Our geographical region has a very short growing season, so a primary goal of extension research has been to develop and demonstrate integrated growing systems that can extend the season while increasing yield and profitability. The top grossing vegetable commodities are pumpkins, tomatoes, and sweet corn, but peppers, cucumbers, broccoli, lettuce, summer squash, zucchini, and many others are produced during the season. There is a very close working relationship between extension and the growers. Funding for research opportunities comes in part from the vegetable organizations and other allied industries seeking to introduce innovative production technologies for the northeast region. Plastic and Paper Mulches Over the years, synthetic plastic mulches have proven to be an invaluable production tool in New Hampshire, as well as throughout New England.
Black polyethylene is the primary type of mulch used by commercial growers.
It provides the benefits of soil warming, weed control, and prevention of soil water loss and nutrient leaching. Clear plastic mulch warms the soil better than black, but it allows light to penetrate, causing the problem of weed growth underneath. IRT mulch is so named because it only allows the infrared portion of the light spectrum though while preventing the photosynthetically-active light to penetrate to the soil. This characteristic allows it to control weeds as well as black plastic, but warm the soil almost as much as clear. During the last few years, various colored mulches have been introduced on the market.