Field Beds

Although not a new nursery concept, liner production in field beds was first started at Waverly Farm in 2003. Previously, our propagation production was grown in containers for one to three years before field planting.

Our objective in liner bed production is to produce a better liner grown in the soil from the beginning. Container production results in lost plants, root disease problems, heating and cooling cycles that are detrimental, and much more intense and wasteful irrigation practices.

After one to three years in the field beds, the plants will be lifted, root pruned and planted on a wider spacing.

We built the two-row planter after a search that did not yield the machine we were looking for. This unit can plant variable row widths from 24 inches through 48 inches. We have been able to plant up to 1800 units per hour, however the productivity is limited by our ability to re-supply the planter efficiently. That’s just another fun project to be resolved.

Our standard drip tube is installed for each row. We use Netafin tube with 0.42 gallon per hour emitters installed internally every 24 inches. Depending on current weather conditions and soil moisture reserves, a 12 to 24 hour run time will thoroughly wet the entire bed. Stay tuned for the results. Great plans on paper don’t always yield the intended result but optimistically, unintended consequences can often be better than expected.