This week has been a prime example of why season extension is such a critical topic in small scale farming. Knowing we’ve committed to a final late-season market, we anxiously watched as the weather forecast called for cooler and cooler temperatures. We’ve been talking about getting a hoop house up all summer, but all of a sudden the urgency ratcheted up a bit. Thankfully, we found a great caterpillar tunnel product from Farmer’s Friend LLC. It helped make the process as smooth and efficient as possible. With some help from family we were able to get two tunnels up before our first frost and snowstorm!

Over the past few days temperatures dipped below 20 degrees Fahrenheit and snow covered the landscape. But, we’ve still been harvesting tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers out of the tunnels for this weekend’s market. Not only that, but the tunnels have made a great play area during the cold afternoons. Anything to get the kids out of the cabin! Check out our video below for a quick tour of the tunnels and more details on their design and how we are putting them to use.