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Many Canadians are likely to think of the North as the land of polar bears rather than a place where food can be grown. However, Canadians in northern communities have always worked to adapt and develop their own sustainable food systems, even in the face of unique challenges such as short growing seasons and long, easily disrupted supply chains. Agriculture is rapidly growing in the North as new partnerships within communities are formed and new technologies become available.
It was both new collaboration opportunities and technologies that prompted Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) research scientist Dr. Julia Wheeler, from the St. John’s Research and Development Centre, to embark on a multi-year research project. Dr. Wheeler, along with other AAFC and Government of Yukon researchers, tested season extension technologies for growing green beans and potatoes with farmers in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador, St. John’s, Newfoundland, and Whitehorse, Yukon. Potatoes are more commonly grown and eaten in these communities, and green beans can provide a nutritious option for northern Canadians.
Government of Yukon researchers Randy Lamb and Brad Martin of Whitehorse, Des Sellars of Nature’s Best Farm in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, along with Ottawa-based AAFC researchers Dr. Ed Gregorich and Dr. David Overy collaborated with Dr. Wheeler. They studied how these technologies affect soil health and quality when used in cooler northern temperatures. Dr. Tobias Laengle, from the AAFC Pest Management Centre (St. John’s, NL), consulted on pest identification and management strategies. AAFC pathologists Dr. Linda Jewell (St. John’s, NL) and Dr. Rick Peters (Charlottetown, PEI) monitored for emerging disease threats to the vegetables in northern climates and landscapes during the growing season and post-harvest when diseases and bruising can cause spoilage in storage.
Bringing the heat to extend the growing season with low tunnels
Vegetable growers in the North face short growing seasons so maximizing every second of sun available is important to growing healthy and plentiful crops.
Dr. Wheeler and AAFC technician Dena Wiseman installed half-metre high perforated plastic tunnels, which she referred to as “miniature greenhouses,” in green bean fields at three different sites. They are designed to warm the air and soil temperature around the plants to promote earlier and higher growth.
“We found that these tunnels had a positive effect on our total yield and quality of green beans at all three sites. Yields got better the further north we used them. The tunnels in Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Whitehorse likely provided the crop with an added benefit of warmer growing temperatures in the typically short growing seasons in these communities. They gave the crops a little bit of a head-start and germinated earlier compared to without the tunnels.”
- Dr. Julia Wheeler, research scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
The investigation found that the tunnels did not cause an increase in insect or crop damage due to disease compared to crops grown without tunnels. Dr. Wheeler explains that growers should consider options suited to their specific operations. The tunnels require time to set up manually which make them best suited for small farming operations and community gardens in the North, which make up a large portion of growers in the region. Larger farms may benefit from purchasing dedicated machinery to automate the process of installing the tunnels.
The research team also studied the use of bioplastic mulch on green beans and potatoes. Bioplastic mulches, which hadn’t been widely studied in northern climates, were a potential alternative to non-degradable agricultural plastics that require bulk disposal and can offer an opportunity to reduce plastic loading to the environment.
Unfortunately, the bioplastic mulch sheltered crop munching insects, like slugs, and the way the mulch was manufactured caused the green beans to grow in irregular shapes.
“The green beans and potato yields were in some cases very much reduced by bioplastic mulch, as the damage to the crop meant that much of the yield was unmarketable,” explained Dr. Wheeler. “Further, at some sites, the bioplastic mulch failed to break down effectively into the soil as it’s designed to, which makes it a less appealing option for Northern growers.”
An eye on promising spuds for northern communities
Potatoes are a common staple for northern communities and many producers have historically grown varieties suitable for the region, such as Sylvana in Whitehorse. Producers indicated to Dr. Wheeler that seeds for these varieties are becoming harder to source. They tested an additional 27 varieties to see which ones performed well to provide more options to potato farmers. Collaborators tested six different varieties in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, eight in St. John's, and 13 in Whitehorse.
“Many varieties performed well based on marketable yield and the total incidence of damage to the potatoes. Some alternative varieties stood out above the rest based on which ones showed the least individual damage. These include Chieftain, a red potato variety, in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, and Alaska Bloom, a yellow potato variety, in Whitehorse.”
- Dr. Julia Wheeler, research scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Sylvana remains ideal for Yukon growing conditions based on marketable yield, but Alaska Bloom produced a greater percentage of large potatoes providing producers with a solid alternative.
With her first northern agriculture research project wrapped up, Dr. Wheeler is already looking toward future research in the North. Her long-term goal is to continue evaluating season extension technologies that are inexpensive, effective, durable, and reusable.
“Starting in the spring [2025], we’ll begin researching different types of insect netting, along with ways to efficiently deploy this netting and the perforated low tunnels, so producers can reuse them year-after-year and reduce waste,” says Dr. Wheeler. “We also want to continue testing new and different vegetable varieties for northern growers, because having a wide variety of options is good for growers and for Canadians.”
Key discoveries and benefits
- Through the collaborative research initiative, Dr. Wheeler and other AAFC and Government of Yukon researchers tested season extension technologies for growing green beans and potatoes with farmers in Happy Valley–Goose Bay, Labrador, St. John’s, Newfoundland, and Whitehorse, Yukon.
- Dr. Wheeler and her team installed half-metre high plastic tunnels on green bean fields. They are designed to warm the air and soil temperatures around the plants to promote earlier and higher growth.
- The low tunnels had a positive effect on total yield and the quality of green beans. Yields were better the further north they were used.
- Dr. Wheeler and collaborators also researched various potato varieties that could provide alternatives for producers in northern communities.
- Many varieties performed well based on marketable yield and the total incidence of damage to the potatoes. Some alternative varieties stood out above the rest based on which ones showed the least individual damage. These include Chieftain, a red potato variety, in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, and Alaska Bloom, a yellow potato variety, in Whitehorse.
Photo gallery
Dr. Julia Wheeler (right) and Dena Wiseman (left) worked with other researchers and farmers to find season extension technologies and promising potato varieties for northern agriculture.
The perforated tunnels shown here had a positive effect on total yield and quality of green beans, particularly in Yukon where longer days and more sun likely helped the crop.
Some alternative potato varieties stood out above the rest including Chieftain, a red potato variety (pictured above), in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, and Alaska Bloom, a yellow potato variety (not pictured), in Whitehorse.