Small farms in Kentucky use high tunnels (HTs) to help increase farm profitability and resilience and give them the ability to extend their growing season for year-round production of high-value specialty crops. Although HTs are semi-permanent structures, many are never moved due to land constraints, the time and labor required to move them, and because corner posts are often cemented into the ground to secure the structure from weather events. The continuous cropping in non-rotated soil can intensify pathogen, insect pest, and weed population densities. The multiple benefits of HTs may be reduced or disappear when soilborne pest pressure increases. We conducted a survey of Kentucky vegetable growers between January and March 2024 to assess production challenges faced when growing vegetables in high tunnels, specifically those related to soilborne diseases, plant-parasitic nematodes, insect pests, and weeds, and the preferred strategies to manage those challenges. We had a particular interest in assessing farmers' use or willingness to use soil solarization as a strategy to manage these issues in high tunnels. Farmers were surveyed using both web-based and mail versions of the survey. We targeted producers growing high-valued crops in their high tunnels, specifically tomato, lettuce, and leafy greens. Preliminary results suggest that common soilborne diseases faced by survey respondents include Sclerotinia spp. A large percentage of respondents indicated they have not had or they do not know if they have soilborne diseases or plant-parasitic nematodes. Regarding insect pests, the most common pests faced by survey respondents are aphids and whiteflies. Finally, common weed problems faced by survey respondents include pigweed, crabgrass, and chickweed. Common strategies used by respondents to address these problems include fungicides, insecticides, and hand weeding. Regarding soil solarization, only a small percentage of respondents are using or have used soil solarization. Nonetheless, more than 75% of those respondents who are not using or have not used soil solarization are willing to use soil solarization. The two most important reasons for wanting to use soil solarization include interest in using more environmentally friendly practices and the belief that soil solarization might be cheaper and more effective in managing weeds, insect pests, diseases and /or plant-parasitic nematodes in high tunnels.
