This past Monday (August 17th, 2026) I put 40 tomato plants in the ground under my 70 x 30 high tunnel.
It was 89 degrees outside so… your guess is as good as mine about how hot it was inside that thing. The sides were rolled up and it was about 4pm.
Now yes, I am pretty immersed in the world of agriculture and know very much that this is not ideal or normal. I am literally part of an agricultural program through the University of Kentucky, so my mentors are probably somewhere like, “Anna, what in the world are you doing?” But here we are anyway because I love a good experiment 😝
The goal is to see if I can have fresh Kentucky-grown tomatoes in the winter.
Yes. Winter- Not just fall. November-February!
First, I Had to Not Shock or Cook the Seedlings
Planting tomatoes in Kentucky in mid-August is already pushing things a little bit but planting them into a high tunnel when it is 89 degrees outside adds another very hot layer of fun.
My biggest immediate challenge was getting these plants transplanted without shocking them AND without cooking them.
Transplanting is stressful for a plant. You are taking a plant that has been growing in one environment, disturbing the root system, putting it into completely different soil conditions and then asking it to immediately deal with Kentucky August heat. I did have them outside on my porch for a good four days before moving them, so that helped!
Tomatoes are warm-season crops, so while they do love heat… there is such a thing as too much heat.
On a sunny day, a high tunnel can be 30 to 40 degrees hotter than the temperature outside if it is not properly ventilated. So when it is 89 degrees outside, you can theoretically be looking at temperatures around 119 to 129 degrees inside a poorly ventilated tunnel. I had both sides rolled up and all end walls open so I don’t think it was up there, I definitely was dripping in sweat but I wasn’t dizzy or anything.
Please root into your new home without having a complete meltdown. I have shade cloth over the plants right now. It took my a day to put over them, but Tuesday it was a few degrees cooler than the day I planted them. I just made sure to water them in REALLY good. So the kicker is that the shade cloth isn’t over the high tunnel (another checkmark of doing things “wrong”)- I have it in the high tunnel over the tomatoes. Ideally, I would have the shade cloth over the actual high tunnel rather than directly over the plants. That way I am blocking some of the solar radiation before it heats the structure.
But have you ever tried putting shade cloth on a 70 x 30 high tunnel alone? Didn’t think so.
This is a project anyways. So for now, I have shade cloth over the tomatoes, the sides of the tunnel are rolled up, and I am watching these plants like a hawk.
Getting them through the hottest part of August without stressing them so badly that they never really recover is all I’m worried about. Once they are established, then we can worry about the next challenge which will probably be lighting. And then… Winter!
Winter is coming
Kentucky high tunnels are fantastic tools for extending the growing season. They can protect plants from frost, wind and other weather while taking advantage of solar heat but I am not just trying to squeeze a couple more weeks out of the fall.
I want to see how far I can push these tomatoes into winter. I want Kentucky residents to eat Kentucky grown tomatoes all year round.
Winter has a completely different set of problems than the other seasons. Obviously, there is the cold but there is also LIGHT.
A high tunnel can trap heat from the sun, but it cannot create more hours of daylight.
As we get into November, December and January, the days get shorter, the sun is lower in the sky and there is less available sunlight for photosynthesis. That could end up being a bigger limitation than the temperature itself so I may throw some lights in there somehow, but then I’ll have to justify my electric bill. Tomatoes need light to grow, flower and produce fruit. So eventually, I may reach a point where keeping the plants from freezing is not the problem.
Getting enough light for them to continue producing might be.
This is a project for me. I am not saying everyone should go plant 40 tomatoes in Kentucky on August 17th. In fact, please save yourself the trouble, money, and work until I have some data for you.
Please don’t do that because you read my blog and decided I made it look fun.
I know the recommendations and challenges and VERY much know this is not a good idea on paper. There is a difference between knowing what is recommended and knowing what actually happens when you try something on your own property, with your own soil, your own infrastructure, your own weather and your own management. Either way, I learn something.
I planted four different types of tomatoes, with 10 of each:
- San Marzano
- Striped heirloom
- Black heirloom
- Market round
I am really curious to see how the different varieties handle being transplanted this late and whether some perform better than others as we move toward fall and, hopefully, winter.
Kentucky is already a pretty important state for agricultural production, and local vegetable production is something I really want to continue exploring here at Raised Wild Farm.
There is something incredibly cool about being able to walk outside and pick food that was grown right here. And if I can figure out how to make that happen later into the year? Even better.
I would LOVE to have fresh tomatoes into the winter. If I can extend the season by a month, I will consider that a success.
If I can harvest tomatoes in November, fantastic.
December? Now we are getting somewhere.
January? I will probably be obnoxiously excited about it and have to write a paper lol.
If I discover that the winter light is ultimately the thing that stops production? That is still valuable information.
Apparently 40 late-season tomato plants weren’t enough because I needed more projects lol. I have 50 blueberry bushes coming. They are babies, so I am fully aware that these are a LONG-TERM project. I am not expecting to be swimming in blueberries next summer. These plants are going to take time to establish, and I am perfectly okay with that.
I am also mentally preparing for my fall vegetables. Getting the garlic in the ground on time will be my biggest stressor. The peppers will be moving here from the Lexington farm soon.
And there are approximately 900 other things happening that I am probably forgetting.
There is always something to plant, move, water, prune, propagate, build, research or question. (Sometimes all in the same day!)
So here we go.
Thanks for joining me 🖤 XO
ANNA