought at an auction, I probably will not install anything else in it. I typically don't plant in it until early April but it has convinced me to stop planting tomatoes in the field. As far as definition goes the high tunnel would not have the electricity or heat features of a greenhouse. I've heard that some growers use that term to describe a portable structure to avoid paying higher property taxes. For me, I am not in such an area and the cheap improvements with mostly used supplies has doubled the extent of my harvest season with much improved fruit quality. Both of these structures have the rollup sides becuuse the exhaust fans can't remove the summer heat near fast enough. I usually leave the sides in the rolled up position continuously from june thru Sept. anless bad weather threatens. I've tried peppers with poor success mainly because of light availability when peppers are grown with vertically growing tomatoes(clipped to frame suspended stringline) and cucumbers( trained onto frame suspended plastic mesh). I might try peppers again in a future tunnel). I have a small 15x40 bench greenhouse that I use for the potted plants- probably what you are looking for. You can erect one for under $1000 if you avoid all the frills. My frame cost $400 in 1994. I put a dubble poly plastic covering over it and haven't replaced it yet. It has a $3 used barn fan as an exhaust fan and a woodstove for heat. The benches are hand made stands covered with old doors and plywood covered with plastic. By April it is packed with plants, most of which we start in our house under lights. Sorry for the rambling but I wanted to paint a picture of SEASON EXTENSION as it works for me. June tomatoes pay for my structure costs repeatedly each year. By mid july everybody has them.

For kicks this year I put a late planting of what were advertized as storage tomatoes into the hoop house. They are supposed to be able to be picked green, stored in the cellar and ripen in a month or so, then keep for another month or better. I'll push the plants as far into the winter as they will go, but I'm not going to waste heat on them. I'm also going to start some Beaverlodge tomatoes, which are always weeks ahead for ripening in the spring, and do them in containers with bottom heat as early as I can come spring. Quality probably won't be the best for either, but I just want to see If I can actually pull off "fresh" tomatoes year round in Z6. Might be fun. I'm finding my late fall hoophouse tomatoes to have poor texture, but the Black krims are still holding good flavor. I'm picking them when they first blush color and letting them ripen in our much warmer kitchen. When real cold gets here, I migh try ripening them next to the wood stove, just to see if more heat helps.