Demand for fresh, local greens in winter is limitless, and production is not nearly meeting demand, representing a huge opportunity to increase financial sustainability of individual farms and food systems. Currently, there is a gap in knowledge across our region about occurrence, biology, and management of downy mildews of winter greens, and we are lacking for modern, efficient leafy greens production systems. These two factors are limiting farm revenue and profitability, and limiting consumer access to fresh, local greens year round.
This project addressed these concerns through research, outreach, and education, outlined below:
Grower Case-Studies
These case studies were conducted to determine profitabiliy of a range of winter spinach production methods.
Winter Spinach Production Enterprise Budgets- Webinar: Economics of Winter Spinach - Three Case Studies - September 1, 2021
Recommendations for Improving Winter High Tunnel Spinach Production
Workshops & Webinars
- Virtual Spinach Field Day - February 11, 2021
- UMass Research Farm Field Day - July 27, 2021
Field Trials
- UMass Winter Spinach Variety Trial, 2018-19
- UMass Winter Spinach Variety Trial, 2019-20
- UMass Winter Spinach Variety Trial, 2020-21
- Improving Germination and Stand in Winter High Tunnel Spinach, 2021-22
- UMass Winter Spinach Variety Trial, 2022-23
Disease Diagnostic Support
This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under subaward number LNE20-402.
