Wilson Home Farms - State College, PA | Professional Installation of backyard vegetable gardens and home fruit orchards. Grow your own into the winter with season extension!

Frost Only Stops the Unprepared

Wilson Home Farms offers a number of Season Extension installations for home gardeners:

Low Tunnels- A low technology way to add frost protection to your crops
Cold Frames- A "raised bed with a clear lid" - these allow a gardener to grow cold hardy crops in a sturdy environment
High Tunnels- Layman call these greenhouses, but a greenhouse can only be called a greenhouse if it is heated. High tunnels look like greenhouses, but rely on solar energy to heat the space

Low Tunnels

Low tunnels are simple frames made from metal; either a bent steel wire or a bent piece of electrical conduit. Once these frames are in place, plastic or spun row cover is placed and secured over them. This allows for early plantings of summer crops, before the danger of frost has passed, and extension of your fall crops past the first frosts of the season.

Picture of a wire low tunnel with salad greens growing

Wire Hoop Low Tunnels

64" Steel Hoop- Used to cover low crops such as greens on small width beds (30")
76" Steel Hoop - Slightly longer than the 64", can be used on a wider bed or to give row cover more height

Picture of conduit hoops attached to a raised bed ready to grow!

Conduit Low Tunnels
1/2" or 3/4" Conduit Hoop-bent into 4 foot or 6 foot width

A solid structure, used for larger crops and bed widths.
4' is good for tall crops like broccoli
6' is good for spanning two 30" beds

15 Pound Sandbag

Used to hold down row cover.
One between hoops works okay, two is better

Row Cover options

10' Wide Dupont 1.25 oz Rowcover - Heaviest: most durable
10' Wide Greenhouse Plastic - Best heat retention
10' Wide .55 oz Agribon Row cover- lightweight

Cold Frames

Cold Frames are raised beds with clear lids placed over fertile soil angled towards the southern winter sun. Cold Frames act as a living refrigerator.

Cold hardy crops are planted late in the fall, given enough time to germinate and grow to maturity just before the bitter cold of the winter kicks in. The cold frame protects your crops through the harsh January and February, and allows you to harvest these crops through the winter.

Picture of a cold frame in a front yard garden

Cold Frames are built to be 30" wide for easy access to crops in the back. They can be built to any length, the picture above is an 8' version, the picture to the left is a 12' version.

Cold Frames can also be tall by adding them ontop of a raised bed frame, this allows for deeper soil.

Univent Automatic Opener

-Opens lid at specified temperature to vent Cold Frame when the temperature gets hot

High Tunnels

High Tunnels are the best way to grow year round. The space allows for you to move around and grow a lot of crops.

Installations are custom and based on the type of high tunnel desired. Farmers may qualify for funding from the NRCS.