Vegetables Chapter 10 OSUE MGV Training

Pam Bennett OSUE State MGV Coordinator Horticulture Educator

Vegetables

• Site

• Planning

• Cultural

Site • Sun

– 8-10 hours sun

• Water

– CLOSE TO THE FAUCET!

• Size

– Physical site

– Time

– Use

Site

• Soil

– Well-drained

– No contaminants

– Raised beds option

Soil

–New site preparation

• Soil test

– pH 6.2-6.8

• Kill existing weeds

– Options?

• Mow tight

• Till

Soil

• Working the soil

– crumbly

• Tilling

– Don’t over do it

Planning

• Crop selection

– Preferences

– Hybrids

– Disease resistance

– All-America Selections

– Heirloom varieties and cultivars

– Seed catalogs

Planning

Cool-season – Injured by frost but

intolerant of temps

above 70F

• Beets, carrot, cauliflower, celery, chard, Chinese cabbage, endive, lettuce, mustard, parsnip, potato, Swiss chard

Cool season – Not injured by frost

• Asparagus, broad bean, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, collard, garlic, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, leek, onion, pea, radish, rhubarb, shallot, spinach, turnip

Planning

• Warm-season

– Cantaloupe, cucumber, eggplant, lima bean, New Zealand spinach, pepper, pumpkin, snap bean, squash, sweet corn, sweet potato, tomato, watermelon

– Do not TOLERATE cold soils

Planning • Succession planting

– Continuous harvest through season • Warm-season followed by cool season

• 2nd crop of same plant

• Plant every 2 weeks, same species

• Plant different cultivars with varying maturity dates

– More attention to watering in later plantings

Fall crops Bush Beans – August 1 Beets Broccoli Chinese Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Endive Kale - August 1-15 Kohlrabi Radishes Spinach - September 1 Turnips Collards Lettuce

Planning

• Plant spacing

– Traditional layout

• Row planting

• Hill planting – Soil warms sooner

– Germination quicker

Planning

• Plant spacing

– Intensive planting

• Square foot – concentrated planting

• Space saving varieties

• Wide rows

Planning

• Raised beds

– Soil warms earlier

– Good drainage

– Easier cultivation

Planning

• Vertical space

– Watch shading other crops

• Interplanting

– Leeks with sweet potatoes

– Radishes and carrots

Planning

• Developing the garden plan

• Do you have a garden plan?

• Add ornamentals for color

Cultural practices • Starting seeds indoors

– Timing – don’t start too early

– Harden off

• Planting seeds and transplants

– Timing

• Cloudy day

• No flowers/fruit

• Soil temperature

Cultural practice

• Planting

– Depth

• Seeds – Twice the diameter

– Follow label directions

• Transplants – Same level as container

» Exception tomato, broccoli

Cultural practices • Fertilizing

– Average garden soil

• LOSES per 100 sq. ft. – 1-3# of N

– ½-1 1/2# P

– 2-4 # K

– Amount

• Add per soil test

Cultural Practices

• Fertilizing

–Timing

• Planting

– Starter fertilizer?????

– Methods

• Side dressing Row or banding

• Broadcasting Liquid

Cultural Practices

• Fertilizing

– Never fertilize when dry

– Avoid prolonged contact with foliage

– Organic and synthetic

Cultural practices

• Watering

– Amount

• 1” water per week

– When

• Morning

Cultural Practices

• Watering

– Methods

• Sprinklers

• Soaker hoses

• Drip irrigation

• By hand

• Avoid getting water on foliage

Cultural practices

•Staking

•Sanitation

Cultural practices

• Weed control

– Cultivation

– Mulching

– Herbicides

• Harvesting

• Fall cleanup

Cultural Practices

• Crop rotation

– Why?

• At least 3 years

2009

2010

2011

2012

Cultural Pest Control

• What pests?

– Weeds

– Insects

– Disease

– Animals

• What to do?

– What are your strategies?

Integrated pest management

• Systematic approach

– Best gardening practices

• Right plant right place

– Threshold levels

– Control options

IPM – threshold levels

• What is your threshold?

• Depends on……..

– Amount of damage tolerated

– Pest population

– State of development for plant

– Vigor of plant

– Life cycle and habits of pest

IPM – Control options

• Requires monitoring

– Visual

– Traps

• Correctly identifying cause

• Selecting control options

IPM – cultural practices

• Irrigation

• Crop rotation

• Garden sanitation

• Soil aeration

• Mulching

• Tilling

• Resistant plants

IPM – mechanical

• Hand-picking

• Screens and barriers

• Trapping

• Syringing

IPM – biological

• Predators and parasites

• Microbes

Aphid Predators - Free Shipping

Aphid Predators (Aphidoletes aphidimyza)

ship as 1,000 small pupae mixed with

vermiculite that soon hatch out into adult

parasitic gall-midges. The adults seek out

the aphids and lay eggs near the colony.

After about 2 - 3 days the eggs hatch into

tiny, bright-orange larvae which immediately

begin feeding on aphids and are attracted

by the smell of honeydew. Best applied

when aphids are present, the adults are 2.5

mm long, fragile, with long legs. The eggs

are tiny and oblong and a shiny, orange-red

color. The larvae can be up to 3 mm long,

orange, and are found in the aphid colonies.

The pupae are found in the soil. Release 2 -

5 pupae per 10 sq. ft. of infested area.

Especially effective in greenhouses. Repeat

weekly for a minimum of three weeks.

IPM – Chemical

• Pesticides = to kill a pest

– Degrade quickly

– Low toxicity

– Target pest

IPM – threshold levels

• What is your threshold?

• Depends on…….. – Amount of damage tolerated

– Pest population

– State of development for plant

– Vigor of plant

–Life cycle and habits of pest

Life cycles

• Factsheets

– Colorado Potato Beetle

– Bacterial Wilt of Cucurbits

– Squash Vine Borer

– Striped Cucumber Beetle

Diseases

Environment Pathogen

Host

Leaf wetness, humidity, warm temps

Roses – Rosa spp.

Marsonnina rosea -

teleomorph

Diplocarpon rosae

The Disease

Triangle

Abiotic vs Biotic

Anything else we missed

• Pushing the envelope, extending the season

• Black walnut toxicity

• Common insects

• Common diseases

– Late blight of tomato, potato

Anything else we missed

• Favorite vegetable

• Using vegetables