Scott Stoddard, Farm Advisor UCCE Merced & Madera Counties. March California Master Gardener Cooperative Extension

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1 Scott Stoddard, Farm Advisor UCCE Merced & Madera Counties March 2010 California Master Gardener Cooperative Extension

2 Turf & Tomatoes 8:45-9:30. Turf management. 9:30-9:45. Break 9:45-10:30. Outside: turf and fert. 10:30-10:45. Vegetable gardening. 10:45-11:00 Break 11:00-11:30. Vegetable gardening. 11:30 - noon. Outside. Tomato planting.

3 Turf Management Outside Exercise Fertilizer application Weed ID Weed spray (if time)

4 Vegetable Gardening

5 Grouping Vegetable Crops Cool-Season Eat the vegetative part of the plant Roots (carrots, parsnip, beet, radish, turnip, potatoes) Leaves (spinach, lettuce, celery, cabbage, onion) Plant and harvest in the cooler part of the year Warm-Season Eat the fruit of the plant Mature (tomatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe, winter squash) Immature (summer squash, cucumber, snap beans, sweet corn) Plant & harvest during the warm part of the year.

6 2 exceptions:

7 Classification of Vegetables Spermatophyta Gymnosperms Angiosperms Monocots Dicots

8 Classification of Vegetables Monocotyledon Graminae - grass family Zea mays Liliaceae - lily family Alliums (onions, leeks, garlic, chives) Asparagus

9 Classification of Vegetables Dicotyledon Polygonaceae (Buckwheat family): rhubarb Chenopodiaceae - Goosefoot family Beta vulgaris Spinacia oleracea

10 Classification of Vegetables Cruciferae - mustard family Brassica oleracea (kale, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli) Brassica spp (turnips, rutabega, mustard) Rhaphanus (radish)

11 Classification of Vegetables Leguminosae - pea family Pisum sativum (peas) Phaseolus spp (beans) Glycine max (soybean - Adamame) Malvaceae - mallow family (okra)

12 Classification of Vegetables Umbelliferae - parsley family Daucus carota (carrot) Apium graveolus (celery) Convulvulaceae Ipomea batatas

13 Classification of Vegetables Solanaceae - nightshade family Solanum spp. (potato, eggplant) Lycopersicum esculentum Capsicum frutescens

14 Classification of Vegetables Cucurbitaceae - gourd family Cucurbita spp (pumpkins, squash) Citrullus vulgaris (watermelon) Cucumis melo (cantaloupes)

15 Classification of Vegetables Compositae - composite family Cichorum intybus (chicory, radicchio) Lactuga sativa (lettuce) Cynara scolymus (artichoke)

16 Planning the Garden Warm vs cool season Climate Soil History Layout Variety picks

17 USDA Climate Zones

18 New USDA zones

19 Sunset

20 Topography

21 Limited weather data for foothills

22 Climate - Frost Spring freeze probability (32.5 F, 50%) Los Banos: Feb 23 Merced: March 8 (Mar 17 ~30%) Le Grand: March 11 Denair: March 23 Mariposa/Sonora April 15 - May 17

23 Irrigation Reference Evapotranspiration (Eto) Soil type Rooting depth

24 Eto (Mariposa Co) Coulterville Mariposa Yosemite Village inches per month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

25 Soil Water Holding Capacity Inches H20/ft soil Clay Silty Clay Sandy Clay Silty Clay Loam Clay Loam Sandy Clay Loam Silt Loam Loam Fine Sandy Loam Loamy fine sand loamy sand fine sand

26 Rooting Depth 1-2 ft 3-4 ft > 4 ft Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, corn lettuce, radish garlic, onions, celery, potatoes beans, cantaloupe, carrots, cucumbers, eggplant, beets, peas, peppers, summer squash asparagus, pumpkins, winter squash, seeded tomatoes, seeded watermelon, lima beans, sweetpotatoes

27 Irrigations July and August, plants need lots of water (2 per week). Roots do not hunt for water (don t stress to make them grow). Soil type, soil salinity, mulching, plant cover, time of year affect watering frequency. wet soil a little deeper than root depth.

28 Suggestions for CA home vegetable gardens (Merced) Dec - Jan Feb - Mar Apr - May August Asparagus beets cucumbers Artichokes lettuce carrots melons beets onions turnips peppers carrots peas radish tomatoes peas radish potatoes sweetpotato strawberry

29 Location > 8 hrs of sunshine every day. near the house and water level good soil (good drainage)

$Soil Texture - sand, silt, & clay fraction Structure - physical make-up of the soil Structure can be changed$

30 Soil Texture - sand, silt, & clay fraction Structure - physical make-up of the soil Structure can be changed relatively easy thru tillage and organic matter additions. Both are important for water infiltration, drainage.

31 Soil Amendments Organic matter compost, cover crop, mulch improve soil structure provide nutrients Lime (calcium carbonate) for low soil ph (sandy soils) gypsum (calcium sulfate) improve water infiltration, provide Ca, remove Na

32 Soil Amendments Manure? (better to compost) often contains many weed seeds can be hot, so apply several months before planting (fall) 4 lb steer/4 sq ft, 1 lb poultry/4 sq ft, tons per half acre incorporate at least a few weeks before planting (better in the fall)

33 Composting Manure + soil + water + air (from mixing) + time small amount of N fertilizer will speed up process (1 lb N per 10 cubic ft) composting without manure (just green materials like leaves, grass, clippings) add ammonium sulfate, phosphorous, limestone 3-5 lbs per 200 lbs (10 cubic ft) of fresh green material

34 Soil Testing Necessary? Maybe. One sample for life of garden. Home test kits are not usually reliable. ph, E.C., OM, K, P, Zn

35 History Beneficial to move crops around from year to year tomatoes to corn squash to lettuce root diseases, nematodes

36 Varieties and Disease Resistance

37 Disease Resistance Key V - Verticillium race 1 F - Fusarium race 1 FF - Fusarium race 1 & 2 N - nematodes, usually root knot TMV, SW, CMV - virus resistance P - bacterial speck

39 Variety guidelines - is this possible? Vegetable varieties are constantly changing heirlooms (prior to 1945) hybrids Tomatoes > 2400 red types, > 500 other > 7500 varieties catalogued

40 Kentucky Wonder bean Fortex, KY Wonder Detroit dark red beet Ruby Queen, Detroit dark red Early Alameda corn Black Beauty eggplant California early red onion Stratagem peas Burbank, White rose potatoes Early prolific straightneck squash Earliana, Marglobe tomato Ivory n Gold, Merced red Black Beauty, Epic Grano, CA Early Red Sugar Daddy White Rose Early prolific straightneck Ace, Celebrity, Champion, Early

41 Heirlooms vs Hybrids Heirlooms those varieties grown prior to Usually will breed true to type. Hybrids cross between two inbred parents. Usually improved yield and disease resistance. Seed cannot be saved because it will not grow true to type.

Sources http://extension.oregonstate.edu Tomato: (very early) Oregon Eleven. (early) Early Girl, Oregon Spring, Santiam, Oregon Pride, Oregon Star, Siletz, Legend.

42 Sources Tomato: (very early) Oregon Eleven. (early) Early Girl, Oregon Spring, Santiam, Oregon Pride, Oregon Star, Siletz, Legend. (medium) Willamette, Pik Red, Celebrity, Sunleaper, Mountain Spring, Medford, First Lady II, Big Beef. (late) Big Boy,Better Boy, Fantastic, Bush Big Boy, BHN 444. (cherry type) Oregon Cherry, Gold Nugget, Sweet Million, Cherry Grande, Sun Gold, Early Cherry, Thai Pink, Juliet, Sunsugar, Large German Cherry, Sweet Baby Girl. (yellow) Jubilee. (paste) Oroma, Saucy, Halley 3155, Viva Italia, Super Marzano, Macero II, Health Kick. (heirloom) Brandywine (Sudduth s Strain or potato leaf strain), Seattle s Best of All.

43 Tomato Pest Mngt Blossom end rot No fruit set Common disease and insect problems

Vegetable Garden Tips for the Texas High Plains

Vegetable Garden Tips for the Texas High Plains Solar Fire Russell W. Wallace Extension Vegetable Specialist Email: rwwallace@ag.tamu.edu Phone: 746-6101 Reasons to have a vegetable garden: Good exercise,