Two Boots Farm, a family farm just under 1-acre in Hampstead, MD received a $5,000 grant to maximize their acreage and extend their growing season by building a 72-by-24-foot high tunnel to increase their seedling production.
“We had excellent tomato and cucumber crops as predicted. We were able to yield approximately 50% more fruit from our high tunnel crops per a square foot compared to our field (unprotected) plantings.
We also grew other high-value crops in the tunnel that cannot be grown outside in our region. We grew ginger and turmeric, which we are still selling. With our current numbers, we were able to gross $16 per a square foot from our high tunnel space in a season. This number is on the high end of what’s possible considering spinach and turmeric are two of the highest value crops we grow but this gives a great example of the income potential of the high tunnel and gives us targets for growth beyond this project funding cycle.
We are thrilled with the outcome of this project. Our gross sales for the season (which is still not finished and income in still coming in) has far exceeded our income expectations for the year. This is largely due to having this high tunnel. We had projected a 39% total gross income growth from 2015 – 2016 but instead our gross income from 2015 – 2016 is 62.7% (this number will actually be higher since we plan to continue selling through the end of the year.) This puts us well on our way to financial sustainability.” ~ Elisa Lane, owner
